1Password costs $2.99/month billed annually, there is no free plan, and it has been that way by design. What you get for that price is a password manager built around a Secret Key: a 34-character locally generated key that combines with your master password to encrypt your vault. Even a full server breach on 1Password's end cannot decrypt your data without it. That architecture is not common, and it is the core reason to pay more here over cheaper alternatives.
Who 1Password Suits
Developers will get the most out of this. The CLI, Terraform provider, GitHub Actions integration, and SDK support make it practical for secrets management beyond just browser fill. For individuals who work across multiple devices and browsers, the extension fill accuracy holds up better than most competitors, and Watchtower's passive monitoring for breaches and weak passwords runs without needing to remember to check. Families paying $4.99/month for up to five accounts get a reasonable deal given the feature set. If you travel internationally and have any concern about border device inspections, Travel Mode is the one feature that no competing product offers.
Where It Falls Short
The price is the honest objection. At $2.99/month, 1Password costs nearly double NordPass and significantly more than Bitwarden, which has a capable free tier. There is no perpetual license option; if your subscription lapses, the desktop app stops working. The Secret Key setup adds a step that genuinely trips up less technical users: you must store that key yourself because 1Password cannot recover it for you, and losing it means losing vault access.
Alternatives Worth Considering
Bitwarden is the obvious comparison: open source, free tier available, and cheaper at every paid tier. See the 1Password vs Bitwarden breakdown for a direct look at the tradeoffs. NordPass is another option at a lower price point, with a cleaner interface but a thinner feature set. NordPass vs 1Password covers where that difference shows up.