Does the advent of Teams signal the end of 1Password for Mac and Windows?

fourwheelcycle

I have just noticed that 1Password for Teams functions similarly to LastPass, with data stored in AgileBits' servers, and is priced as a monthly subscription, unlike the current one-time price for 1Password for Mac and Windows.

I switched from LastPass to 1Password specifically to keep my data out of the cloud and out of anyone else's servers, which can be vulnerable to hackers in general and to a proprietary server's employees in particular.

Should I be worried that AgileBits' new Team product signals a future end to 1Password for Mac and Windows, which store all of their data on users' local devices? Should I be worried that future versions of 1Password for Mac and Windows may only be offered on a monthly subscription basis?

---

1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided

hawkmoth

@fourwheelcycle asked,

Should I be worried that AgileBits' new Team product signals a future end to 1Password for Mac and Windows...

AgileBits staff have said repeatedly here in the forum that the single user versions of 1Password will continue to be sold, supported, and updated. Users who don't want to move to Teams will not be forced to do so.

fourwheelcycle

hawkmouth,

Thank you for your very quick response. I don't drop in on the forum very often, and I had not seen the other AgileBits staff responses you noted. I love the current local data storage model for 1Passwords and I was alarmed to see the new server storage model in Teams.

I noticed you did not include the usual disclaimer offered by AgileBits staff that they cannot comment on features or pricing for future versions of 1Password. Does this mean AgileBits is confident it will maintain the current local storage model and one-time pricing model for 1Password for Mac and Windows?

hawkmoth

@fourwheelcycle.

I don't drop in on the forum very often, and I had not seen the other AgileBits staff responses you noted.

Sorry, I didn't mean to scold. I just wanted to emphasize that the current versions will continue with their current one-off licensing model, and that no one will be forced to adopt a cloud solution. I'm not an AgileBits employee, which also is why I mentioned the forum as my source.

Does this mean AgileBits is confident it will maintain the current local storage model and one-time pricing model for 1Password for Mac and Windows?

Again, according to what has been mentioned here in the forum by AgileBits staff (my only source), this will continue to be an option. I don't issue their disclaimers, but they don't seem to me to be needed here, other than to remind everyone that sometimes major upgrades require an upgrade payment. But users aren't ever forced to upgrade and can continue to use their license as long as they wish, at least until an OS update renders a legacy version unusable.

fourwheelcycle

hawkmoth,

Thanks for your comments. I will mark myself as almost completely reassured!

I have seen the staff assurance about always being able to use licensed versions of 1Password before - unfortunately, the half-life of a Mac OS version is not very long. They finally ran out of cat names after nine major versions in only twelve years.

Mitch

Hi @fourwheelcycle

Thanks so much for getting in touch and sharing your concerns. And thank you @hawkmoth for your quick responses.

I'd like to excerpt from a comment I made the other day:

You now have more choice than ever: purchase the apps individually, as before, or sign up for the service if you find it meets your needs. It's up to you.

https://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/comment/279112/#Comment_279112

Yes, we are really proud of our new service and we're excited to let everyone know about it. That much is true. But we are also proud of our apps and the flexibility they provide — whether you're using Teams, rolling your own cloud, or not using any cloud at all. (In fact, you can even do all three!)

We deliberately designed Teams so that it won't interfere with other kinds of 1Password vaults. In the same installation of 1Password, it's possible to have one vault that's entirely offline, another that's in Dropbox, and another that belongs to a Team account. You decide where your data lives, not us. That's our promise, and it hasn't changed. :)

-Mitch

hawkmoth

@fourwheelcycle -

unfortunately, the half-life of a Mac OS version is not very long.

That applies to any application that doesn't see any further development after a new version is released. For a frame of reference for 1Password, version 3 is shown in the legacy section of the 1Password download page as appropriate for OS X 10.6 and 10.7. But it has continued to work also on 10.8, 10.9, and 10.10. OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), however, finally created a need to upgrade 1Password in order to keep using it. Seems reasonable to me. I've kept up with 1Password willingly, but I have other applications that also have failed to make a transition to a OS X update and have required a new license payment for a compatible version. (Carbon Copy Cloner specifically comes to mind for me.)

fourwheelcycle

Hawkmoth,

I agree with your comments completely; I also own and use CCC. I was just reacting to your reassurance that "users .... can continue to use their license as long as they wish, at least until an OS update renders a legacy version unusable". I was merely commenting, with a note of irony, that new Mac OS versions come along pretty quickly, so we can never be certain how long a legacy version of 1Password will continue to work.

hawkmoth

Agree, completely. There are no guarantees that legacy versions will work under new OS revisions. It's not hard to find posts here from users lloking for legacy versions of 1Password because some other critical program won't work if they upgrade their OS.

Jacob

@fourwheelcycle Hawkmoth is quite right on the longevity of legacy software and new OS releases. We definitely don't want to take away from the 1Password experience by giving folks on older operating systems less features, because that's disappointing as well. So we'd rather let them continue using things that their OS supports, then allow them to choose when they want to update.

As for the overall longevity of 1Password as a standalone app, I definitely reiterate what Mitch said above: The choice will be there. I can't say what things will look like in five or ten years, but I don't think any company can. If we see that all our users move to Teams, things might change. :) There are currently many folks who don't like syncing their data to the cloud, and we respect that. Some don't trust anyone except iCloud or Dropbox, and we respect that as well. We definitely do not want to take the control out of your hands. That's what makes 1Password unique and powerful.

ryanvb

I just received your email announcing 1Password for Families with a monthly subscription. Although I have been a loyal user for many years – and support the need to charge for major upgrades – I will drop 1Password if you go to a subscription model for single users such as myself. All the $5 here, $3 there and $15 here monthly charges begin to add up and I've decided I need to draw a line. When a subscription fee seems legit for the service offered, fine. But when it seems like no more than a ploy to get regular money out of me in perpetuity, I will refuse.

Ben

Hi @ryanvb,

Thanks for taking the time to write in! We've recently released two new services: 1Password Families, and 1Password for Teams (the latter is currently in beta). These are additional offerings on top of our existing offerings, not replacements. We continue to sell the apps on a per-platform basis.

That said, some key points to the subscription offerings:

Do I need to buy the apps separately?
No. All our apps and upgrades are included with your subscription. You can download the apps from our site and sign right in to your account. No need for licenses!

Why subscribe instead of buying the 1Password apps individually?
For starters, all our apps come free with your subscription and can be shared with your whole family. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg: 1Password Families is a fully hosted service designed for people who use 1Password together. Syncing, sharing, and management capabilities are all built-in. Inviting family members is as simple as sending them an email.

We're not forcing anyone into these offerings, but we are making them available after a lot of feedback from customers that sharing passwords with family members or colleagues needs to be easier, and also that our existing licensing model was confusing. This is our solution to that problem.

I hope that helps!

Ben