# 1Password vs Proton Pass (2026)

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified October 23, 2026.

> **Verdict:** Choose 1Password if you need developer secrets tooling (CLI, SSH agent, Secrets Automation), Travel Mode, or published family and business plans with SSO. Choose Proton Pass if you want a free plan with unlimited logins, built-in hide-my-email aliases and open-source GPL-3.0 clients, with Pass Plus at $1.99/month billed annually. The deciding factor is price and openness versus depth: Proton Pass Plus costs about half of 1Password's $3.99/month Individual plan, while 1Password adds team plans and engineering tooling.

**Choose 1Password if:** You need the 1Password CLI, SSH agent or Secrets Automation to inject credentials into terminal sessions and CI/CD pipelines; You run a team and want published business pricing: $24.95/month for up to 10 members, or $8.99/user/month with SSO through Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin or Duo; You want Travel Mode to remove selected vaults from a device before crossing a border; You want a family plan with shared vaults and admin controls for up to 5 people at $5.99/month billed annually; You want a large review base: 4.7/5 from 2,130 Capterra reviews and 4.6/5 from 1,605 G2 reviews

**Choose Proton Pass if:** You want a permanently free plan with unlimited logins, notes and credit cards, not a 14-day trial; You want hide-my-email aliases built in: 10 on the free plan and unlimited on Pass Plus; You want open-source clients under GPL-3.0 that anyone can inspect on GitHub; You want a cheaper paid tier: Pass Plus at $1.99/month billed annually against 1Password Individual at $3.99/month; You use or want Proton Mail, Calendar, VPN and Drive, bundled with Pass in Proton Unlimited at $12.99/month

## At a glance

|  | 1Password | Proton Pass |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing | From $3.99/mo | Free tier · paid from $1.99/mo |
| License | Paid | Open source |
| Best for | individuals, families, and engineering teams who want a password manager with built-in developer secrets tooling (CLI, SSH agent, CI/CD integration), not just browser autofill | individuals and small teams who want a zero-knowledge, open-source password manager with unlimited free logins and built-in email alias masking |
| Ratings | G2 4.6/5 (1,605 reviews) · Capterra 4.7/5 (2,130 reviews) · Product Hunt 4.8/5 (45 reviews) | Capterra 4.9/5 (7 reviews) |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | 1Password | Proton Pass |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starting price | Yes (from $3.99/mo billed annually (Individual)) | Yes (free plan; Pass Plus from $1.99/mo billed annually) |
| Free tier | No (14-day trial only) | Yes (unlimited logins, notes and cards; 10 aliases) |
| Platforms | Yes (web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions) | Yes (web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions) |
| License | No (closed-source, subscription-only) | Yes (open-source clients (GPL-3.0) on GitHub) |
| Encryption model | Yes (end-to-end, master password plus Secret Key) | Yes (end-to-end, zero-knowledge) |
| Hide-my-email aliases | Unknown | Yes (10 free, unlimited from $1.99/mo (Pass Plus)) |
| Breach monitoring | Yes (Watchtower flags weak, reused and breached passwords) | Yes (dark web monitoring from $1.99/mo (Pass Plus)) |
| Built-in 2FA authenticator | Unknown | Yes (from $1.99/mo (Pass Plus)) |
| Developer secrets tooling | Yes (CLI, SSH agent, Secrets Automation) | Unknown |
| Travel Mode | Yes (removes selected vaults before border crossings) | Unknown |
| Vault sharing | Yes (shared vaults on Families, expanded sharing on Business) | Yes (secure vault sharing from $1.99/mo (Pass Plus)) |
| Family plan | Yes ($5.99/mo billed annually, up to 5 people) | Unknown |
| Business plans and SSO | Yes ($24.95/mo for up to 10 (Teams Starter Pack); SSO from $8.99/user/mo (Business)) | Unknown |
| Privacy suite bundle | Unknown | Yes (Proton Unlimited $12.99/mo adds Mail, Calendar, VPN, Drive) |
| Support (Individual/Family) | Partial (email and community only) | Unknown |
| External rating (Capterra) | Yes (4.7/5 from 2,130 reviews) | Yes (4.9/5 from 7 reviews) |
| External rating (G2) | Yes (4.6/5 from 1,605 reviews) | Unknown |

## 1Password vs Proton Pass pricing: which costs less?

Proton Pass costs less, with a free plan and Pass Plus from $1.99/month billed annually, against 1Password Individual at $3.99/month billed annually and no free plan.

Proton Pass Free covers unlimited logins, notes and credit cards with 10 hide-my-email aliases; Pass Plus adds unlimited aliases, a 2FA authenticator, dark web monitoring, vault sharing and file attachments, and Proton Unlimited ($12.99/month) adds Mail, Calendar, VPN and Drive. 1Password Individual is $3.99/month ($47.88/year), with promotional pricing as low as $2.99/month for new customers in year one, and every 1Password plan starts as a 14-day trial. 1Password also publishes Families ($5.99/month for 5 people), Teams Starter Pack ($24.95/month for up to 10) and Business ($8.99/user/month).

## Is Proton Pass more secure than 1Password?

Neither is clearly more secure: both use end-to-end encryption, with 1Password adding a locally generated Secret Key to the master password and Proton Pass publishing its zero-knowledge client code as open source under GPL-3.0.

