What is 1Password?
1Password is a password manager built around a single encrypted vault rather than a password list kept inside one browser. It holds passwords, passkeys, secure notes and payment details, and fills them into both browsers and native Mac apps, with biometric unlock available. Its Watchtower feature reports items in the vault that have appeared in known breaches. It suits people who use more than one device and want one credential store across all of them. The Mac app requires macOS 12 or newer, and unlocking 1Password itself with a passkey requires macOS 13 or later.
Verified product facts
- Type
- password managerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Developer
- 1PasswordDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Current version
- 8.12.38Developer-stated
- Official website
- 1password.com/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What 1Password does at a glance.
Encrypted vault
Holding passwords, passkeys, secure notes and payment details
Autofill
In browsers and native Mac apps
Watchtower monitoring
For items exposed in known breaches
Expiring share links
For individual vault items
Biometric unlock
Alongside the master password
Apps
For macOS, iOS, Windows and Android sharing one account
What you can use 1Password for
- Storing passwords and passkeys in one vault instead of each browser's own password store
- Filling logins and payment details into browsers and native Mac apps
- Sharing a single vault item through a link that expires
Who is 1Password for?
- People who use more than one device and want one credential store across all of them
- Mac users who need credentials autofilled in native apps as well as in browsers
Who is 1Password not for?
- Anyone who needs to inspect the source of their password manager — 1Password is closed source
- Buyers who need published consumer pricing before committing — the official site publishes none
Limitations
- macOS 12 or newer is required, and passkey unlock needs macOS 13 or later
- Consumer pricing is not published by the developer in the sources Nuanyue tracks
- Apple Silicon support is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks
- Closed source, so the vault implementation cannot be inspected
Strengths and trade-offs
What 1Password does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Generates and stores passkeys as well as passwords.Developer-stated
- Autofills credentials, payment cards and addresses in browsers and native Mac apps.Developer-stated
- Watchtower reports saved items that have appeared in known breaches.Developer-stated
- Individual items can be shared through links that expire.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- The Mac app requires macOS 12 or newer, so it will not run on macOS 11 or earlier.
- Passkey unlock needs macOS Ventura 13 or later, so that sign-in method is unavailable on macOS 12.
- Consumer pricing is not published; the official pricing page routes business plans through a quote request.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Direct download from 1password.com; the Mac app requires macOS 12 or newer.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Sign in to a 1Password account — credentials are stored in the account's vault, not only on the device.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Fills credentials into browsers and native Mac apps, with biometric unlock.
What it does
1Password keeps credentials in an encrypted vault rather than leaving them in each browser’s own password store. On macOS it fills passwords, payment cards and addresses into both browsers and native apps, and it can unlock with biometrics instead of a typed master password.
Alongside passwords it generates and stores passkeys, keeps secure notes, and can share individual items through links that expire.
System requirements
The Mac app requires macOS 12 or newer. Passkey unlock — signing in to 1Password itself with a passkey instead of a password — has a stricter requirement: macOS Ventura 13 or later. On macOS 12 the app runs, but that particular sign-in method is unavailable.
This entry records Apple Silicon support as unknown rather than assuming it. No page Nuanyue checked states the app’s architecture, and “we found no source confirming this” is not the same claim as “this is not supported” — so the field is left unestablished instead of being filled with a guess.
Pricing
The official site does not publish consumer pricing. Its pricing page lists business products — Enterprise Password Manager, Credential Broker, Privileged Access and SaaS Manager — and each of those routes to a quote request rather than a published figure. No free tier is stated, so the pricing model is recorded as unknown.
Questions about 1Password
Does 1Password run on macOS?
Yes. The Mac app requires macOS 12 or newer.
Does 1Password support passkeys?
Yes. It can generate and store passkeys, and a 1Password account can itself be unlocked with a passkey where the operating system supports it.
Is 1Password free?
No free tier is stated. The official site publishes no consumer pricing; its pricing page lists business products, each routing to a quote request.
Alternatives to 1Password
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
KeePassXC
Offline, GPL-licensed password manager with a local encrypted database.
Both store credentials in an encrypted vault, but KeePassXC keeps the vault in a local file rather than syncing it through an account.
Enpass
Password manager that keeps your vault in your own cloud storage.
Both manage credentials on macOS with browser autofill.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Dashlane
Cloud password manager with passkeys, phishing alerts and dark web monitoring.
Aimed at the same users with an overlapping feature set, including breach monitoring.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
Bitwarden
Open source password management tool for Mac OS, iOS and browsers.
Both are cross-platform password managers with a shared vault; Bitwarden is the open-source option.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Strongbox
KeePass-compatible password manager with local or self-hosted sync.
Both handle passwords on macOS, but Strongbox is built around KeePass-format databases rather than its own service.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- 1Password — official websiteGrade B
- 1Password — developer websiteGrade B
- 1Password — documentationGrade C
