1Password Restores Free-to-Use Local Vault Option in Latest Version of iOS App

[T-Bob]

As long as 1PW offer a *choice* to buy their app, then it's hard to complain. Every time this subject comes up you have people on both sides of the aisle making similar arguments for and against subscriptions, but really whether or not X app is worth X per month or X per version really is up to the individual and how useful they feel the app is to them.

It is always disappointing to see an app move subscription only, see how happy Airmail users are at the change last week. Hopefully 1PW will continue to offer that choice, or if not at least offer a very well communicated and gradual process off their old platforms.

 

[mdorais]

If you want the standalone version you can purchase it (about $50 when I did) by downloading the new app and choosing the standalone license option. (Details here)

Yeah but this doesn't really work between Mac/iOS & Windows anymore. The only way to auto-sync between OS's was Dropbox but Dropbox is now limiting the number of devices you can sync with. Also, 1Password doesn't use iCloud in a way that auto-sync's with iCloud Drive on Windows so that's not an option either.

 

[QCassidy352]

I feel the same way. I too purchased a multi-platform version. Prior to that, I remember purchasing two iOS versions (one for the iPhone and the other for the iPad); shortly thereafter, they released their unified iOS version.

Suffice it to say, I refuse to upgrade to their subscription model as my current versions work perfectly with my workflow. Until they stop supporting local device vaults, I'll keep using what I have now. Once they cease to support that, I'll find an alternative means to manage my data.

I not only have a full paid version of 1Password, I have encouraged many people to use them in the past as well. No more. I love their product, but I am not going to be forced to a subscription model having paid full retail for a standalone version.

 

[nt5672]

1Password sure found a way around that by releasing completely new versions for the Mac making people pay over and over again—I’m one of them. Sorry, I don’t think that what you say is the sincere reason. The real reason for subscription plans is making even more money—for sure!

I would also like to take the opportunity to point out that 1Password, in my opinion, is by far looking pretty old right now with its current user interface for iOS. It doesn’t feel modern at all—on the contrary it feels outdated.

If you purchased through the Mac App Store you would have only had two options. A subscription which after the initial use period expired would drop back to free mode or quick working and to purchase a completely new version each time. The Mac App Store does not allow charging for upgrades.

And to be "making even more money" developers have to be making money to begin with. Most don't we only do it to provide credibility for other paid projects we do.

 

[Mr$tone]

If you purchased through the Mac App Store you would have only had two options. A subscription which after the initial use period expired would drop back to free mode or quick working and to purchase a completely new version each time. The Mac App Store does not allow charging for upgrades.

And to be "making even more money" developers have to be making money to begin with. Most don't we only do it to provide credibility for other paid projects we do.

As you know they sell the Mac version outside the store as well.

This thread made me try Bitwarden right now.

Wow—Bitwarden has a beautiful black theme, really beautiful! The look is modern and fresh! It seems very easy to convert from 1Password. I’m really considering making my move to that really beautiful looking interface. Stunning!

 

[Jemi9OD]

I shouldn't be, but I am honestly surprised at the amount of negative will towards 1Password's subscription model. I'm the first to admit that when i'm trimming the budget, I always look at active subscriptions and see what I can do without.

But for the value that 1Password supplies to me, the inconvenience of losing a couple dollars a month - or even 36/year or 45/year - is far less concerning than finding other solutions to do what 1Password already does very well.

I don't just keep my passwords there; I have separate vaults for family members, shared vaults among family members, I keep credit card data (including bank numbers so that if I lose my wallet i can still easily get my numbers changed), drivers license data, and - most recently for me - 2FA authentication codes.

For me personally, and for my family, the subscription model is an absolute no-brainer. 100% worth it to us.

 

[ksec]

I'm cross platform, and so I need something that I can use between macOS, windows, and iOS.

Thanks, answered my question why people are still on 1Password.

It is now worth including iCloud Keychain into the Apple value's calculation.

 

[nt5672]

As you know they sell the Mac version outside the store as well.

This thread made me try Bitwarden right now.

