I run osx 10.7.5 on my laptop and ios 9 on my phone, which is the best way to use 1Password

Hi @kwimper,

Thanks so much for taking the time to write in! I'd be happy to answer your question there.

so I was thinking that it would be better to purchase through my iphone on the app store to get the latest version.

Just to clarify, 1Password is sold separately for each platform (or type of device that you wish to use it on.) We do have 1Password for Mac available in the Mac App Store, but it's a separate app from 1Password for iOS (which is available through the iOS App Store. The good news though is that 1Password for iOS is a free download. There are some Pro Features available for a one-time, in app purchase, but the basic functionality of the app is free.

As for 1Password for Mac, whether you purchase from the Mac App Store or the AgileBits Store, you'll get a license for the latest version. If you purchase from our store, your license information will include a license key for 1Password 3 (which is what you'll need for your older system). If you purchase from the Mac App Store, licensing is handled a bit differently, but we would be happy to create a 1Password 3 license for you if you email your purchase receipt in to support+licenses@agilebits.com.

However would there be any issues with this in terms of syncing between the devices (would I need to install anything on the laptop?) or would it just be that the main functionality of the application would be through the iPhone?

If you wish to use 1Password on all of your devices, you do need to install the app on each of those devices.

One of the benefits of 1Password is that the app makes it simple for you to be secure. With 1Password, it's easy to generate long and random passwords to secure each of your accounts. This means that it's a good idea to have 1Password installed everywhere, so that the app can fill in those long strings of gobbledegook for you (typing in a password like YxE4KmAQKiGyUFMkjKz4z8r2nt3Xy3 is no fun - believe me!)

There are a few features that we've added to 1Password since version 3 that you'll not be able to take advantage of in the older Mac app (one of the biggies is our Multiple Vaults feature.) But don't worry, 1Password 3 can sync just fine with the latest version of 1Password (version 6) on your iOS device. You'll want to use Dropbox for this, as it's our most flexible sync solution, and it's been around since the days of 1Password 3 (iCloud was only first introduced as a sync in 1Password 4.)

I hope this helps to answer your questions, but if there's anything further we can do, we're here for you!