8 Best 1Password Alternatives in 2026 (After the Price Hike)
For the first time in a decade, 1Password raised its prices. On renewals dated March 27, 2026 or later, the Individual plan went from $35.88 to $47.88 a year (a 33% jump), and Families climbed from $59.88 to $71.88 (a 20% jump), per 1Password’s own renewal notices. The company points out its prices hadn’t moved since 2016 and roughly track inflation — a fair argument. But 1Password still has no free tier, and the increase landed right as Apple’s built-in Passwords app matured into a genuinely usable free option. If you’re reconsidering, here are eight 1Password alternatives that hold up in 2026 — ranked by who they actually fit.
One thing worth keeping in mind while you compare: 1Password’s Secret Key architecture means there’s no complete, decryptable vault sitting on its servers to steal. Any alternative you pick should be zero-knowledge too. Most of the list below is.
1. Bitwarden
The default answer for most people leaving 1Password: open-source, audited, and free for unlimited passwords across unlimited devices.
What makes it different from 1Password: Bitwarden’s free tier does what 1Password has no free equivalent for — unlimited vault items and device sync at no cost. The code is open source and independently audited, and you can self-host the server if you want full control. In January 2026 Bitwarden raised prices for the first time in its ten-year history (Premium is still $10/year; Families went from $3.33 to $3.99/month), and existing subscribers got a one-time 25% loyalty discount, per Bitwarden’s pricing page.
Best for: Almost anyone who wants 1Password-grade security without the subscription — or the price hike.
Pricing: Free unlimited; Premium $10/year; Families $47.88/year for up to 6
2. Proton Pass
From the Swiss team behind Proton Mail — privacy-first, with the most generous free tier of any paid-grade manager.
What makes it different from 1Password: Proton Pass free includes unlimited logins, unlimited devices, unlimited passkeys, and 10 hide-my-email aliases — the kind of built-in email masking 1Password doesn’t ship. It’s end-to-end encrypted, open source, and covered by Swiss privacy law. Pass Plus runs $35.88/year, or it comes bundled into Proton Unlimited with Mail, VPN, and Drive, per Proton’s pricing.
Best for: Privacy-focused users, and anyone already in the Proton ecosystem.
Pricing: Free; Pass Plus $35.88/year; Family $6.99/month
3. Apple Passwords
The reason a lot of people are even asking this question in 2026: Apple’s standalone Passwords app is free, built in, and finally good.
What makes it different from 1Password: Split out of iCloud Keychain as its own app in iOS 18, Passwords now handles logins, passkeys, verification codes, Wi-Fi passwords, and shared credentials — and syncs to Windows through the iCloud Passwords app plus Chrome, Edge, and Firefox extensions, per Apple Support. It’s free with any Apple ID. The catch: there’s no Android app, and it’s thinner on sharing and reporting than a dedicated manager.
Best for: All-Apple households who want zero cost and zero setup.
Pricing: Free with an Apple ID
4. Dashlane
A polished, feature-heavy manager that bundles a VPN and dark-web monitoring — the closest thing to a premium 1Password rival.
What makes it different from 1Password: Dashlane leans into extras 1Password keeps separate or omits: a bundled VPN, live dark-web monitoring, and one of the smoothest autofill engines around. Note that Dashlane discontinued its free plan in September 2025, so it’s paid-only now, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, per Security.org. It’s also web-first — the old desktop app is retired.
Best for: People who want monitoring and a VPN rolled into their password manager.
Pricing: Premium ~$4.07/month; Friends & Family $7.49/month for up to 10
5. NordPass
From the Nord Security team — cheap, fast, and built on modern XChaCha20 encryption.
What makes it different from 1Password: NordPass uses XChaCha20 rather than the AES most rivals run, supports passkeys, and is one of the least expensive paid managers going — under $1.40/month on a two-year plan. There’s a free tier (limited to one active device at a time) and a 30-day money-back guarantee, per NordPass’s plans.