Wow—Bitwarden has a beautiful black theme, really beautiful! The look is modern and fresh! It seems very easy to convert from 1Password. I’m really considering making my move to that really beautiful looking interface. Stunning!

Yep, but my comments were about how its Apple's fault for App Store versions, not the developers.

 

[mariusignorello]

I always find it fascinating how tight people get with their money when it comes to apps, with or without subscriptions, and yet aren't near as discerning in other areas of their finances

Heh. Tell me about it. Doesn’t want to pay for something that will improve and better their life yet will rack up a bar tab like there’s no tomorrow.

Alright back on topic. I love 1Password and use the Teams subscription because it makes sharing passwords so easy without having to go about it using insecure methods...like plain text via email.

 

[fhall1]

I've been a 1P user for years and initially got it because I needed Windows, Mac and iOS cross-platform syncing. I do not like subscriptions and once forced to go that way, will be switching to Bitwarden. Just in case Agilebits pulls a fast one I have taken to exporting my 1Password data regularly so that I have a Bitwarden "importable" file. I was reading somewhere that a person hadn't done that, their 1Password license expired and the "read-only leftover would not let them export their data. They had to delete the app, then install the short-trial free version to be able to export their data file so Bitwarden could read it in.

 

[smetvid]

I refuse to pay for a subscription to store some passwords locally. This app has some value for me but not enough to fork over the insane amount of money they want to store a few small pieces of data. Its not like they are hosting videos for us or anything heavy. I realize they are a business and need to make money but their business model is seriously flawed if they think it needs to cost this much for a glorified local database storing small pieces of data.

I really hope Apple eventually does their own app or matches the functionality

 

[4jasontv]

I always find it fascinating how tight people get with their money when it comes to apps, with or without subscriptions, and yet aren't near as discerning in other areas of their finances

I find it fascinating that software companies have no issue selling incomplete or broken software and yet don’t think it’s an issue to remove existing features.

 

[Macusercom]

I would gladly use Keychain if there was Chrome extension for it or web access (the Apple iCloud suite for Windows requires admin rights, and thus I cannot easily install it on my work computer).
[doublepost=1563545351][/doublepost]

I am currently on LastPass, but I am thinking about making the move to BitWarden. Is the iOS app good?

The iOS app is okay. Nothing fancy but does the job. I'm just using it on my iPad though as I have a OnePlus 6.

 

[Mr$tone]

I always find it fascinating how tight people get with their money when it comes to apps, with or without subscriptions, and yet aren't near as discerning in other areas of their finances

Not true. If you buy a burger for a buck and eat it you don't all of a sudden get forced to use a subscription plan. People don’t want to be forced on subscriptions. Simple as that.

 

[RickDEGH]

I would gladly use Keychain if there was Chrome extension for it or web access (the Apple iCloud suite for Windows requires admin rights, and thus I cannot easily install it on my work computer).
[doublepost=1563545351][/doublepost]

I am currently on LastPass, but I am thinking about making the move to BitWarden. Is the iOS app good?

Any specific reasons why you’d consider leaving LastPass? I used Bitwarden before I switched to LastPass as the main one, although I still have Bitwarden installed on every device I own. I have been looking for a huge reason to ditch one, but they both work similarly.

 

[iDento]

If you live in Apple’s Walled Heaven then iCloud Keychain is actually good, I use it after using 1Password for years and it’s ok, nothing fancy, just move your notes from 1Password to Notes and the password to iCloud Keychain and with FaceID it just works. Can’t think of any reason to subscribe to any passwords app unless you are in Windows too.

 

[ignatius345]

I'm really anti subscription in general. It should more accurately be called "software rental" because that's what it is. The minute you stop renting, you are left with nothing. The only app I know that has a true subscription model is Agenda, which lets you buy whatever new features come out over the course of your subscription, and then keep a working copy of the software with all those features if and when you choose to stop paying. THAT is a subscription and not a rental.

Personally, I think something like 1Password has a more legit claim to support being an ongoing expense, though, because they have to respond to security threats and browser and website changes, and because of the sync service they run. I've made an exception for it and it's made my life and my family's life very very much easier.

