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It has not been long since I gave an editorial toast to the reigning champion password managers, LastPass, recommending it not only for its wide array of premium features, but – most importantly – for its unwillingness to let down its seasoned fan base of free users, even as it faced close scrutiny for a change. of owner.
A moment of silence, therefore, for our beloved fallen freeware: from March 16, LastPass Free Tier users will only be able to use the service on one type of device – desktop or mobile, but not both. Good night, sweet prince.
Read more: Best password manager to use for 2021
The move tragically undermines a key security principle that has made the free version of LastPass so effective at the core security level: its seamless cross-platform integration. Using a password manager to enhance security, perhaps more than many other privacy products, hinges on a pivot of maximum user convenience. If not immediately and consistently visible throughout browsing, a password manager can be quickly forgotten and your ever-increasing number of passwords becomes more easily stored in a browser itself (a much less option. secure).
With more types of Internet-connected devices in the hands of users – and with a digital divide contributing to a broader shift towards Internet access by telephone – Internet usage is becoming more fluid. So a free password manager that can’t skillfully rotate between a user’s devices just isn’t going to cut it.
In addition to losing cross-platform access on March 16, people using the LastPass free tier will also lose email customer support starting May 17. Password managers are arguably the most intimate service in our digital life. Used well, they hold the keys to our individual realms. While their encryption typically prevents the parent companies of password managers from viewing your actual passwords, LastPass still offered a bunker bypass option to reset a free user’s master password in an emergency.
Now imagine that you are a free tier user caught overseas trying to negotiate a connection issue, and the company you trust with more access than any other won’t even respond to a E-mail. Ouch.
These factors combine to negate any competitive advantage that its free service has gained LastPass and drag it into closer combat with its peers. Meanwhile, 1Password is steadily closing in on the crown, though it only boasts razor-thin marginal wins in key areas. We look forward to hearing from you soon more CNET reviews from 1Password and several of its peers. In the meantime, however, here’s where the two titans of password privacy stand.
1 Password
1Password is getting closer to LastPass’s lead in password management since LastPass announced its new free tier restrictions. With its hyper-flexible platform compatibility, transparency-enhancing company policies, robust security features, and smooth interface, 1Password leaves us wondering if LastPass can keep its crown.
Sarah Tew / CNET
LastPass’s legacy is improving quickly after announcing that its prized free tier will be limited to use on a single device. LastPass has never been more at risk of being dethroned, as its security and compatibility advantages over 1Password are reduced to extremely slim marginal wins.
Profitability: 1Password for Singles, LastPass for Families
These two password managers are comparable in terms of base price for a single subscription, but 1Password takes a lead of just pennies.
A one-year 1Password subscription costs $ 34.88 and comes with unlimited login storage, 1GB of document storage, and optional two-factor authentication through Yubikey for added security. LastPass offers the same for $ 35.
LastPass beats 1Password on family plans, however. LastPass’s family plan costs $ 4 per month and allows up to six users, while 1Password family plans start at $ 5 per month and only allow five users.
Both managers offer a trial period, but LastPass is better, giving you 30 days compared to 1Password’s seven.
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Protect your data with a password manager
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Platform compatibility: 1Password (by a nose)
Both managers work on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iPhone and iPad. Both offer ways to work with Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. On mobile, the two come to a draw. But on your laptop? 1Password has native apps that work with its browser extensions, while LastPass only relies on browser plugins. This gives it a slight advantage in terms of flexibility, but only in outliers.
1Password also has a Chrome OS app that lets 1Password live in your browser and offers keyboard shortcuts to quickly find your connections across all of its desktop options. And if you want to run a lite version of 1Password, you can also use its mini-apps on Windows and MacOS.
Since the managers are both browser-focused, the compatibility factor also gives you an idea of their overall usability – what they look and feel for an average user. If you have a slow machine or work with extremely limited processing power, LastPass browser extensions are your best option for a fast browsing experience.
Comparing for ease of viewing, LastPass organizes your password vault in a nested folder system, while 1Password’s similar system also lets you add tags to your logins. Can’t remember the name of that movie site you were using last week? Just search for “entertainment” in the 1Password tags to see a list of streaming sites you’ve connected to.
1Password, like LastPass, works on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iPhone, and iPad.
1 Password
Security: both are secure, but 1Password is more transparent
LastPass far beats 1Password on one important security advantage: password generation. While both have random password generators, LastPass’ spits out stronger passwords faster than 1Password with a one-click process. You can’t customize the password generation settings like you can in 1Passwords, but it’s arguably stronger because it reduces the human error factor by default. Even with less settings customization, LastPass’s generator settings can still be adjusted more easily for sites that are picky about selecting passwords. You can also enable LastPass to automatically update your passwords.
Overall, however, 1Password has the advantage.
LastPass and 1Password encrypt your connections locally to normal AES-256 standards – meaning your passwords are encrypted before they are sent over the internet – rather than relying on a cloud-based service to scramble them later. And LastPass offers more convenience two-factor authentication, then you think it would have an advantage there, but it doesn’t necessarily have to.
1Password also offers two-factor authentication, but its onboarding process gives it a superior security advantage over LastPass.
Both LastPass and 1Password encrypt your credentials locally before they are sent over the internet.
Last pass
For LastPass, you only need a master password to create your vault and access it on all platforms. With 1Password, you use a master password to access your vault on all platforms, but during setup you will need that master password and a security key. 1Password also boosts privacy by offering a convenient QR code setup option so that you don’t risk exposing this key via manual entry. On Mac, you can use Touch ID to unlock 1Password, and on iOS devices, you can also use Face ID.
1Password’s Watchtower feature adds an extra inch to its narrow competitive advantage. Watchtower regularly scans the dark web for any appearance of your unique credentials, alerting you if it finds your information out of your pocket. LastPass offers a similar feature called Dark Web Watch. While we’re happy to get a more in-depth comparison of the two features in the future, for now the difference seems to be that Watchtower lets you select which sections of your vault you want to check out. This ability to create intra-account partitions could give you more control over the flow of data between your manager and your credentials.
While some might point out that LastPass bug and violation history actually a less certain bet, I’d say it’s a short-sighted argument: there’s always a strong correlation between the popularity of any security tool and the length of its bug rap sheet. There are three more important factors to consider: the damage caused by the breach, the company’s bug elimination and prevention process, and the company’s transparency.
While LastPass competently approached these factors in its own way, LastPass returned to the limelight in February as researchers found seven web trackers attached to the LastPass Android app.
1Password wins for me on this one – for now – because it appears to have gone beyond LastPass in the depth and substance of its third-party audits, and because it was found to have no web tracker by the same organization.
Neither manager has the distinction of being proudly open-source – like BitWarden, which is rushing to take over from best free password manager – but 1Password seems to aim for maximum transparency. And it is a gesture worthy of the crown.
We can’t wait to see who ends up with that crown in our next reviews, but for now the competition between 1Password and LastPass is too close to call – and that should worry LastPass regardless of the outcome.
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