For password security, choose 1Password if you want family sharing and deep business tools; pick Proton Pass if you prefer a free plan with aliases.
1Password
Proton Pass
Best Free Start
- Unlimited passwords across devices
- Passkeys work across browsers
- 10 hide‑my‑email aliases
Proton Pass Free
Family‑Friendly Setup
- 5 seats and account recovery
- Unlimited shared vaults
- Watchtower breach alerts
1Password Families
Small Team Value
- Flat rate for up to 10 users
- Role‑based permissions
- Simple path to Business
1Password Teams Starter
Password managers shape how you create, share, and protect logins across phones and computers. 1Password leans into family controls and admin tools, while Proton Pass leans into privacy extras and a generous free tier. This guide gives you the fast verdict and the trade‑offs that matter for a clean, confident buy.
In A Nutshell
Solo users on a budget love Proton Pass because the free plan stores unlimited passwords, works on all major platforms, and includes 10 email aliases. Households and teams lean toward 1Password for family recovery, tight permission controls, and a clear path to full business features. Both handle passkeys and TOTP codes; the value split comes from sharing, admin depth, and extras.
Side‑By‑Side Specs
1Password — What We Like / What We Don’t Like
✅ What We Like
- Family plan includes five seats with recovery, so a locked‑out member can get back in without drama.
- Watchtower flags weak, reused, or breached logins and nudges fixes in one place.
- Passkeys live right beside passwords; save and sign in from the browser and apps.
- Privacy extras via Masked Email with Fastmail for burner addresses at sign‑up.
- Clear path to teams and Business: SSO/SCIM, event streaming, and admin reports.
⚠️ What We Don’t Like
- No permanent free tier for ongoing use.
- Masked Email needs a Fastmail account, which adds cost.
- Passkeys saved here can’t be exported yet; plan migration steps up front.
Proton Pass — What We Like / What We Don’t Like
✅ What We Like
- Free plan stores unlimited passwords on all platforms and includes 10 email aliases.
- Built‑in authenticator and passkeys across devices; quick sign‑ins with fewer steps.
- Item, vault, and secure‑link sharing with tight control over who sees what.
- Open‑source code and a strong privacy posture across the Proton suite.
- Fresh addition: Emergency Access lets trusted contacts gain entry after a wait period.
⚠️ What We Don’t Like
- Free sharing caps: two vaults; up to three people per vault. Paid lifts the limits, but not to household‑wide sizes like Families by default.
- Admin depth trails full business suites; SSO and SCIM aren’t the focus here.
- Aliases scale best on paid plans; identity perks shine brightest when you upgrade.
1Password Or Proton Pass: Which Fits You Better
Integrations & APIs
Both offer polished browser extensions across Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, and Brave. 1Password layers in developer‑grade perks like event streaming for SIEM tools and a wide identity stack, handy once a team grows beyond a handful of seats. Proton Pass plugs into the wider Proton world—Mail, Calendar, Drive, and VPN—so privacy‑minded users can keep most data under one umbrella. If your day job leans on Okta or Entra ID, the 1Password track lines up cleanly with that stack.
Team Roles & Permissions
For households, 1Password Families keeps things tidy: five seats in the base plan, granular vault access, and the ability for organizers to help a locked‑out member get back in. That safety net wins points with less tech‑savvy relatives. Proton Pass tackles sharing in a flexible way—two shared vaults with up to three people on Free, then much wider sharing on paid tiers. It’s great for a couple or a small circle, with item‑level shares when you don’t need a whole vault.
Data Model & Objects
Both store logins, notes, cards, and identities. Passkeys live as first‑class entries, so you can sign in with a face scan or fingerprint instead of a password. 1Password’s Secret Key adds entropy to account unlock and stays off the server. Proton’s approach leans into end‑to‑end encryption across its apps and adds identity shields like hide‑my‑email aliases. Either path means your master credentials never travel as plain text.
Pricing & Seats
For a single user, Proton Pass is the easy starter: $0 to begin, with Plus at $1.99 per month on annual billing. The math is light if you only need one seat and like built‑in aliases. 1Password starts at $2.99 per month (annual billing) and shines once you add people: the Families plan includes five seats for $4.99. Teams Starter is $19.95 per month for up to ten users; Business is $7.99 per user per month with annual billing.
Help & Onboarding
Setup is quick either way: install the apps, add the browser extension, import from your browser or a CSV, and you’re rolling. 1Password’s Watchtower dashboard gives a clear punch list to fix weak logins or reuse, which helps new users see progress right away. Proton Pass keeps the first run simple and prompts you to add passkeys and aliases where they help. If you’re migrating a whole family, the organizer tools in 1Password keep the hand‑holding short.
ℹ️ Good To Know: Passkeys managed in 1Password can’t be exported yet; if you plan to switch tools later, keep a short list of sites to re‑create passkeys. See the vendor doc for details (passkeys in 1Password). To learn how passkeys work under the hood, read the FIDO Alliance explainer (Passkeys overview).
Security & Passkeys Basics
Both managers let you create and use passkeys on sites that offer them. A passkey uses public‑key cryptography and biometrics or a device PIN to log you in. That kills phishing tricks that lean on reused passwords. You can add passkeys alongside passwords while adoption grows. Proton Pass documents passkey flows in its help center, and 1Password offers step‑by‑step guides in its own docs.
Price, Value & Ownership
Cost tells only part of the story. The shape of your setup matters more: five seats with recovery built in saves headaches for families, while a free tier with aliases trims spend for solo users and students.
Where Each One Wins
🏆 Family Controls — 1Password
🏆 Business & SSO — 1Password
🏆 Alias Privacy — Proton Pass
🏆 Migration Help — 1Password (Watchtower checklist)
Decision Guide
✅ Choose 1Password If…
- You’re setting up a household and want five seats with recovery built in.
- Your team needs SSO/SCIM, event exports, and role‑based controls as you scale.
- You like Fastmail’s Masked Email and want burner addresses at sign‑up time.
✅ Choose Proton Pass If…
- You want a strong free start with unlimited passwords and 10 email aliases.
- You prefer passkeys, TOTP, and sharing flows inside one simple app.
- You like the Proton suite and want identity shields across services.
Our Practical Pick
For most households and small teams, 1Password is the safer first stop. The five‑seat family plan, organizer recovery, and clear upgrade track to Business save time and stress. If you’re solo, price‑sensitive, or privacy‑driven, Proton Pass is a smart start that costs nothing and adds handy aliases; upgrade to Plus when you want larger shares and more vaults.
Method: We compiled pricing and features from the vendors’ official pages and help docs, cross‑checking passkey steps, family limits, and business tiers. Key references include 1Password plans, Teams & Business, 1Password passkeys, Proton Pass plans, and Proton passkeys help. Passkey basics: see the FIDO Alliance overview. Proton Pass Plus annual price ($1.99/mo) was announced by Proton (price change note), and Families includes five seats (1Password Families). Teams Starter and Business pricing is listed on 1Password’s product pages.