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I love 1Password but the subscription-only path doesn't sit well with me. They're intentionally removing key features so they can justify providing a service th

I love 1Password but the subscription-only path doesn't sit well with me. They're intentionally removing key features so they can justify providing a service that I can do myself. I'm increasingly sick of good standalone software suddenly moving to this model. They are a business, I get it. However how many subscriptions are we going to have to end up with? I get it with Slack, Dropbox, Github, etc as they all started with infrastructure to run. But 1Password (and Adobe and others) are pushing profits far far above their users. It's a shame.

TheRealDunkirk 5y ago
> However how many subscriptions are we going to have to end up with? I started making a list to answer that question myself. So far, I'm up to SEVENTEEN, but I'm sure I'm still overlooking a few.
- donohoe 5y ago
  I remember dropping cable cos of the costs and now we all have 2-5 streaming services we pay for...?
  - syntheticnature 5y ago
    You can at least cycle through streaming services, dropping them when there's less content of interest and then re-adding when it has accumulated. It's much more difficult to do that with your password manager.
  - Bud 5y ago
    Even if pick-and-choose subscriptions weren't cheaper than cable (which they are, for me so far at least), I'd gladly pay up to 2x the cost of Comcast service just to avoid subsidizing Comcast's evil monopoly, and how Comcast is intentionally keeping much of the US from having real, modern internet service (read: fiber with symmetric speeds, instead of their bullshit where they pretend a 1000Mbps down/20Mbps up link is lightning-fast and don't even TELL customers what the upstream speed is).
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    And you can cancel and subscribe at a moments notice, unlike cable contracts and having to use cable boxes and equipment rental fees. And you can watch whenever, wherever you want. Sounds like a great improvement to me. You also do not have to pay for 2 to 5 streaming services. You can choose 1, or 2, or however many you want.
    - perryizgr8 5y ago
      > You can choose 1, or 2, or however many you want. That way you could also "choose" not to pay for cable. But the reality is that if you want to watch all the latest popular shows and movies you have to pay for 4-5 streaming services.
      - lotsofpulp 5y ago
        That is generally how the world works. You pay more for more stuff. Not having to pay for ESPN if you do not care about ESPN is an improvement though.
berdon 5y ago
I agree with these sentiments. I love 1Password and pay for a subscription. But this post is simply trying to gussy up their subscription-only move for maximizing MRR. Call it what it is - don't lie about it by saying you're only doing it because "everyone loves our monthly subscription service".
runlevel1 5y ago
The gaslighting also makes me very uncomfortable: > The overwhelming majority of people (97% in fact) choose to subscribe to our new service and many of those who initially purchased a license later changed their mind and traded it in for a membership. With each of the last two versions, they hid the standalone version more. I'd hardly characterize all 97% of those users as voluntary. Their PR doublespeak isn't helping either: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28143821 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28143821 I don't think I can trust this new AgileBits.
- judge2020 5y ago
  I think it depends on how they got 97%. They hide the standard version on the website, but the specific picture they show in-app[0] is pretty clear about the license option, so if it's 97% of people choosing the subscription via that screen i'd believe them. 0: https://com-agilebits-users.s3.amazonaws.com/dave/1password7-upgrade-screen-en4hCVjGmYqm.jpeg https://com-agilebits-users.s3.amazonaws.com/dave/1password7...
- iamdamian 5y ago
  Adding to this, they've also left showstopping sync bugs in the standalone version, and the customer support team uses this as a reason to push people to switch to the subscription service. They were also giving away subscriptions for free for quite a while to get people to move. So yes, I'm with you in questioning the number.
  - ValentineC 5y ago
    > Adding to this, they've also left showstopping sync bugs in the standalone version, and the customer support team uses this as a reason to push people to switch to the subscription service. Woah, really? Would you mind linking some threads for the benefit of everyone else skimming through this? (I'm still on 1Password 6, and the experience is mostly smooth-sailing except for browser extensions.)
    - iamdamian 5y ago

TheRealDunkirk 5y ago

> However how many subscriptions are we going to have to end up with? I started making a list to answer that question myself. So far, I'm up to SEVENTEEN, but I'm sure I'm still overlooking a few.

donohoe 5y ago
I remember dropping cable cos of the costs and now we all have 2-5 streaming services we pay for...?
- syntheticnature 5y ago
  You can at least cycle through streaming services, dropping them when there's less content of interest and then re-adding when it has accumulated. It's much more difficult to do that with your password manager.
- Bud 5y ago
  Even if pick-and-choose subscriptions weren't cheaper than cable (which they are, for me so far at least), I'd gladly pay up to 2x the cost of Comcast service just to avoid subsidizing Comcast's evil monopoly, and how Comcast is intentionally keeping much of the US from having real, modern internet service (read: fiber with symmetric speeds, instead of their bullshit where they pretend a 1000Mbps down/20Mbps up link is lightning-fast and don't even TELL customers what the upstream speed is).
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  And you can cancel and subscribe at a moments notice, unlike cable contracts and having to use cable boxes and equipment rental fees. And you can watch whenever, wherever you want. Sounds like a great improvement to me. You also do not have to pay for 2 to 5 streaming services. You can choose 1, or 2, or however many you want.
  - perryizgr8 5y ago
    > You can choose 1, or 2, or however many you want. That way you could also "choose" not to pay for cable. But the reality is that if you want to watch all the latest popular shows and movies you have to pay for 4-5 streaming services.
    - lotsofpulp 5y ago
      That is generally how the world works. You pay more for more stuff. Not having to pay for ESPN if you do not care about ESPN is an improvement though.

berdon 5y ago

I agree with these sentiments. I love 1Password and pay for a subscription. But this post is simply trying to gussy up their subscription-only move for maximizing MRR. Call it what it is - don't lie about it by saying you're only doing it because "everyone loves our monthly subscription service".

runlevel1 5y ago

The gaslighting also makes me very uncomfortable: > The overwhelming majority of people (97% in fact) choose to subscribe to our new service and many of those who initially purchased a license later changed their mind and traded it in for a membership. With each of the last two versions, they hid the standalone version more. I'd hardly characterize all 97% of those users as voluntary. Their PR doublespeak isn't helping either: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28143821 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28143821 I don't think I can trust this new AgileBits.

judge2020 5y ago
I think it depends on how they got 97%. They hide the standard version on the website, but the specific picture they show in-app[0] is pretty clear about the license option, so if it's 97% of people choosing the subscription via that screen i'd believe them. 0: https://com-agilebits-users.s3.amazonaws.com/dave/1password7-upgrade-screen-en4hCVjGmYqm.jpeg https://com-agilebits-users.s3.amazonaws.com/dave/1password7...
iamdamian 5y ago
Adding to this, they've also left showstopping sync bugs in the standalone version, and the customer support team uses this as a reason to push people to switch to the subscription service. They were also giving away subscriptions for free for quite a while to get people to move. So yes, I'm with you in questioning the number.
- ValentineC 5y ago
  > Adding to this, they've also left showstopping sync bugs in the standalone version, and the customer support team uses this as a reason to push people to switch to the subscription service. Woah, really? Would you mind linking some threads for the benefit of everyone else skimming through this? (I'm still on 1Password 6, and the experience is mostly smooth-sailing except for browser extensions.)
  - iamdamian 5y ago