Password managers · verified 2026-07

Best 1Password alternatives

3alternatives we've actually put through a scorecard — with verified pricing, honest trade-offs and a direct head-to-head where we have one. No 20-item listicles of tools nobody's tried.

Bitwarden

paid from $1.65/mo

Open-source passwords: a real free tier and the lowest paid price

Open source and independently audited, with optional full self-hosting — a unique trust story
The only mainstream free tier with no device or password caps
Cheapest paid tier in the category even after doubling: $19.80/yr vs 1Password's $47.88

Free tier: Free: unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, all platforms, sharing with 1 other user. No TOTP or attachments.

Full scorecard: 1Password vs Bitwarden Try Bitwarden

Proton Pass

paid from $1.99/mo

Open-source passwords with email aliasing baked in, from Swiss Proton

The most generous free tier of the major managers: unlimited passwords and devices
Built-in hide-my-email aliasing (SimpleLogin infrastructure) that no rival matches natively
Open source, independently audited, Swiss jurisdiction, nonprofit-foundation controlled

Free tier: Free: unlimited logins on unlimited devices, passkeys everywhere, 10 hide-my-email aliases. Offline access and TOTP are paid.

Try Proton Pass

Apple Passwords

paid from $0.99/mo

The free, preinstalled manager for people who live on Apple hardware

Zero cost and zero setup, with OS-level autofill no third-party app can match on Apple devices
Full TOTP verification codes with autofill, plus a Mac menu-bar app
Wi-Fi password sharing via QR and family password groups ride on Apple Family

Free tier: Entirely free, preinstalled with iOS 18/macOS Sequoia and later. Hide My Email requires paid iCloud+ separately.

Try Apple Passwords

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Frequently asked

›Why look for a 1Password alternative?

The most common reasons in our testing: no free tier, and now the priciest mainstream option after the March 2026 increase (+33%); closed source with no self-hosting — you must trust 1Password's cloud; the 2026 price hike triggered visible backlash and 'switch to Apple Passwords' commentary. Whether those matter depends entirely on your use case — each alternative below fixes some of them and trades away something else.

›What's the cheapest 1Password alternative?

Among the alternatives we've verified, Apple Passwords has the lowest paid entry at $0.99/month billed annually. For free options, Bitwarden and Proton Pass and Apple Passwords offer genuinely usable free tiers.

›Is there a free 1Password alternative?

Bitwarden: Free: unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, all platforms, sharing with 1 other user. No TOTP or attachments. · Proton Pass: Free: unlimited logins on unlimited devices, passkeys everywhere, 10 hide-my-email aliases. Offline access and TOTP are paid. · Apple Passwords: Entirely free, preinstalled with iOS 18/macOS Sequoia and later. Hide My Email requires paid iCloud+ separately.

›How do you pick these alternatives?

We only list tools we've actually verified: every price checked against the vendor's own pricing page (stamped 2026-07), every claim sourced. That means fewer alternatives than the 20-item listicles — and none we haven't scored in a head-to-head. Our methodology and revenue model are public.