[rant]
But SO many apps seriously abuse this pricing model. Ulysses comes to mind immediately: a feature-mature writing app that syncs with iCloud and really needed nothing more than OS updates going forward. Then the developers chose to go to the rental model. Seems to me they just want a blank check to tinker and tweak endlessly, and it's pretty gross. To date in the couple years since this they've made little changes, but quite frankly nothing that would add up to a truly major update in a traditional "pay for each big version" model. I think software renters want you to basically crowdfund each new version on an ongoing basis. Here's an idea: if you aren't making enough money on the already-finished software you wrote, write another app. If the Ulysses people designed another app for sale, I'd definitely check it out and maybe buy it based on the quality of the Ulysses design and UI. But instead? They tweak and fiddle around and users are expected to pay in perpetuity for that.
[/rant]

 

[YaBe]

Well done!

 

[Tivoli_]

I don't understand the logic for extremely complicated passwords and the sofwares that generate or manage them when passwords get stolen from service providers. In the last couple of years millions of user names and passwords were taken from hacked companies' servers.
So what good is it to have a password that is a mile long, and what is the purpose for such apps?

 

[jmkinny]

Am I missing something? I have the latest version and I don't pay the subscription. I use it across all my devices... iPhone, MBP, iPad. I sync it to my iCloud account.

Maybe I misread something, but not sure what the issue is. It's Friday and I can't brain anymore.

 

[Glockworkorange]

I was waiting for 1Password to force older existing customers to the subscription model. They've back tracked for now, but the writing is on the wall, they want you on their subscription model

It's one subscription I am very happy to pay. The cost is insubstantial when compared to the benefits, at least for me.
[doublepost=1563569726][/doublepost]

This is one case in which I'm happy to pay a subscription for it. It's one of the most essential apps I use.

There are a lot of lame subscriptions out there (looking at you, Parallels) but complaining about a 1Password subscription is similar to how nobody wants to pay $0.99 for apps. You want free options for 1Password? They are a business... it costs money to pay people to maintain the app, add features, etc. Don't be cheap.

They probably moved to a subscription model because they found that relying on new purchases with a one-time fee wasn't sustainable. Because people like free downloads. That's why all iOS games are free with IAP. That's your fault. Thanks for that.

So yes you can go back to writing your passwords down in a paper notebook (lol) but you have to admit you're giving up a LOT to do that. And that has value.

First app and browser extension I put on anything new. Worth the 30.00 a year or whatever it is

 

[oneMadRssn]

Any specific reasons why you’d consider leaving LastPass? I used Bitwarden before I switched to LastPass as the main one, although I still have Bitwarden installed on every device I own. I have been looking for a huge reason to ditch one, but they both work similarly.

I'm not a fan of their newer UI, I really don't like their new Safari extension, and in general it seems a tad buggy to me.

That said, it works 90% of the time for me and I wouldn't have even looked of I didn't see Bitwarden recommended by many people.

 

[78Bandit]

I've got the full, paid version of 1Password for both iOS and Windows. I sync my passwords over Dropbox. It works fine. All I need to be able to do is access my password vault. There is absolutely nothing they offer for services that I want. This push for subscriptions is getting old, particularly for software that runs standalone and doesn't need a bunch of feature updates during its life cycle.

 

[RickDEGH]

I'm not a fan of their newer UI, I really don't like their new Safari extension, and in general it seems a tad buggy to me.

That said, it works 90% of the time for me and I wouldn't have even looked of I didn't see Bitwarden recommended by many people.

After posting here I went about looking for reasons in the various forums to ditch one. Well, the reasons I got are the same as the ones you’ve stated. I switched to Bitwarden on all my devices. I like their themes too.

 

[MacDawg]

I created a new thread to discuss any subscription based apps and their alternatives

I would like to hear about all the apps people are unhappy about their move to subscription based pricing and their free or standalone alternatives

Check it out:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/app-subscriptions-and-standalone-alternatives.2190544/