Will 1Password continue to support standalone licenses? [No changes announced]

bbrunson7

I've read through forums and emailed 1password earlier, and I have major concern after being a customer since 2013. I purchased 1 password for Mac in 2013 and then IOS. I just had a new PC built and went to find out how to download and transfer 1password existing data for my PC. I entered my email and it said it couldn't find my license. I thought, wait..I purchased this in 2013 and even still have receipt saved. I sent it to support and they offered me a half the way solution and pushed the subscription based service still.

I am very weary of subscription based services now, and so it bothered me to see 1password literally hides the license option now and I would have to buy again despite having purchased it previously. Including the pro upgrade. Now to have license (AGAIN) I have to buy (AGAIN) or subscribe for annual service? I read the added features but you would think a company that made a name from airtight security would venture into the world of cloud based for customers who are typically detoured by sending there most private data over any wireless. Many company's may have benefit with this type of service but security based services I just don't think will find the same appeal in that way. So before I buy license for stand alone (not doing a subscription) I want to know how many more years and if it will be the same level of support updates as it has been?

In my humble opinion if the standalone isn't just as supported and prioritized as it was and customers become weary of subscription based service, I think this could put 1password in vulnerable predicament and open opportunity for competitor to move in.

If someone could provide the detail and time of commitment for standalone license I could then hopefully make purchase, in meantime I can use basic password keeper and read about other developers.

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

Ben

Hi @bbrunson7,

Thanks for taking the time to write in.

It appears you purchased a Mac license previously and wanted to add on a Windows license. At the time you purchased the Mac license our Mac and Windows products were sold separately. I've reviewed your conversation with Nathan and it appears he offered you the correct upgrade path for this situation. I don't see where he mentioned our subscription option at all?

Now to have license (AGAIN) I have to buy (AGAIN) or subscribe for annual service?

You now want a different product (1Password for Windows) than what you purchased (1Password for Mac). 1Password for Mac licenses sold in 2013 were not valid for 1Password for Windows. At that time we offered three options: 1Password for Mac, 1Password for Windows, or a 1Password for Mac+Windows bundle. You purchased the first. If you'd like to use 1Password for Windows that does indeed require a separate purchase. We do offer a discount, since you've bought a Mac license, on the Windows product (as Nathan offered).

So before I buy license for stand alone (not doing a subscription) I want to know how many more years and if it will be the same level of support updates as it has been?

Our subscription services have been around for over a year now, and they've been a huge success. We've continued to support and update the apps, and have every intention of continuing to do so. They are a core part of our offerings. After all, the subscription service uses those same apps. We haven't announced any intentions to discontinue this.

It doesn't make sense to say something like "we'll continue to support the apps for the next X years" as that implies we'll stop after that point. We're going to support them for the foreseeable future.

The true test as to if standalone licensing can continue for future versions of 1Password will be when we release a paid upgrade. If people purchase it then it'll make sense to continue offering that. If people don't, then it may not. You may wish to review our upgrade policy:

AgileBits Software Licenses

(toward the bottom)

and so it bothered me to see 1password literally hides the license option now

There is no question that we're strongly encouraging new customers to use 1Password.com accounts. We truly believe that in the vast majority of cases that is the better way to use 1Password. We do still sell licenses to the apps upon request, though we are not advertising that option.

I read the added features but you would think a company that made a name from airtight security would venture into the world of cloud based for customers who are typically detoured by sending there most private data over any wireless.

You may wish to take a look at our 1Password Security Design White Paper. It outlines the security measures we've taken with regard to 1Password.com accounts. To name a few: your data is encrypted using your Master Password and your Account Key. Both are required to decrypt your data. Neither is ever transmitted. They never leave your devices. We do not know either. As such if our servers were ever compromised and all of the data stolen from them an attacker still could not retrieve your credentials.

I hope that helps. Should you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to ask.

Ben

ref: JFS-95446-455

camner

If you don't mind my butting in to an old thread, when you wrote "We truly believe that in the vast majority of cases that is the better way to use 1Password," why is the subscription model better for the end user (aside from the obvious: if it supports the firm better the more likely 1P will continue to be developed!)?

Roman

Hi @camner - Thanks for chiming in. You're raising a good question! And one that we get asked a lot, obviously. The subscription is a fairly new model, and of course it's only natural to compare it to the license model of old. We compiled a support article to highlight the benefits of a subscription.

