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Key takeaways

• 1Password is raising subscription prices by $12 a year.
• You can always consider a cheaper or free alternative.
• But a third-party password manager is still your best bet.

Do you subscribe to 1Password as your password manager? If so, I've got some bad news. A price hike is coming in March.

In an email sent to current customers, the company announced annual price increases for both the individual and family plans. The cost of an individual plan will rise by a hefty 33% from $35.88 to $47.88. The cost for a family plan will jump by 20% from $59.88 to $71.88. This means that both plans are climbing in price by $12 a year.

The new price tags will go into effect at your next renewal period if it's on or after March 27, 2026. If your plan is due to renew before then, the current price will remain the same until your next renewal.

Also: The best password managers of 2026: Expert tested

To justify the price hikes, 1Password touted several of the new features that it's added to the product over time. These include the automatic saving of logins and payment details, enhanced Watchtower alerts that tell you if one of your passwords has been compromised, faster and more secure device setup, better recovery options, and improved phishing protection.

"While 1Password has grown substantially in value and capability, our pricing has remained largely unchanged for many years," the company said in its email. "To continue investing in innovation and the world-class security you expect, we're updating pricing..."

Does this price increase mean it's time to look at a different and cheaper password manager? Let's weigh the pros and cons.

Is it time to switch?

I subscribe to 1Password, having migrated to it many years ago from RoboForm. Though transitioning from one password manager to another isn't as difficult as in the past, it's still time-consuming. 1Password is also one of the top-rated products in the field, and I've been quite happy with it, so I have no desire to switch yet again.

On the flip side, a variety of other excellent password managers are worthy contenders. A few are pricier than 1Password, others are cheaper, and several are free. Some offer both free and paid tiers depending on what features you want and how many passwords and accounts you need to store. Most provide both individual and family plans.

Here are a few password managers you may want to consider if you're thinking of jumping ship from 1Password.

• Bitwarden offers three tiers. Basic is free. Premium is $19.80 a year. Family is $47.88 per year.
• NordPass  also provides three tiers. Basic is free. Premium costs $35.76 for the first 24 months and then rises to $71.76 per year. Family starts at $66.96 for the first 24 months and then grows to $143.76 per year.
• Dashlane  serves up two plans. Premium will cost you $5.42 a month ($65.04 a year). Family & Friends will run you $8.13 ($97.56 a year).
• Keeper  also doles out two plans. Personal is $39.99 per year. Family is $84.99 a year.
• RoboForm  offers three plans. Basic is free. Premium costs $1.87 per month ($22.44 per year) for the first year and then rises to $2.49 per month ($29.88 per year). Family runs $2.98 per month ($35.76 per year) and then goes up to $3.98 per month ($47.76 per year).
• Proton Pass offers a choice of four plans. Basic is free. Pass Plus is $2.99 a month ($35.88 a year). Pass Family costs $4.99 per month ($59.99 per year). Proton Unlimited, which includes other email, a VPN, and other features, runs $9.99 a month ($119.88 a year).

Among these, rates 1Password, Bitwarden, and NordPass as the best of the bunch. For the ones that provide free, basic plans, you can always try the program to see how it works and then decide if you want to switch.

Free options

There are also completely free, built-in password managers that might do the trick. Google's Password Manager, Apple Passwords, and the Microsoft password manager in Edge are all capable of creating, storing, and applying your passwords. However, I tend to steer away from these for a couple of reasons.

First, these password managers don't offer the range of features that you'll find in a third-party program. Second, these work best with each company's own products.

Also: Apple, Google, and Microsoft offer free password managers - but should you use them?

Google's Password Manager is designed for Chrome and Android devices. Apple Passwords is designed for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Microsoft's password manager is geared toward Edge. In some cases, you can try to force the product to work with other programs, but that can be challenging. If you want to sync your passwords and passkeys across a variety of applications and devices, a third-party password manager is your best bet.

Despite the price increase, I'm sticking with 1Password, at least for now. But if you are thinking of switching, you'll certainly find other password managers that will work just as well.

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