Best for: Budget-minded users, and Nord ecosystem customers who want one login for VPN and passwords.
Pricing: Free (one device); Premium from $1.38/month; Family from $2.58/month
6. KeePassXC
For the no-cloud crowd: a free, open-source vault that never leaves your device unless you put it there.
What makes it different from 1Password: KeePassXC stores everything in a single encrypted file on your own machine — no company servers, no subscription, no account. You sync it yourself via Dropbox, Google Drive, or a USB stick if you want to. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with browser extensions, and it’s completely free, per keepassxc.org. The tradeoff is a rougher setup and no hand-holding.
Best for: Technical users who want total local control and zero recurring cost.
Pricing: Free and open source
7. Keeper
A security- and compliance-focused manager that scales cleanly from a personal vault to enterprise deployments.
What makes it different from 1Password: Keeper is built around auditing, granular sharing, and compliance certifications (SOC 2, FedRAMP), which is why it shows up in regulated industries. Zero-knowledge like 1Password, with add-ons for secure file storage and dark-web monitoring. Personal plans start at $1.79/month on an annual term, per Cybernews.
Best for: Businesses with compliance requirements — and individuals who want that same rigor.
Pricing: Personal from $1.79/month; Family from $3.83/month
8. Enpass
The offline-first option with a real lifetime license — no mandatory cloud, no subscription trap.
What makes it different from 1Password: Enpass keeps your encrypted vault on your device and syncs through your own cloud (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) rather than the vendor’s servers — so there’s no central store for anyone to breach. It’s the rare manager still offering a one-time lifetime license (around $99.99, often discounted), plus a free desktop tier, per Enpass.
Best for: People who want to own their vault outright and avoid a recurring fee.
Pricing: Free (desktop, unlimited items); Premium $1.99/month or ~$99.99 lifetime
Whichever password manager you land on, Carly works alongside it — as an AI executive assistant that connects to 200+ tools natively, plus bring-your-own API key for anything else.
1Password Alternatives Compared
| Tool | Model | Free tier | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitwarden | Open source, cloud or self-host | Yes (unlimited) | Most switchers | $10/year Premium |
| Proton Pass | Swiss, end-to-end encrypted | Yes (generous) | Privacy | $35.88/year |
| Apple Passwords | Built into iCloud | Free | Apple households | Free |
| Dashlane | Web-first + VPN | No (ended 2025) | Extras & monitoring | ~$4.07/month |
| NordPass | XChaCha20, cheap | Yes (1 device) | Budget | $1.38/month |
| KeePassXC | Fully local file | Free | No-cloud control | Free |
| Keeper | Compliance-grade | Trial only | Regulated business | $1.79/month |
| Enpass | Offline, your own cloud | Yes (desktop) | Own-your-vault | $1.99/mo or lifetime |
| 1Password | Cloud + Secret Key | No | — | $47.88/year (2026) |
FAQ
What’s the closest free replacement for 1Password? Bitwarden. Its free tier covers unlimited passwords across unlimited devices with the same zero-knowledge model, and the code is open source and audited. Apple Passwords is the strongest free option if you’re all-in on Apple hardware.
Is 1Password still worth it after the price increase? For many people, yes — the Secret Key architecture and polish are real, and the new $47.88/year is roughly flat against inflation since 2016. But if you never used its extras, a free option like Bitwarden or Apple Passwords covers the core just as securely.
What about LastPass? LastPass is often listed as a 1Password alternative, but its 2022 breach fallout is still playing out — stolen encrypted vaults have been tied to major crypto thefts through late 2025, and UK regulators issued a fine over the incident. If you’re weighing it, read the 1Password vs LastPass comparison and our LastPass alternatives first.
Which alternatives avoid storing my vault on a company’s servers? KeePassXC (a local file you sync yourself) and Enpass (encrypted vault synced through your own cloud) never hand a decryptable vault to the vendor — the same threat model that makes 1Password’s Secret Key design so resilient.
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
