Review: 1Password

I’m trying to regather some posting momentum with a series of short reviews about stuff I like.  Look for one every couple of days.  I’m not paid for any of this, I just like reviewing things.

1Password has changed my digital workflows more than any other product or service since Dropbox.  As a password manager, 1password encrypts all of your passwords behind one master password.  That seems a bit counter-intuitive, but the end result is that I only have to remember that one master password.  It alone gets me access to all my passwords for various sites & programs.  Built-in browser extensions make the process pretty seamless.

I’m slightly ashamed to admit that in a previous job I maintained a spreadsheet full of passwords.  But no more!  1password also lets me use stronger and unique passwords for each service, since I don’t need to commit them all to memory.  It feels odd to say that I honestly don’t know what my facebook or gmail passwords are (not to mention my bank), but that’s where I stand today.

With versions for PC, mac, android, and ios I have pretty reliable access to my password list wherever I am.  It’s not free, but it is on sale!  The 5-pack of licenses for $50 is a steal.  (There’s also educational pricing!)