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1Password Mac app updated to support one-time passwords, in line with iOS app

A couple of months after the 1Password iOS app was updated to support one-time passwords, the Mac app has been given the same feature, allowing the popular password manager to support two-factor authentication.

Version 5.3 of the pricey but powerful app also gains a number of other improvements, including improved credit card filling on a number of sites, among them Hilton, Cineplex, Drafthouse, Amazon, and PayPal. More custom fields have been added, and you can add your own fields in secure notes also … 

Searching for entries with accented characters can be fiddly, so the app no longer requires exact matches for these. Developers AgileBits say they have fixed the date-handling issues experienced by many, apologizing for the problem and promising a blog post soon with more information on what went wrong.

1Password is a $49.99 purchase from the Mac App Store. The update is free to existing users. If you’re not already using a password manager, check out our how-to guide, along with our review of an earlier version of the app.

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Comments

  1. Tony L (@tonyl) - 9 years ago

    How is 1Password better than LastPass?

    • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

      They are broadly similar. I use LastPass just because I tried it first.

      • Tony L (@tonyl) - 9 years ago

        LastPass is free, which is why I wonder why others prefer to pay for 1Password.

      • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

        LastPass is freemium: you get single-device use for free, but you need to upgrade to premium to use it across devices, which is essential for anything but testing.

      • jnuneznj - 9 years ago

        I tried 1Password first and it was via a bundle. They released syncing and iOS versions so that kept me going with the upgrades. I can’t compare because I haven’t used LastPass but I like the browser integration with OS X.

      • Tony L (@tonyl) - 9 years ago

        I use LastPass, the free version, on my desktop and laptop, same account.

        Do you mean it cost more to use on mobile? If so, then yes, I realize that. But to use LastPass or 1Password on iOS, don’t you have to use their browser too? That’s seems like a deal-breaker for me.

      • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

        No, LastPass supports bookmarklets that allows you to use Safari

    • I’d rather pay for software than have my information sold to the highest bidder, as often happens with freeware. Good developers need to be paid for their work.

      • drewgould - 9 years ago

        “Version 5.3 of the pricey but powerful app”. Yeah bloggers should spare us the commentary on cost. This app is handily worth $50 and I don’t even consider it “pricey”. Not everything will cost $0.99.

    • andreasgrill - 9 years ago

      You can directly (through WiFi) sync with your other devices to keep your passwords always local instead of storing them in the cloud.

  2. Can someone explain this two-factor authentication feature in 1Password in layman’s terms for me? I understand how it works with my Google account for example, where I get a text with a code. But I don’t understand how it works with 1Password.

    • Ryan Coleman - 9 years ago

      I don’t use the software or know exactly how but I suspect it does it through a device… prove you have all you need (iOS or Play app?) to be who you claim to be…

  3. Mlarson221 - 9 years ago

    1Password doesn’t have any of your information. That’s the single biggest difference. You and only you have your password. lastpass syncs with their data centers (yes, they are encrypted before hand).

    • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

      Assuming you sync 1Password data between devices (and there would be little point in a password manager if you didn’t), the risk is identical. In both cases, you are protected by bank-standard AES-256 encryption.

      • Rodrigo Gómez - 9 years ago

        You can sync without having to resort to some sort of cloud storage, but I’m not sure how convenient that could be. And I’m not sure if that works between macs, or only Macs/iOS.

  4. gianni wise - 9 years ago

    But how is it really any better than apple’s keychain access?

    • nosiycrow - 9 years ago

      I use all 3. I’ve used 1Password for sometime and sync using a Dropbox account so I can sync across all my platforms (yes I use Windows). I use LastPass at work because we want to “share” passwords within the team for various things and the “Group” features are powerful. I use iCloud Keychain as more of a convenience, but I treat 1Password as my source of truth of all Passwords. Also by using a Dropbox account I can sync across various devices, that’s how I share my 1Password with my Wife. Is it really any better? IMHO, yes, yes it is as I’m not tied to a specific platform and have flexibility. That said, I always say, “horses for courses” and if what you’re doing, suits you, then cool.

  5. mikisdad - 9 years ago

    I have tried many password programs in my time and 1Password is the best I have found. I do not consider it “pricey” and consider the comment somewhat misleading. Yes, there are free password keepers that do some tasks very well, some not at all and others poorly. I have generally found the adage, “you get what you pay for” to be fairly apt in terms of software though there are notable exceptions, such as Joomla, for instance.

    I consider the cost of 1Password is well justified because the application is constantly under development; the help service is the friendliest and most thorough I have ever found and I’ve been using computers since the Commodore 64, Apple II, and Tandy “Trash 80” – I even had a “Cat” that ate apples, for a short time. It is also one of the few software developers that allows the use of the product on multiple machines without additional cost.

    1Password also has excellent integration; sensible compartmentalisation of different types of password information; real time updating when you change passwords on the fly; the ability to allow you to generate or use your own passwords; customisable fields; sensible views and lots more.

    For the record, I have used SafePlace, KeepPass, LastPass, LicenseKeeper and various others whose names I can no longer remember. In my opinion, 1Password is superior to them all and is well worth what – although I am a pensioner on a very limited income, well below the average wage – I consider to be a fair price.

    For the record, also, I have no connection with the developers or anyone else involved with the company, its publicity or anything else. I am just a punter who believes: “credit where it is due.”

  6. Joni Web Girl (@joniw) - 9 years ago

    Just remember this with freeware and freemium apps: If the app is free, then YOU are the product.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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