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It's a split decision.
Pick Proton Pass if you want a free password manager with automatic device syncing, breach alerts, and unlimited logins and notes; its free plan is capped at two vaults and sharing with two others. Pick 1Password if you need business password management or broader controls for people, AI agents, machines, and SaaS access. It has no free plan, offers a 14-day trial, and lists Business at $8.99 per user monthly with annual billing. Several enterprise prices are quote-only.
01Side by side
| Proton Pass | 1Password | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Paid plans from $3.99/month, billed annually | $8.99/user/month, billed annually |
| Free plan | Yes: 2 vaults, unlimited logins, notes, and devices | No free plan; 14-day trial |
| Best for | Personal password management on a free plan | Businesses needing password management and access controls |
| Core strength | Password generation, syncing, and breach alerts | Unified access for people, AI agents, and machines |
| Learning curve | Not published on the vendor's site | Not published on the vendor's site |
| Integrations/data | Automatic device syncing; integration list not published | SaaS discovery and access management; integration list not published |
| Team/seat costs | Unlimited: $9.99/month annually; sharing with 10 | Starter: $24.95/month annually; covers up to 10 members |
| Support | Review support score: 5/10 | Review support score: 6/10 |
Proton Pass Choose Proton Pass if
- Choose Proton Pass if you want a free plan with unlimited devices.
- Choose Proton Pass if two vaults cover your needs.
- Choose Proton Pass if password syncing and breach alerts are priorities.
1Password Choose 1Password if
- Choose 1Password if your team needs business password management.
- Choose 1Password if you need access controls for machines or AI agents.
- Choose 1Password if SaaS discovery matters more than a free plan.
02Pricing compared
Proton Pass has a free plan: two vaults, unlimited logins and notes, unlimited devices, and sharing with up to two others. Paid plans keep those basic limits on Mail Plus, listed at $3.99 a month when billed annually ($47.88 a year). Unlimited is $9.99 a month annually ($119.88 a year) and adds 50 vaults, a built-in 2FA authenticator, and sharing with up to 10 others. The pricing page also shows higher struck-through monthly rates.
1Password has no free plan, but offers a 14-day trial. Business is listed at $8.99 per user monthly with annual billing. Teams Starter Pack is $24.95 a month with annual billing, covers up to 10 members, and allows up to 10 additional seats at an unpublished price. Several enterprise and access products are quote-only; monthly billing prices are not published.
03Features and depth
Proton Pass covers core password-manager jobs: generating and storing passwords, syncing them automatically across devices, and alerting users to breaches. Proton says its apps are open source and independently audited. Its free plan includes unlimited logins and notes, but the two-vault limit may matter if you separate work, personal, and shared credentials. The paid Unlimited plan raises that cap to 50 vaults and adds a built-in 2FA authenticator.
1Password also manages passwords, but its stated scope extends to business access. Its Unified Access platform is described as discovering, securing, and auditing access for people, AI agents, and machines. The listed offerings include credential brokering, privileged access, SaaS management, and access governance, alongside password management. Those features are aimed at organizations managing more than individual logins. If you only need password storage and syncing, Proton’s listed feature set may be enough; if you need controls for agent and machine credentials or SaaS access, 1Password covers more ground in the published product information.
04Ease of use and learning curve
For personal use, Proton Pass has the more direct proposition in the available product information: generate passwords, store them, sync across devices, and get breach alerts. Its free plan also supports unlimited devices, though the two-vault and two-person sharing caps are worth checking before moving a household or team.
1Password’s password-management plans include a 14-day trial, but its broader products introduce concepts such as credential brokering, privileged access, SaaS management, and device trust. Those may be relevant for an organization, but add decisions beyond choosing where to store passwords. The published sources do not document setup steps or compare learning time, so we would not claim either product is easier in practice. Choose based on whether you want a personal password manager or a wider access platform.
Questions people ask
Is Proton Pass as safe as 1Password?
The published information does not provide a like-for-like security comparison, so we can’t conclude that one is as safe as the other. Proton says its apps are open source and independently audited. 1Password describes tools for securing and auditing access, but the sources do not give comparable audit or security details.
Has Proton Pass ever been hacked?
The published sources do not establish whether Proton Pass has ever been hacked, so we can’t responsibly say that it has never had an incident. They describe password storage, syncing, breach alerts, and Proton’s statement that its apps are open source and independently audited, but provide no incident history.
What is the best replacement for 1Password?
It depends on what you need to replace. Proton Pass is a fit to consider for free personal password management, automatic syncing, and breach alerts; its free plan caps vaults at two. For business passwords and broader controls over people, AI agents, machines, or SaaS access, 1Password’s listed products cover more.
What has happened to 1Password?
The published product information describes 1Password as a broader Unified Access platform, not only a password manager. Its stated scope includes access for people, AI agents, and machines, as well as credential brokering, privileged access, and SaaS management. The sources do not describe a specific recent event or company change.