Earlier this month LastPass, a leading password management solution, announced that it is being acquired by LogMeIn. I noticed quite a bit of unhappy chatter on Twitter about the announcement and many information security professionals were recommending 1Password as a popular alternative.
I’ve been using an entirely different open source solution called Password Safe for many years and I started to wonder what these commercial solutions provided above and beyond what had in my free open source solution. After taking a look at both LastPass and 1Password I discovered that there are primarily two features that are not included in Password Safe:
- Automated synchronization across multiple platforms and devices
- Browser extension for collecting and auto-filling credentials on websites
These features definitely help with usability and convenience but are not worth the cost in my opinion. Synchronization across multiple devices is possible by using third parties such as Google Drive or Dropbox with Password Safe. The setup process across differing platforms is more involved when compared with LastPass or 1Password but it certainly isn’t difficult. Using a browser extension is also not a major concern since I can double-click entries in the Password Safe client to copy passwords to the clipboard or use the auto type feature.
For syncing to your phone or tablet visit some of the related Password Safe projects for mobile devices:
- Android – PasswdSafe
- iOS – StrongBox Password Safe
Another open source free alternative to LastPass and 1Password is KeePass. KeePass has most of the key features of Password Safe along with a slicker GUI and plugin framework. The one feature I do not see in KeePass yet is YubiKey support for multi-factor authentication. If this support is added soon I may give KeePass a try as well.
To check out KeePass related projects for mobile devices visit:
- Android – KeePassDroid
- iOS – MiniKeePass
If cost is a major concern for you and you don’t mind putting forth more effort to setup device synchronization, I definitely recommend using Password Safe or KeePass over LastPass and 1Password.
For those who do decide to migrate from LastPass over to 1Password, Troy Hunt has posted a great tutorial on how to make the switch.
Are there features I missed that make LastPass or 1Password clearly superior? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.