If you read it, you'll notice that it's mostly targeted at making people's life easier: No more dealing with licenses or upgrade pricing. No more worries like 'can I afford to add another device to my setup?'. Pro features are included (ever noticed what a hassle in-app purchases can be when you switch iTunes accounts or use Family Sharing?). Sync is included, needs no setup and is really fast and reliable.

The other category of benefits falls briefly into the area of 'We couldn't do this (or it would be much harder) if we didn't have the subscription platform as a foundation'. Having a backup outside your home is one of those benefits, Webaccess is another one that I think is really useful in cases where your battery died or a device got stolen. But the biggie here is the new multi-factor security model, that uses your Master Password and an Account Key to secure your data (see Ben's comment above).

All in all I think the subscription is a neat and great offering. It comes with a 30-day trial, so why don't you try it for yourself? :)

camner

Thanks for the reply; I appreciate the time you took.

As for trying it out, I think I'll wait until the next (paid) upgrade comes out; I'm pretty content where I am, and the advantages you cite, while real, are not compelling for me (yet...).

Ben

Understood! Thanks for the feedback, @camner. :)

Ben

camner

So, a follow up question....I presume that with the subscription model (individual, not family), one can still have multiple vaults? If so, can they have different master passwords, or are all vaults associated with a given account (if individual) sharing the same master password? I'm trying to figure out what will be different for me with the change to the subscription plan).

Frank

Hi @camner - Great question. You can definitely create multiple vaults if you have an Individual account to better organize your data. You can't create separate master passwords for each vault as you currently do with the standalone license.

With our new 1Password.com accounts all of our apps are included (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android) even future paid upgrades since it's built into the monthly pricing. This also includes the in-app Pro-Features for both iOS and Android. You can also access your 1Password data from any device via the web. There is no sync set up required since we take care of all the syncing on our end. We also fully encrypt your data for recovery purposes using a randomized Account Key in conjunction with your master password. If you add a new device to the mix, you just have to sign in using your account details and your data will already be there waiting for you - like magic!

I hope the additional information helps and let us know if you have any additional questions. Enjoy the rest of your day :-)

camner

So, I'm obviously still thinking about this. And I have another question....if I give a try to 1password.com and for some reason decide I prefer standalone, is there a backwards migration? That is, a way in which the changes that have happened to the 1Password data while I'm trying out the subscription service can be somehow moved back to the standalone? Or is it a one-way trip?

john_m

Hi @camner! Generally speaking yes, you can indeed move items from a subscription account vault to a local-only standalone vault; the same tools built into 1Password for moving items between vaults (e.g., on a Mac the "Share" feature) are used regardless of where the vaults are located. The only edge case is on Windows; there we have two apps - 1Password 4 for standalone licenses with local vaults, and 1Password 6 for subscription accounts. 1Password 6 can open standalone vaults in read-only mode for the purposes of making migration to a subscription account easier, but it cannot write back to a local vault afterwards. Instead, you would use 1Password 6's export feature to export any changed data from your subscription account vaults to a file on your desktop, and then re-import that file into a 1Password 4 vault. If you're not a Windows customer, you don't need to worry about this. I hope that helps! :chuffed:

camner

@john_m,

Thanks for the quick reply. Is there a succinct list of what the feature differences are between the subscription and standalone versions? In particular, I'm interested in what one CAN do with standalone that one CANNOT do with subscription.

Thanks.

Frank

Hi @camner - Great question and I'm happy you asked. Our team has created a great support article which covers the benefits of using a 1Password membership - https://support.1password.com/why-account/

The link doesn't replace us, so please feel free to ask any questions that come up, we're always happy to help out. :+1:

camner

Sorry, but this doesn't answer my questions. I have read the article, but it does NOT answer this question: "In particular, I'm interested in what one CAN do with standalone that one CANNOT do with subscription."

danco

One thing (maybe the only thing, I'm not sure) you can do with the stand-alone is keep your data completely local, nothing at all in the cloud. You can manually sync data between devices, make your own backups. For most people this is a hassle, but some techies prefer to do it themselves.

Mind you, even this can be done in the subscription version, you just have to reset things so that your 1password.com vault is not active (maybe actually deleted).

Frank

Hi @camner - Sorry about that and I appreciate the clarification. With our new 1Password.com accounts all of our apps are included (Mac, Windows, & the Pro features for: iOS / Android) even future paid upgrades since it's built into the monthly pricing. You can also access your 1Password data from any device via the web. There is no sync set up required since we take care of all the syncing on our end. We also fully encrypt your data for recovery purposes using a randomized Secret Key in conjunction with your Master Password. If you add a new device to the mix, you just have to sign in using your account details and your data will already be there waiting for you - like magic!