1Password's Secret Key means a stolen server-side database alone cannot decrypt a vault, and Watchtower continuously flags weak, reused and breached passwords. Proton Pass is built so that even Proton cannot read stored passwords or notes, and its client apps are on GitHub for anyone to inspect, while 1Password is closed-source. Proton Pass adds dark web monitoring and a 2FA authenticator on Pass Plus, and its hide-my-email aliases let a user disable a compromised address without exposing a real inbox.

## Which is better for developers and teams, 1Password or Proton Pass?

1Password is better for developers and teams, with a CLI, SSH agent and Secrets Automation for CI/CD pipelines, plus published team plans with SSO.

1Password's Teams Starter Pack costs $24.95/month flat for up to 10 members (extra seats $4.99/user/month), and Business costs $8.99/user/month billed annually with SSO through Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin or Duo, Watchtower reporting and expanded vault sharing. Proton Pass targets individuals and small teams, and its Pass Plus tier includes secure vault sharing with other Proton Pass users.

## Which is easier to use, 1Password or Proton Pass?

1Password and Proton Pass share a low learning-curve rating, and both offer native apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android plus browser extensions.

1Password unlocks with Touch ID, Face ID or Windows Hello, and reviewers cite strong ease of use, though 1Password Individual and Family plans get email and community support only. Proton Pass builds email aliasing into the autofill flow, so a masked address can be created at signup. Proton Pass's 4.9/5 Capterra rating comes from only 7 reviews, against 1Password's 4.7/5 from 2,130.

## Strengths and weaknesses

### 1Password

- Pro: Watchtower flags weak, reused, and breached passwords across every vault automatically.
- Pro: Native apps and browser extensions for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, unlocked with Touch ID, Face ID, or Windows Hello.
- Pro: 1Password CLI and SSH agent let developers inject secrets into terminal sessions and CI/CD pipelines instead of hardcoding them.
- Pro: Travel Mode temporarily removes selected vaults from a device before crossing a border.
- Con: No permanently free plan; every tier starts as a 14-day trial before billing begins.
- Con: Individual and Family plans include only email and community support, no phone or live chat.
- Con: No built-in password inheritance workflow for a deceased or incapacitated user's vault.
- Con: Subscription pricing runs higher than Bitwarden or NordPass at the same seat count.

### Proton Pass

- Pro: Free plan includes unlimited logins, notes, and credit cards, not just a capped vault size.
- Pro: Hide-my-email aliasing is built in rather than sold as a separate product.
- Pro: Client apps are open source (GPL-3.0) across desktop, mobile, and browser extensions.
- Pro: 4.9-star rating from 7 Capterra reviews.
- Con: Free tier's hide-my-email aliases are capped at 10.
- Con: Built-in 2FA authenticator and dark web monitoring require the paid Pass Plus tier.
- Con: Best per-dollar value comes from the pricier Proton Unlimited bundle rather than Pass alone.

## Which fits your use case?

| Use case | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Individual who wants a free password manager long-term | Proton Pass | Proton Pass Free has unlimited logins, notes and credit cards with no time limit, while 1Password only offers a 14-day trial. |
| Engineering team managing secrets in CI/CD pipelines | 1Password | 1Password's CLI, SSH agent and Secrets Automation inject credentials into terminal sessions and pipelines instead of hardcoding them. |
| Privacy-focused user who signs up for many services | Proton Pass | Proton Pass creates a hide-my-email alias per signup, 10 free and unlimited on Pass Plus at $1.99/month billed annually. |
| Company that needs SSO for its password manager | 1Password | 1Password Business adds SSO through Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin or Duo at $8.99/user/month billed annually. |
| Family sharing passwords across 5 people | 1Password | 1Password Families covers up to 5 people with shared vaults and admin controls for $5.99/month billed annually. |
| Proton Mail user who wants one privacy bundle | Proton Pass | Proton Unlimited at $12.99/month bundles Proton Pass Plus features with Proton Mail, Calendar, VPN and Drive. |

## Migration FAQ

### Should I use 1Password or Proton Pass?

Use 1Password if you need developer secrets tooling, Travel Mode or team plans with SSO. Use Proton Pass if you want a free plan, built-in email aliases and open-source clients, with Pass Plus at $1.99/month billed annually.

### Is 1Password cheaper than Proton Pass?

No, 1Password Individual costs $3.99/month billed annually with no free plan, while Proton Pass has a free plan and Pass Plus from $1.99/month billed annually. New 1Password customers can get promotional pricing as low as $2.99/month in year one.

### Can Proton Pass replace 1Password?

Yes, for most individuals, since Proton Pass stores and autofills logins, passkeys, notes and cards on the same six platforms, free or from $1.99/month. Teams that depend on 1Password's CLI, SSH agent, Secrets Automation or SSO-backed Business plan should check those needs before switching.

### Is Proton Pass free?

Yes, Proton Pass has a free plan with unlimited logins, notes and credit cards, 10 hide-my-email aliases and passkey support. The 2FA authenticator, dark web monitoring and unlimited aliases need Pass Plus.

### Is 1Password open source?

No, 1Password is closed-source and subscription-only. Proton Pass publishes its client apps as open source under GPL-3.0 on GitHub.

## Neither a match?

- 7 alternatives to 1Password: https://findalternative.to/1password
- 5 alternatives to Proton Pass: https://findalternative.to/proton-pass

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