1Password vs mSecure (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, 1Password and mSecure share a 2.8 GPA, and only mSecure has a free plan.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
1Password grades higher on ease of use and platforms. mSecure grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
1Password
Password manager for individuals, families and businesses
mSecure
Password manager and secure data vault for phones and computers
Which one is for you
Pick 1Password if
- Fits if you want the same passwords and passkeys on Mac, Windows, Linux, both phones and every big browser
- Works for families of up to five sharing wifi and streaming logins, at $5.99 a month for all of them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free password manager, since there's no free plan, only a 14-day trial
- Pricey if you only need one person's logins saved, at $3.99 a month when Bitwarden does it for nothing
- Watch out: the $2.99 and $4.49 prices are for a new customer's first year, then it's $3.99 and $5.99
- Not for you if you want someone to phone when it breaks, as reviewers got email only, days apart
- Tight if a small team needs single sign-on, which starts on Business at $8.99 a person, with Enterprise by quote
Pick mSecure if
- Fits if you want a vault across Apple, Android and Windows devices at a low yearly price
- Works for families who want a Family plan at $4.99 a month billed yearly
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on the free plan, because passkeys, sync, autofill and the extension are not on it
- Watch out: the prices read were the yearly ones; the monthly-billing prices were not displayed
- Watch out: the Teams plan at $19.90 a month does not say how many seats it covers
- Skip it if you use Linux, as no Linux app is listed
How we grade them
| 2.8GPA1PasswordGood | 2.8GPAmSecureGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$3.99 a month on yearly billing ($2.99 only in year one) is the dear end of this category, where the middle plan is $2.99 and Bitwarden Premium is $1.65 with a free plan that may be all you need. Families is $5.99 for five people, about $1.20 each. | BEssentials is $1.66 a month billed yearly, inside the cheapest quarter ($2.00). Premium is $2.49 and Family $4.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free plan, only 14 days on any plan, no card needed. In a category where Bitwarden, Proton Pass, Apple and Google all give you a password manager for good, two weeks is thin. | BA free plan with unlimited records and AES-256 encryption, plus a 30-day Premium trial with no card. Sync, passkeys and autofill are not on it. |
| Features | BAutofill for logins, cards and two-factor codes, passkeys, Watchtower alerts for leaked passwords, sharing by a link that expires, shared vaults and a command-line tool. That's what the category expects, and nothing here goes beyond its free rivals. | BPasskeys, one-time codes, custom records, sync options, security centre, autofill, browser extension and sharing. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | B4.67 from about 42,000 App Store ratings, a shade under our top mark. Reviewers who moved from version 7 to 8 found it harder, and some say autofill misses or it asks for the main password far too often. | CNo store rating on record. Sync and autofill need accounts and set-up on each device. |
| Platforms and integrations | AMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and Apple Watch, with extensions for Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox and Brave. Business plans plug into Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin and Duo. | BiOS, Android, macOS, Windows and a browser extension, with Dropbox, iCloud and Apple Watch support. |
| Best for | families and teams who share logins | a password and records vault on every device |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: 1Password and mSecure. How we grade
Price against what you get
1Password starts at $3.99 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. mSecure starts at $1.66 a month and scores 2.7.
1Password scores higher, and starts $2.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other password managers on the chart, 3 score higher than 1Password for less, and 3 score higher than mSecure for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- mSecure also covers templates.
At a glance
| 1Password | mSecure | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.99 per month, billed annually ($2.99 in year one for new customers) | $1.66 per month, billed annually (Essentials) |
| Free plan | None | Unlimited records, AES-256 encryption, auto-lock, search and sorting and a password generator, with a 30-day Premium trial. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial on any plan | 30-day free trial of Premium, no credit card required |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | 1Password (AgileBits Inc.) | mSeven Software LLC |
| Price read from | 1password.com | msecure.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
1Password
- There is no free plan; a paid subscription is needed after the 14-day trial.
- Listed prices are for annual billing, and the $2.99 and $4.49 promotional rates apply only to a new customer's first year.
- Single sign-on integration starts at the Business plan, and Enterprise pricing is by quote only.
mSecure
- Passkeys, sync, autofill and the browser extension are not on the free plan.
