1Password 8 for Apple Watch Released With New Features and Complications

I've been a long-time 1password user, and the subscription model isn't too bad however they do have very justifiable reasons for this.

1password is a cross-platform tool (so significantly more powerful and useful than Keychain). I have a Windows laptop, server, MBP, Android phone and iPhone. All sync without issues, and that's where the sub-model comes in.

That data needs to be stored somewhere and high-security storage is inherently expensive to maintain. Who pays for this? Who pays for the developers constantly delivering updates? Who pays for their business costs? Who pays for their marketing, research and more? Do you think it's all free?

A one-time fee simply doesn't provide the necessary income to support this. A subscription model does, plus it allows users always to receive the latest version of the software.

When I first started using 1password (v2), I paid for each new version. As an existing user, I got discounts but not everyone does this however, older versions still need to be supported which is not cost-effective.

With a sub-model, you are supporting your favourite software. You are supporting the development and future of the product, and you are paying for the ongoing costs.

You can of course pay a one-off fee to get the full version of 1password, but you won't have access to the cloud features and cross-platform capabilities. You also won't get support when a new version is released.

So before whining about subscription models, how about you look at why the economics of products have changed? You want cloud features. You want constant updates. You want 24/7 support. You want it across all your devices.

It was a very different world in software development before this. Only Windows and Mac versions existed. Sometimes it was just the one. There were fewer updates. You didn't expect the developers to support a cloud platform. You also had lower support expectations as you didn't expect a reply within the day.

Oh, and you moan about subscription costs yet everyone is completely oblivious to the fact that we all laughed at the iPhones launch price of $600, yet nobody bats an eyelid today spending $1600 on today's 13 Pro Max....(double the cost if you were to value it in today's money).

And the Apple Watch complication is pointless. I personally won't use it ever.

Does their website say $2.99 and not $3.99 as this article states?

For those that use this, how is it better than Apple Keychain?

It is far better than Apple Keychain. So much so that Apple rolled it out to all 100k+ employees internally. It’s the one subscription I happily pay every year because I use it every day.

It allows sharing of passwords in family vaults, built in 30 second rotating MFA codes, stores other info than just passwords (passports, licenses, etc), built in breach checks. The list of features is huge.

Yes, it is a subscription but software development is expensive (My career) so throwing $3 a month at a company for continuous improvement of software I love, I happily do it.

Subscription. No thanks.

Does their website say $2.99 and not $3.99 as this article states?

For those that use this, how is it better than Apple Keychain?

Cross-platform, easier to manage shared passwords. Easier to manage MFA.
Stores not only passwords, but also meta data, text notes, and payment card data.

> putting all of my most sensitive info in their cloud is a non-starter for me.

I felt the same, until I read their document on how their security actually works:

https://1passwordstatic.com/files/security/1password-white-paper.pdf

It's long, and quite technical (as security is), but basically, even if their servers were hacked, or even a rogue employee got access, your 1Password data is still useless to them as they wouldn't be able to read it in any way.

The document above is worth a read, even just the 2nd page.

Subscription. No thanks.

Yea me too. I'm starting to get perturbed by everything nowadays being subscription-based.