LastPass vs. 1Password

Key Similarities

• Both offer free trial periods
• Both offer unlimited password storage
• Both offer additional security features

Key Differences

• LastPass fell victim to a data breach that eroded confidence
• 1Password requires a security key for full vault access
• 1Password has a native app for desktop and laptop users

Think about all of the valuable stuff your passwords protect. Your bank accounts. Your utility bills. Your mortgage system. Your tax information. Unfortunately, data breaches are all too common today. It’s estimated that there’s a 27 percent chance that you’ll fall victim. A little more than a one in four.1

We don’t like those odds, and that’s why we always encourage people to use password managers like LastPass and 1Password to protect their accounts. They’re simple to use, they’re really affordable, and they’re minimally intrusive.

We compared LastPass and 1Password, and while both did well storing and auto-filling passwords, there are other critical factors to consider. For example, would you entrust the keys to your online accounts to someone who has left the gate unlocked before? You’ll see what we mean by that in a minute.

Methodology

All of our comparison articles start with in-depth research. Our main focus here is to determine what claims the company is making and if they’re making good on them. We take a look at news sites, review pages, and consumer reports to get a clear understanding of what each service is bringing to the table.

>> Compare Services: Nordpass vs. LastPass

After that, we put the services to the test ourselves on our own devices. We purchase the systems and set them up just how you would, incorporating them into our personal and professional lives. We pay close attention to how these services integrate into our routines, make note of any challenges or frustrations they pop up along the way. Only after this comprehensive evaluation do we choose which service to endorse.

Make sense? Great. Now let’s put LastPass and 1Password side by side to see how they stack up against each other.

Security

We need to address the elephant in the room right off the bat. In 2022, LastPass suffered a data breach that exposed a ton of customer and company information — definitely not what you want to hear when it comes to a password manager. Without getting too far into the weeds, the breach exposed some troubling cybersecurity practices that left users vulnerable, which in turn led to a mass exodus of users.

But that was 2022. How are they doing now?

Well, better. According to a recent report, LastPass seems to have stopped the customer-churn bleed and has comprehensively overhauled its practices. Not only the practices that led to the cybersecurity incident, but their security posture as a whole. On paper it all looks good, but customer sentiment is a finicky thing. Were these improvements really enough to address the issues?

We’d argue yes. They’ve added in a cloud security posture management layer to all cloud infrastructure and switched to an endpoint detection and response system that it deemed to be more effective. It also invested in secure service edge deployment and a security orchestration automation and response platform, among other improvements. Despite customer sentiments, LastPass has stepped up its game when it comes to security. But is it enough to beat out 1Password?

There, we’d say no. When we reviewed 1Password, we found what is one of the most secure password managers available today. Both platforms utilize on-device military-grade AES-256 encryption — meaning your passwords are encrypted before they’re sent across the internet.

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But 1Password takes it a step further. You’ll need a master password and a security key to access your vault across platforms. While LastPass’s recent efforts to improve their security after the breach are admirable and meaningful, 1Password was built better from the start.

Security Winner: 1Password

Pricing

While security is of paramount importance when comparing password managers, price will also play a big factor in determining which service you want to go with. The good news is password managers are, for the most part, extremely affordable. Let’s take a look at 1Password’s pricing packages and compare them to LastPass.

Now let’s take a look at LastPass’s breakdown:

As you can see, we have very similar features here. 1Password is a little cheaper on the individual tier, and LastPass shaves off a bit on the Family plan. These are negligible differences, though. Pennies per day.

When you look at cost alone, it’s hard to determine a winner. We’re going to call this one a tie, but remember, you’re going to see the value when you look at the features overall.

Winner: Tie

Platform Compatibility and Features

So on pricing and security, things are pretty much neck and neck. Let’s really drill down into the features, though, so we can start seeing some differentiation in our analysis.

Platform Compatibility

LastPass and 1Password both work on Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iPhone and iPad. They both also have extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Opera. But it’s 1Password by a nose, as it also offers native apps on some devices that run with the browser extension, whereas LastPass relies on the plug-ins alone. There’s a slight advantage here, but it’s nothing earth-shattering.

Security Architecture

Where we really start seeing differences is in the security features. LastPass is a pretty standard setup. You create a master password that accesses the vault that holds all your other stuff. For 1Password, though, you’ll unlock the vault with your master password, but to access what’s in there, you’ll need a security key. That’s generated when you sign up for 1Password, and they do not have access to it. You’re required to print it off and store it somewhere safe. While this might seem like a hassle, it’s actually one of the most secure ways to manage a data vault possible. Advantage, 1Password.

Analytics

And finally, we come to the preventive, protective features of both LastPass and 1Password. Both have a dark web scan that will let you know your passwords are exposed in known online marketplaces, but 1Password takes things further with its Watchtower features. You’ll be able to visualize the strength of your passwords across the entirety of the internet, see where duplicates exist, and use the password generator function to replace them when vulnerabilities are found. 1Password just does a little more here.

Winner: 1Password

Ease-of-Use

We’ve tested both of these systems and when it comes to purchasing them and getting everything set up, it really couldn’t be easier. Generally speaking, you just follow the on-screen prompts. At no point did we feel lost, or would we expect others to, aside from the completely tech-illiterate. If you can check your email, you can install a password manager. It’s a tie here, so let’s talk about user experience.

Again, it’s close. Both LastPass and 1Password are well-designed, intuitive systems, but we liked 1Password a little more. LastPass and 1Password both organize things using a nested folder system, but 1Password lets you add tags to your logins. Can’t remember where you bought that cool shirt last month? Just search “retail” and it will pop up.

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Overall, neither system was overly intrusive, and after an afternoon of using both, we forgot they were even running in the background. This light touch is exactly what you’re looking for with a password manager. After all, they’re supposed to simplify your digital life, not complicate it.

Winner: 1Password

Final Recommendations

Folks, we’ve gotta say this was a close one. Both LastPass and 1Password are solid systems at comparable price points. At the end of the day, though, we’ve got to give it to 1Password. It’s just a slightly better program all around. It takes LastPass’ security and adds an extra step. It takes the biometric capability utilized by LastPass and adds in two-factor authentication. It takes dark web monitoring and adds on password strength monitoring. If LastPass is good, 1Password is great.

And — we really hate to say it — but 1Password has never suffered a massive data breach. We know LastPass has addressed that problem head-on, and we admire them for that. They didn’t try to deflect or shift blame; they said they screwed up, and they spent a ton of time and resources rectifying the issues.

They’re certainly a stronger service today than they were two years ago. But, that said, it was only two years ago. That’s not a whole lot of time for fears to be quieted and brows to unfurrow. If they continue to improve and demonstrate themselves to be airtight again, we’re willing to let bygones be bygones, but for us, it’s still a little too soon to tell.

For our money, we’re going with 1Password. If you’re not sure, though, no worries! That’s why we created a roundup of the best password managers of the year.