- Prices read were the yearly ones, shown per month; the monthly-billing prices were not displayed.
- The Teams plan page does not say how many seats the $19.90 covers.
- Apps are listed for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows only; there is no Linux version listed.
Key features
1Password
- Autofill and password generator
- Saves and fills passwords, two-factor codes, payment details and addresses in any major browser, and generates new passwords when you sign up.
- Passkeys
- Saves passkeys alongside passwords and signs in with them on sites that support passwordless login.
- Watchtower
- Flags compromised passwords and other security issues affecting the items you have saved.
- Secure sharing
- Share an item through an expiring link, even with someone who does not use 1Password, or keep shared vaults for family members and teammates.
- Secret Key encryption
- Data is protected by your account password plus a 128-bit Secret Key, and 1Password says it cannot see the passwords or data you store.
- Team controls and single sign-on
- Teams Starter Pack adds role-based permissions. Business adds sign-in through identity providers such as Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin and Duo.
mSecure
- Passkeys and one-time codes
- Version 7 stores passkeys next to passwords and generates two-factor codes inside the app, on paid plans.
- Customizable records
- Templates, field editing and tags let you shape records for logins, cards, documents and other data.
- Several ways to sync
- Sync through mSecure Cloud, Dropbox, iCloud (Mac and iOS) or over Wi-Fi.
- Security Center
- Flags weak, reused and aging passwords, and shows which logins support two-factor authentication.
- Autofill and browser extension
- Fills usernames and passwords in apps and on websites, with biometric unlock by Face ID or fingerprint.
- Sharing
- Premium and above can share selected records with other mSecure users through mSecure Cloud.
Plans
1Password
Individual$3.99
per month, billed annually
For 1 person: password generator, autofill, secure sharing and alerts for weak or compromised credentials. Promotional $2.99 in year one.
Families$5.99
per month, billed annually
Covers 5 family members with unlimited shared vaults and admin controls. New customers pay a promotional $4.49 in the first year.
Teams Starter Pack$24.95
per month for 10 members, billed annually ($299.40)
10 members included, with up to 10 more seats at $4.99 each a month. Password sharing, role-based permissions and developer tools.
Business$8.99
per user / month, billed annually ($107.88)
Everything in Teams Starter Pack, plus single sign-on with Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin and Duo, and enhanced vault sharing.
EnterpriseCustom
Quote-based plan with granular vault permissions, multi-tenant support, a developer toolkit and audit-ready activity logs.
mSecure
Free$0
Unlimited records with encryption, auto-lock, search and a generator; passkeys, sync and autofill need a paid plan.
Essentials$1.66
per month, billed annually
Adds passkeys, one-time codes, biometric unlock, autofill, the browser extension, attachments, sync and Apple Watch.
Premium$2.49
per month, billed annually
Everything in Essentials plus two-factor sign-in, tags, custom filters, a sharing center and data sharing.
Family$4.99
per month, billed annually
Premium features under a multi-user license, with license management to add or remove family members.
Teams$19.90
per month, billed annually; seat count not shown
Family features for a team; the admin also gets a Family plan for personal use at no extra cost.
Ways to pay less
1Password
- Other savings
First-year promotional pricing for new customers
When checked, new customers subscribing on 1Password.com with annual billing paid $2.99 a month for Individual (regularly $3.99) and $4.49 for Families (regularly $5.99) for the first year.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for nonprofits and journalists
The business pricing FAQ says 1Password offers discounts for eligible organizations, including nonprofits and journalists, plus volume-based pricing. No amounts are published.
- Education
Student discount through Student Beans
1Password's pricing pages link to a Student Beans page where verified students can claim a discount. The size of the discount is not stated before verification.
mSecure
- Annual discount
Save 16% with yearly billing
The plans page labels yearly billing as saving 16% against paying monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, 1Password or mSecure?
As of Nov 12, 2026, mSecure is cheaper to start with: $1.66 a month, against $3.99 a month for 1Password. 1Password starts at $3.99 per month, billed annually ($2.99 in year one for new customers), and mSecure starts at $1.66 per month, billed annually (Essentials).
Which has a free plan, 1Password or mSecure?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only mSecure has a free plan. 1Password does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do 1Password and mSecure run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only 1Password lists a Linux app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.