Dashlane vs 1Password: Which Password Manager Extension Fits You?

Dashlane or 1Password: which should you choose?

Choose 1Password for depth and a security design that protects you even if your master password leaks; choose Dashlane for a lower-commitment start and an extension-first experience. Both are mature, well-known managers, so the decision rests on budget, devices and how much you value extras.

If neither sounds right, our password manager extension shortlist covers open-source and cheaper picks. The rest of this guide goes through each difference in turn, starting with the one most readers ask about first: cost.

How do Dashlane and 1Password compare on price and plans?

Dashlane has a free plan and 1Password does not. That is the clearest difference between them, and it decides the question for many people before features come into it.

Dashlane's free tier is deliberately limited, historically capped on how many passwords you can store and how many devices you can use, so it works as a trial that never expires rather than a long-term home. 1Password offers a time-limited free trial, after which you need a subscription; it stopped selling standalone licences years ago.

We do not quote prices here because both companies adjust them and run regional discounts. Compare the current numbers on 1Password's pricing page and Dashlane's pricing page, and look at the annual versus monthly rate, since the gap is often significant.

If price is the deciding factor, a free option such as Bitwarden may beat both. Our Bitwarden vs 1Password comparison explains what you give up by going free.

What permissions do the Dashlane and 1Password Chrome extensions request?

Both ask for broad access, and for the same reason: a password manager has to read login forms on every site to fill them. Expect a request to read and change data on all websites, plus permissions to store data locally and to manage Chrome's own password-saving prompts.

1Password's extension can also talk to its desktop app, which lets you sign in to the extension with Windows Hello or Touch ID through the app. Dashlane, having dropped its desktop apps, does more of its work inside the extension itself. See our extension permissions library for what each permission lets code do.

1. Open chrome://extensions in the address bar.
2. Find 1Password or Dashlane and click Details.
3. Read the Permissions section, then check Site access. Leave it on On all sites for a password manager; restricting it breaks autofill on sites you did not list.
4. Open Extension options to review autofill, auto-lock and whether the extension replaces Chrome's built-in password saving.
5. Repeat for any other password tools you have installed; two managers fighting over the same field cause most autofill glitches.

Broad access is normal here, which makes the publisher the thing to verify. Install from the link on each company's site or confirm the publisher name on the Web Store listing, since fake password manager extensions are an obvious target for scammers.

Which one autofills more accurately in Chrome?

Both fill standard username and password forms reliably; the differences show up on awkward pages. We have not run a measured test, so treat this as a description of design choices rather than a scorecard.

1Password puts a small inline menu in the field you click and suggests matching logins, and it also fills one-time 2FA codes when you store them in the item. Its desktop app integration means the extension stays unlocked alongside the app, which cuts down on master password prompts during a busy day.

Dashlane shows its icon inside detected fields and fills logins, addresses and payment details from the same extension. Because it is extension-first, most of the product, including the vault view and password health, lives in the Chrome toolbar pop-up rather than a separate window.

• Multi-step logins (email on one page, password on the next): both handle the common pattern; if one fails, saving the login from the second page usually fixes it.
• Sites with several accounts: 1Password's inline list and Dashlane's field menu both let you choose which account to fill.
• Address and card forms: both fill identities and cards; check field mapping on checkout pages before submitting.
• Embedded iframes and custom login widgets: the weakest area for every manager. Copying from the vault is the fallback.
• Android and iOS: Chrome on phones does not run extensions, so both rely on their mobile apps registered as the system autofill provider.

If autofill matters more to you than anything else, install the free trial or free plan and try it on the five sites you log into most. That tells you more than any comparison, including this one.

How secure are they, and has Dashlane ever been breached?

Both use zero-knowledge encryption: your vault is encrypted on your device and the company stores only ciphertext. There is no widely reported incident in which attackers decrypted Dashlane customer vaults, and the same holds for 1Password.

1Password's distinguishing feature is the Secret Key, a long random code generated on your first device and combined with your master password to encrypt the vault. Even if someone stole 1Password's servers' data and guessed your master password, they would still need that key. Dashlane relies on a strong master password, with alternative unlock methods offered on some accounts.

