Mini / menu bar icon is not available unless the main app is open

@Dave_Ewald - I'm sorry for the trouble! Not 100% sure I know what you're referring to, however. If you mean that 1Password must be unlocked with your Master Password, then yes -- that behavior has remained unchanged for many versions. It's adjustable in the Preferences > Security settings, which allow you to tweak various parameters for when/under what conditions 1Password for Mac will lock itself.

If what you mean is that you can't see the mini at all unless you open the main 1Password app, then it sounds as if you need to enable it in Preferences > Browsers:

Please make sure the box marked "Always keep 1Password Extension Helper running" is checked.

@Dave_Ewald - if you're a Chrome of Firefox user, you could simply not install the Chrome or Firefox extension. But if you're on macOS 10.14 (“Mojave”) and using Safari 12 and version 7.2 or higher of 1Password for Mac, then the browser extension is built into the app, and is installed when you install 1Password. You can turn it off in Safari Preferences > Extensions, but you can't remove it entirely without removing 1Password 7 for Mac.

I have to ask, though, what are you trying to achieve? Why do you want the mini available in your Mac's menubar, but not the ability to fill in your Login items into your browser(s)?

@Dave_Ewald - the security aspect is quite well-handled, but if you've already investigated it and found that that, plus the "visual clutter" aspect are more important to you than being able to fill in your data automatically, you're certainly welcome to do so. Just make sure you keep that checkbox checked. Cheers! :)

The description in the 1Password's preferences is incorrect and misleading.

How would you suggest we word it? Happy to consider your proposal.

There is no reason for the extension and mini app to be coupled together like this.

It's a single app, so that doesn't even make sense.

Since I don't have the 1Password extension enabled in Safari, I get a nagging notification asking me to enable the extension which further degrades the user experience. This was not an issue in the previous version of 1Password.

Not enabling the Safari App Extension, which is part of the 1Password app, is what's "degrading" your experience. You can enable it and simply not use it. But it's much safer to have 1Password save and fill login credentials for you, since copying and pasting exposes that information to anything running. It's your call, but food for thought.

At the end of the day though, we're not going to design 1Password around someone not using it the way it's intended, and the way that the vast majority of people use it. Our focus is going to be making browser integration the best it can be because nearly everyone uses that, and many use that exclusively.

@efudd: 3$US per month for an individual 1Password membership isn't a lot -- less than almost anything you can buy at Starbucks -- but it offers you a way to easily securely store important information, in many cases conveniently fill it, access it across all your devices, and an automatic offsite backup for the data, so you just need to sign into your account on a new device, even if all others are lost, stolen, or destroyed. (It's also how we're available in discussions like this one, via email, or social media.) But you make a good point as far as comparison: 1Password is substantially cheaper than all of those, but ultimately it comes down to what you value. Personally, I have no use at all for Adobe's software these days, though it's well-regarded and absolutely essential for many people; it's just not something I use, because I'm not a creative professional. But, at the same time, while I don't need to do photo/video editing, etc. on a daily basis, anyone on the Internet has a use for a password manager. A good password is the first line of defense in online security, but no one can remember them all or simply use (and reuse) bad ones. 1Password helps people use long, strong, unique passwords for each site, and secure them along with other important information you want to keep safe and sound. But you're right: whether or not that's something someone wants to prioritize spending money on over other things is a very personal decision. Thanks again for sharing your perspective! :)

@efudd: Yes, 1Password will tell you if the Safari App Extension is not enabled. Installing it is not optional because that's how Safari works now. But you do not need to use it. The 1Password desktop extensions do not store data in the browser at all; it's sent to them only on demand, if you request it, say to fill login credentials for a website.

@efudd - thanks for the continued conversation.

...when I try to convince non-technical friends of the merits of password protection, I get glazed looks. Until a person is hacked, they need a LOT of convincing. If you add a high price to that discussion, you've lost the argument before you start. It may not be fair, but that's reality. And my technical friends are typically looking for the cheapest solutions, so they'll go for the password program, but use a free one instead.

And that's fine. We're well aware of the competitive environment in which we have operated for more than thirteen years. If anything, the competition has ramped up over time, and it definitely helps keep us on our toes! Heck, as you say, there are options available out there that are completely free of monetary cost to the end-user, so it's definitely incumbent upon us to make sure we demonstrate value for price paid. I'd suggest the fact that we're one of the major players in the password management space should serve as evidence that a good number of people agree that we do demonstrate that value -- but we're definitely aware we're not the only game in town, and that no single solution or product is going to suit everyone. That's why there are options out there. And as long as people aren't using sticky notes on their monitors or re-using the same two or three weak-ish-but-memorable passwords for all their accounts, we'll be happy -- even if they're not our customers.

We're OK with our price-point; the main reason for the cost of 1Password is that we have no "secondary revenue streams." We don't - and won't - run ads or sell what we know about you to outside "trusted partners." We've never taken a dime of venture capital money, and we've actively resisted buyout offers from deep-pocketed corporate parent companies looking to add a password manager to their "roster." We always preferred to grow slowly and organically by directly selling 1Password to end users who can evaluate for themselves whether it is worth it. So the up-front cost of 1Password represents the ONLY way this company sustains itself - and that's why the end-user price falls on the higher end of some other options. Gmail and Facebook are completely without cost to the end user, but would anyone argue they're actually free? What we've found is that many of our users feel much better knowing that when it comes to the company to whose product they entrust their most-valuable data, we're not trying to figure out ways to monetize their information and we answer ONLY to our own vision of what makes a good password manager -- and to you, our user community.

I won't argue with you about whether 1Password is worth it for you, in your current situation, partly because that would be presumptuous of me and partly because "worth it" is a subjective assessment anyway. I'll only repeat that 1Password is priced sustainably so we can continue to offer a best-in-class product and the support that goes with it. We're glad you've enjoyed your experience up to this point, and we hope to continue to have you as a user for many years. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and your concern with us, and I hope I've explained some of our thinking and our approach :)