For password managers, choose 1Password if you want the Secret Key model and smooth admin tools; pick LastPass for a free tier and lower family pricing.
1Password
LastPass
Budget: Lowest Out‑Of‑Pocket
- Start on the free tier; move to Premium only if you need all devices
- One‑to‑many sharing covers common household logins
- Cheapest family option for a 6‑person household
LastPass Free or Families
Balanced: Everyday Ease
- Smooth apps and extensions across platforms
- Secret Key adds defense in depth
- Clean shared vaults for couples or small households
1Password Families
Team Ready: Admin & SSO
- SSO/SCIM provisioning with granular roles
- Audit events and fine‑grained policies
- Clear per‑seat or starter pricing choices
1Password Business or LastPass Business
Password managers safeguard logins, documents, and payment details across phones and laptops. These two cover the same jobs but charge in different ways. The guide below gives you the fast verdict on costs, where each one feels better to use, and when an admin upgrade is worth it.
In A Nutshell
Solo buyers pay less with 1Password and get a well‑designed app set. Households save more with LastPass Families at $4 for six seats. Small teams under five seats often spend less with LastPass Teams; bigger groups get richer controls with 1Password Business at $7.99 per user. Both now handle passkeys; setup and policy depth lean toward 1Password.
Side‑By‑Side Specs
Numbers checked on vendor pages in October 2025. Trials are time‑limited; taxes may apply.
1Password — What We Like / What We Don’t Like
✅ What We Like
- Lower solo price ($2.99) with full device sync and polished apps across desktop, mobile, and browsers.
- Secret Key model adds a second factor that isn’t stored on 1Password’s servers; strong defense against vault theft.
- Travel Mode hides non‑travel vaults from devices; handy for border checks and loaner laptops.
- Teams Starter gives up to 10 seats for a flat $19.95; simple small‑group rollout without per‑seat math.
- Business at $7.99 includes detailed policies, SCIM provisioning, and free Families for each user.
⚠️ What We Don’t Like
- No permanent free plan; only a 14‑day trial.
- Families covers five people, not six; households of six pay more than the rival family plan.
- Passkeys saved inside 1Password can’t be exported yet; moving those later takes manual resets.
LastPass — What We Like / What We Don’t Like
✅ What We Like
- Free tier covers basics; easy way to start without spending.
- Families is only $4/month for six users; lowest household cost here.
- 30‑day trial across paid plans; longer test window than the rival.
- Teams per‑seat math starts at $4/user; under five seats often beats a flat starter pack.
- Passkeys live alongside passwords in the same vault; cross‑device use is straightforward.
⚠️ What We Don’t Like
- History includes 2022 incidents; pick a long master passphrase and turn on MFA from day one.
- Premium is $3, which is a hair more than the rival’s $2.99 solo price.
- Some team controls sit behind higher tiers; plan fit matters for admins who need deeper policy sets.
ℹ️ Good To Know: If you plan to try passkeys, both services can store them. 1Password uses a Secret Key alongside your account password. LastPass now lets you create and manage passkeys in the vault. Use MFA on the vault itself before importing anything sensitive.
1Password Or LastPass: Which Fits You Better
Integrations & APIs
IT teams want clean hooks for provisioning and automation. 1Password ships a full SCIM bridge plus a command‑line tool that can manage vaults, items, and users from scripts. That combo covers joiners‑movers‑leavers and routine admin runs without clicking through a UI. LastPass integrates with Microsoft Entra ID for SCIM as well and supports federation. Both plug into common SSO stacks; 1Password’s docs and CLI depth make bulk tasks easier for ops teams that live in terminals.
Team Roles & Permissions
Both platforms let admins build groups, assign vault access, and lock down sharing rules. 1Password Business layers fine‑grained policies and event streaming for audits. Family managers can recover locked‑out members. LastPass Teams and Business allow shared folders with flexible permissions and a dashboard that tracks security scores and breach alerts. If you need stricter policies and detailed logs across multiple departments, 1Password’s policy set feels wider; if the goal is simple folder‑based sharing, LastPass covers it with less setup.
Data Model & Objects
Each platform stores items (logins, notes, payment cards, identities, documents) inside vaults. 1Password Watchtower inspects items for weak passwords and sites that accept passkeys. A distinct Secret Key lives on your devices and pairs with your account password for decryption. LastPass centers on a zero‑knowledge vault with AES‑256 and PBKDF2 hashing, plus a Security Dashboard that rolls up your score and breach alerts. Both handle passkeys now, so new sign‑ins on supported sites can skip passwords entirely.
Pricing & Seats
For one person, 1Password costs $2.99 per month billed annually. LastPass Premium is $3 billed annually and comes with a longer 30‑day trial. Families is where LastPass wins on price: $4 for six users vs $4.99 for five on 1Password. For teams under five people, LastPass Teams at $4 per user per month (annual) often lands below 1Password’s flat $19.95 Starter pack unless you’re filling most of the 10 seats. Past ~10 users, compare Business tiers: $7.99 per user on 1Password vs $7 on LastPass, with differences showing up in policies, SSO options, and audit tooling.
Help & Onboarding
New users can import browser passwords and CSVs on both. 1Password’s apps guide you toward Watchtower fixes, Emergency Kit backup, and shared vault setup. Admins get clear SCIM walkthroughs for Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace, and Rippling. LastPass provides a Teams admin console with quick invites and shared folders, plus personal support on paid plans. If your adoption plan includes passkeys, both can save them; 1Password’s docs around passkeys in the apps and browser extensions feel more step‑by‑step right now.
Want the nuts and bolts? Read 1Password’s Security Design white paper and LastPass’s passkeys feature overview for current technical details.
Price, Value & Ownership
If you’ll use all 10 seats, 1Password’s starter pack undercuts per‑seat math. If you need only 3–4 seats, Teams pricing on LastPass can land lower.
Where Each One Wins
🏆 Family Cost — LastPass
🏆 Small Teams Under 5 — LastPass
🏆 Policies & Audit Depth — 1Password
🏆 Trial Length — LastPass
Decision Guide
✅ Choose 1Password If…
- You want the lowest solo bill without trimming features.
- You care about a Secret Key on every account plus solid passkey coverage.
- Your team needs clear policies, SCIM, event logs, and a flat starter pack that scales to 10 seats.
✅ Choose LastPass If…
- You want to start free and upgrade only when you need all device types.
- Your household has six people and you want the lowest family price.
- Your team is tiny and a $4/user plan comes out below a flat 10‑seat starter pack.
Best Start For Most People
For a single user, go with 1Password. It costs less and gives you a strong security model with the Secret Key. If you’re buying for a six‑person household, the LastPass family price is tough to beat. For a tiny team, run the numbers: at three or four seats, LastPass Teams usually wins on cost; once you’re near 10 seats or you need deeper admin tools, 1Password’s Starter or Business plans will feel cleaner to operate.
Either way, set a long master passphrase, turn on MFA for the vault, and keep exports safe. That one setup session shapes the value you get from either tool.