On incident history: in 2023 1Password reported that an attacker reached its internal Okta identity tenant, and said no customer data or vaults were accessed. That is a very different event from the LastPass breach, where encrypted vault copies were taken; our 1Password vs LastPass guide covers that story. Each company publishes security documentation on its site, including 1Password's security page.

Zero-knowledge

The provider cannot read your vault; only your device can decrypt it with your credentials.

Secret Key (1Password)

A device-held key mixed into encryption, so a weak or reused master password alone cannot open a stolen vault.

Watchtower (1Password)

Flags weak, reused and breached passwords and sites that support 2FA or passkeys.

Dark web monitoring (Dashlane)

Alerts you when email addresses you register appear in known breach data.

Passkeys

Both can create and store passkeys, which replace passwords on sites that support them and resist phishing.

What is the downside of 1Password, and of Dashlane?

1Password's main downside is that there is no free tier; Dashlane's is that its free tier is too limited for most people and its desktop presence depends on the browser. Neither is a deal-breaker, but each rules the product out for some readers.

1Password drawbacks

• Subscription only; no lifetime licence and no permanent free plan.
• The Secret Key adds a step when setting up a new device, and losing it with your master password locks you out.
• Many features and settings can feel like more than a single user needs.

Dashlane drawbacks

• The free plan is a taster; real use needs a paid plan.
• No native Windows or Mac app, so desktop apps outside the browser get less help.
• Fewer power-user options, such as scripting or developer tooling, than 1Password offers.

Linux users should note that 1Password has a Linux desktop app, while Dashlane on Linux means using the Chrome extension and web app. For most people on Chromebooks, both work the same way: through the extension in Chrome.

How do you move your passwords into Dashlane or 1Password?

Export a CSV from where your passwords live now, import it into the new manager, then delete the CSV. The Chrome route looks like this:

1. In Chrome, open chrome://password-manager/settings.
2. Next to Export passwords, click Download file and confirm with your device password or fingerprint.
3. For 1Password, sign in at 1Password.com or open the desktop app and choose Import (in the app: File > Import), then pick Chrome as the source.
4. For Dashlane, open the web app or extension and use its Import option, which accepts a CSV from Chrome and other managers.
5. Spot-check a few logins, then permanently delete the CSV file and empty the trash or recycle bin.
6. Turn off Chrome's password saving so new logins go to the new manager only.

Moving between the two works the same way: export from Dashlane as CSV and choose Dashlane in 1Password's importer, or export from 1Password and import into Dashlane. Passkeys may not transfer with a CSV, so you may need to recreate them on the new manager. If you are unsure where Chrome keeps your logins in the first place, read how to find saved passwords in Chrome first.

Which alternatives should you consider instead?

If the free-plan limits of Dashlane and the price of 1Password both put you off, several strong managers sit between them. Every pick below is a password manager with its own Chrome extension.

For browsing all options with their permissions, see our password manager picks, and check how we judge extensions in the methodology.

Who should pick Dashlane and who should pick 1Password?

The best password manager is the one you will use on every device every day, and that answer differs by situation. These scenarios cover most readers:

• You use Chrome on one computer and want to start free: Dashlane, then upgrade if you outgrow the limits.
• You have Windows, Mac or Linux desktop apps that need logins: 1Password, for its native apps.
• You are protecting a family, including less technical relatives: either family plan works; 1Password's Secret Key adds safety, Dashlane's simpler setup adds ease.
• You travel internationally with sensitive work data: 1Password, for Travel Mode.
• You mostly want breach alerts for your email addresses: Dashlane's dark web monitoring is built in.
• You want no subscription cost at all: neither; look at Bitwarden or Proton Pass.

Older users often ask which manager outlets such as AARP recommend. Consumer guides tend to name several well-known managers rather than one, so use the criteria above: a manager a relative can unlock without help, with family sharing so someone can assist in an emergency. Visit Dashlane and 1Password directly to start either trial.