Why 1Password is the best password manager for Windows 10?
It was indeed a long journey for me to like 1Password for Windows.
I was always an Apple user, so I choose this particular password manager as an obvious choice.
Mac version is in fact one of the best looking apps, fast, optimized and intuitive. And if you are humble owner of either MacBook with touchID or Apple Watch, it will allow you to authenticate with biometrics.
Anyway, due to some decisions, I am XPS 9500 user now with the rest of Apple ecosystem embedder which works fine for now, at least for my needs.
Since XPS supports Windows Hello with both face and finger unlock, I’ve started looking for a perfect password manager which not only be good, but also matching by OSX experience. If you are hybrid users like me, hope this summary will help you to decide. I am not on any payment list, so it is my own subjective decisions.
Dashlane was always the app I had problem with. With two subscriptions started and one quickly ended. For new users with 50% discount for first year it may be worth to consider if you expect nothing more than syncing passwords between your OS and your phone. It is ok, ok looking with features that respected password manager app should have. Unfortunately for me, Windows Hello only works with desktop app while extension only allows you to either enter vault password every time you authenticate or to remember it for (as far as I remember) 14 days, which is ehmmm…..
Pros:
- Free version for one device (yet with 50 passwords)
- DarkWeb monitoring
- 2FA built-in
- Built in VPN for
Cons:
- Windows Hello support only in Desktop app, extension not supported
- UI is poorly readable
I must say LastPass was my first password manager used ever and I really liked it very much then. Easy to use, fast and the first one I used that offered syncing passwords in their own cloud. That was something!
Unfortunately, when your device has biometrics built-in then you start realize it is not as perfect as it could be. Maybe its me, yet I was unable to make it work with my laptop despite reading all available manuals on their website.
Installing desktop app, correct extension with proper permissions failed for me. Even when I reached to the long expecting option to enable the fingerprint reader (no face unlock) it did not allowed me to go further.
Pity.
Pros:
- Web app looks ok
- Extended features in free versions among all passwords managers
- Cheaper than Dashlane and 1Password
Cons:
- Desktop up is not entirely polished
- 2FA in additional app
The last one on my list is 1Password, my favourite on MacOS but is it also as good in Windows 10? No, it is not. The MacOS UI spoils while Windows is raw and kinda unfinished. Nevertheless, it works and it works well, kind of.
To use Windows Hello, desktop app must be installed first as well as extension to your favourite browser — in my case it is Edge Chromium.
Enabling “Allow Windows Hello to unlock 1Password” in the main app is all you need to do. It works. Not sure if the efficiency of biometrics unlock is Windows OS related or how the app is optimized, but it takes up to 5 seconds, since pop up window appears to unlock till selecting the right password, yet as I said — the only app capable of easy to configure so far.
Pros:
- Supports Windows Hello with one click
- Easy to use
- 2FA with same app
Cons:
- UI is clunky and not as fast and reliable as in MacOS
- Windows Hello authentication takes ages
So, the winner is ….? No, no winner unfortunately in this category. Each app has its pros and cons yet it is sad that none if them is the mixture only of good things. I have impression that all those apps were ported by the force to Windows, just to have this OS in the portfolio.
I am sure all Mac users will confirm my observations yet I am not certain why is that? Is Mac motivates developers for more efforts? creativity? Or perhaps Windows is the OS which does not allow them to spread their wings?
I can only hope that developers will continue their great work, optimizing Windows apps to be as much perfect as on Mac to leave choice to people like me, that had to use Windows as a daily driver.