Our standalone licenses give you the ability to download and install our desktop app. This includes incremental version updates. In addition, you have to set up a sync source using iCloud or Dropbox in order to keep all your devices up-to-date. This also does not include the in-app Pro features for both iOS or Android. We don't recommend this as it can be tedious to manage a sync source especially if something goes wrong. We're no longer marketing the standalone license offering. While it is still possible to purchase it (I'll email you a link), we are no longer recommending it for new customers. It requires more technical skill and attention to configure and maintain and as such we strongly feel the subscription offering is the better choice for most people.

That said, there are some that are comfortable with the level of technical skill required to set up the standalone product, and if you're one of them, then you're welcome to give it a try. I just don't want you to be put off on 1Password altogether because of that. The subscription service is definitely easier to use, especially if sharing with a family. I hope this helped a little more and let me know if you have any further questions.

camner

I'm sorry to be difficult, and I appreciate your lengthy replies, but I really have what I think should be a simple question to answer: Is there ANYthing that 1P standalone can do that 1P subscription canNOT do?

(I have been a 1P user for many years, and I just want to know what I might be losing if I move to the subscription model. The website does a fine job of explaining what is gained)

Frank

Hi @camner - There's no need to apologize. There are a couple of features that are not supported with our new 1Password memberships. We have replaced folders with Tags which make it easier to locate when searching for a specific item(s). We have also moved attachments to the documents category so now they have a place to shine. All your attachments can now be accessed in one location under documents. If you link items together such as a credit card and a bank login, this will not carry over when migrating your existing data to your Personal vault.
You can re-link the items via 1Password on your Mac.

https://support.1password.com/migrate-1password-account/#get-help

As I mentioned before, we take care of all the syncing and backups for you so you don't have to worry about managing a sync source or creating manual backups. I hope this helped a little more. Let me know if you have any questions.

camner

Thanks much. A followup re attachments. I currently attach emails to software registrations, so I have in one place both the license info and the email that I received from the vendor. Are you saying that in 1P subscription these attachments are no longer associated with a given software license (or other category of item) but are in their own location: Documents? Or is that there is a Documents category (similar to bank accounts, login, etc.) where one can see all the documents and it is ALSO possible to see a given document associated with a given entry, such as a software license?

Frank

Hi @camner - You're very welcome. Yes, all the attachments will be located under the document category similar to "bank accounts" and "logins". You will be able to view all the documents in one location now.

ALSO possible to see a given document associated with a given entry, such as a software license?

This is not possible at the moment. If you have any linked items they will be separated when you migrate your data over to the new account. So the items will no longer be linked together. You can re-link the items using 1Password on your Mac but this won't carry over to the web app or other connected devices. Sorry for not having a better answer here. :+1:

camner

That seems like an odd design decision! Why not make the "relinking" automatic? It is more than tedious to have to relink manually, especially since the attachment title may not give away the item to which it was attached. And I have at least 200 attachments that belong linked to their respective items. I guess 1P subscription isn't for me.

I am curious why it was considered a better approach to have a separate "document box" rather than continue with the previous approach? 1P doesn't strike me as a piece of software that most people would think of to use for sharing documents across devices (at least, not documents unrelated to the other functionality of 1P).

Frank

Hi @camner - Linking items is actually only supported on 1Password for Mac. I'm not too sure this feature will be carried over to the new 1Password memberships. It would be hard for us to sync the linked items across multiple platforms and web app. As I mentioned, previously you can re-link the items after the migration but you will only be able to access this feature via 1Password on your Mac. I appreciate the feedback but I don't have a better answer for you at the moment.

We wanted to give attachments their own category so they're easier to locate and everything is one place... We’re looking at making some improvements to this in future. Documents themselves came about because it was easier to build into the structure. It's in our roadmap to provide separate Documents as well as attachments in the future. But at the moment, I don't know when or if this will happen. I want to be completely honest rather than set any expectations so I hope you understand. :+1:

camner

Thanks for getting back to me about this. I think I'll stick with 1P standalone for now. I already have purchased (long ago) the iOS pro version, and clearly moving to the subscription would be a headache for me, which doesn't seem worthwhile, since things work just fine now.

Ben

If you're happy with what you've got no one is forcing you to change. :)

Ben