It’s no surprise that the market for the best password managers is competitive, and with numerous options available, comparing Dashlane vs 1Password means discussing two of the most respected and most popular services on the market.
With weak, re-used, and unsecure passwords attractive to hackers looking to steal sensitive data from small businesses, it's imperative that you ensure you've got a password manager that can protect and administer your important logins.
In comparing Dashlane vs 1Password, we examined both providers' major features, specifically focusing on how suitable they are for businesses, and seeing whether they're among the best password managers for business. We also looked at their value for money, performance, and customer support, to help you decide which, if either, is right for your business.
- Dashlane: top manager with outstanding features
Dashlane is a cross-platform password manager with neat desktop applications, and comes with the ability to change website passwords in bulk. Available in free, premium, and premium plus plan options, paid features include an unlimited VPN service, dark web monitoring, identity theft insurance, and credit monitoring. - 1Password: excellent security across varied plans
A manager with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile operating systems, 1Password includes support for 2FA and AES 256-bit encryption. Its plans for individuals, families, teams, and enterprises include file storage, team password administration, keylogging protection and security breach alerts.
Dashlane vs 1Password: Features
Both providers offer all the standard features you would expect from a password manager: namely, the ability to remember and create strong passwords, and then to store these in personalised or shared vaults.
One feature that sets Dashlane apart, however, is its Smart Space Management (SSM) functionality. When you purchase a professional plan, you’ll receive access to its personal plans as an additional incentive. Through SSM, users can create separate environments for personal and business needs. As a business owner, you can monitor these professional spaces, but your employees will retain control over their personal information.
Although 1Password does not explicitly offer an equivalent feature, users who sign up for its Business plan receive family accounts for all their members. This would enable employees to create separate accounts for their personal needs, and keep control over their personal passwords.
If you’re concerned about the threat of hacking, you’ll probably be pleased to note that Dashlane offers dark web monitoring, which will scan cyberspace to check for compromised personal information related to your email addresses. Should you learn your data has been stolen, you can take immediate action by changing any affected passwords.
It is important to note that, although 1Password does not explicitly advertise dark web monitoring, it does offer many of the same services under different labels. Through its Watchtower security system, for example, users can receive alerts and run reports to check whether any of the websites they regularly visit has been subject to a data breach.
Determining which solution offers the best password management features will, of course. depend on your business’s specific requirements. However, we believe Dashlane offers superior services when it comes to usability.
Dashlane vs 1Password: Performance
Setting up an account with either provider takes just minutes and, as soon as your account is up and running, you can begin inviting other users to join your account.
Although both providers offer perfectly serviceable user interfaces, Dashlane does have the edge in this category. The company (quite correctly) claims that its unique data-driven interface is one of its most attractive features, marketing itself as the only password manager to offer a reporting dashboard that enables you to monitor password hygiene across your network.
The program can then propose targeted areas for improvement, which may be focused on particular teams or employees. Bear in mind, you’ll need to add at least five users to your account before you can gain meaningful insights, which could mean the solution isn’t ideal for small businesses.
As well as offering downloadable solutions on all major operating systems, both Dashlane and 1Password provide extensions on the most common browsers. When we tried to use 1Password’s browser extension, we found its layout a little difficult to navigate, although we found its downloadable version more than adequate.
Both solutions are also available as mobile apps for both Apple and Android devices. Again, Dashlane has a slight advantage in this department, with its mobile solution being sleek and intuitive, as well as offering a seamless transition from the desktop version.
In our view, Dashlane is the winner here: although 1Password’s interface is certainly adequate, it is nowhere near as easy to navigate as its rival’s.
Dashlane vs 1Password: Security
In terms of security, both Dashlane and 1Password operate on the basis of end-to-end encryption. This means all information relating to your account is encrypted on your devices before being transmitted to your provider’s servers. So, even if hackers were to breach the company’s server, they would not be able to decode your password, and your security would remain intact.
Likewise, both solutions employ AES-256 bit encryption, which means they will scramble your information into the smallest possible pieces of computer data.
1Password goes a step further by operating a secure remote password system, which will authenticate a user’s login credentials without sending these via the internet. While most websites send passwords to a server during the sign-on process, 1Password uses what is known as a secret handshake protocol to authenticate passwords before this information is transmitted, which reduces the risk of third parties intercepting these details.
In our opinion, 1Password takes the prize for its additional security features.
Dashlane vs 1Password: Support
Both Dashlane and 1Password offer 24/7 email support for users who have a question or concern about their accounts. Unlike its rival, Dashlane also offers a live chat option, which is available from 9 am to 6 pm EST, Monday to Friday.
We contacted each of the providers via email, and received polite and efficient responses from both, although our follow-up query with 1Password went unanswered after several days.
Overall, we believe Dashlane offers superior levels of customer support by virtue of its online chat feature. Although neither company offers telephone support, this is not uncommon with password managers.
Dashlane vs 1Password: Pricing and plans
If you’re looking to keep costs down, both companies offer plans at the lower end of the cost scale. Of 1Password’s plans, its £16.21 a month Teams package provides unlimited shared vaults and 1GB of document storage per user for up to 10 users. At £4.06 per user a month, Dashlane’s Team plan offers many of these same features, but you’ll also benefit from advanced reporting features.
Should you wish to implement more advanced password management features, 1Password’s £6.49 per user a month Business plan includes logs to monitor password activity. With Dashlane’s £6.50 per user a month Business plan, you’ll receive all the features of its more affordable plan, plus single sign-on functionality, enabling you to validate multiple devices via a single ID.
If you work in a large organisation, 1Password’s Enterprise plan, which is priced according to a user’s requirements, includes a dedicated account manager and tailor-made setup training. Both companies offer free trials of their business plans and, in each case, these last 14 days.
The winner? While there is little between the two in terms of cost, 1Password may be the slightly cheaper of the two providers, but we believe Dashlane offers users more for their money.
Dashlane vs 1Password: Verdict
It’s safe to say that both Dashlane and 1Password are strong propositions for small business owners. But, like any purchasing decision in tech, choosing a password manager will ultimately depend on your specific needs.
In terms of usability, we believe Dashlane is the stronger product, with a number of its features - such as SSM and a data-driven interface - being especially valuable in a professional context. Simply put, the solution feels as though it has been designed with business users in mind, rather than simply being an expanded version of its personal plans.
That said, 1Password also has plenty to offer small business owners. As well as ticking all the boxes for business use, security features such as secure remote passwords should provide ample reassurance to entrepreneurs seeking a robust solution.
If you’re still undecided, it could be worth signing up to a free trial with each of the providers before making a decision on which best matches your requirements.
Further reading on password managers
Want to learn more about Dashlane? Take a look at our Dashlane password manager interview, where we discussed the company's successes, challenges, and plans for the future.
Should the worst happen and you need to recover a lost password, ensure you're using one of the best password recovery tools to do so. If you've got a new password but don't know if it's strong enough, try out some free platforms to test password strength.
