Why I ditched my costly password supervisor for this wonderful free various
After 5 years and $300 spent on 1Password, I lastly made the change to this wonderful free password supervisor: KeePass. My solely remorse is just not doing it sooner.
I wished full management over my information
No extra trusting another person’s cloud
1Password’s transfer away from native vaults wasn’t sudden, however it modified the deal for good. Paying $60 a 12 months made much less and fewer sense when each password, be aware, or license key needed to dwell of their cloud, whether or not I appreciated it or not.
With KeePass, my password database sits precisely the place I would like it — on my laptop computer’s SSD and synced by means of my Dropbox account. The KDBX file is mine, encrypted with AES-256, and KeePass encrypts all the database, together with passwords, usernames, notes, and attachments.
This is much less about paranoia and extra about choice. When Target, Equifax, and even LastPass undergo breaches, maintaining your information native begins wanting much less like overkill and extra like widespread sense. KeePass has by no means been concerned in any information breach, and the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) even recommends it.
My KeePass database has survived two laptop computer replacements, three OS reinstalls, and one unintentional format. Each time, I merely copied my KDBX file again and entered my grasp password.
The price simply did not make sense anymore
Subscriptions add up quick
Another purpose for the change was the mounting price of premium password administration. My 1Password household plan prices $60 per 12 months. Unlike LastPass or Bitwarden, which provide restricted free tiers, 1Password has no free possibility in any respect, so that you’re paying from day 15 after the trial ends. Over 5 years, that is $300 — sufficient for an honest pill or a weekend journey.
I used to be paying for options I not often used and the privilege of renting entry to my very own passwords. As for the important options, KeePass covers them nicely. My current Dropbox plan covers cloud sync; browser add-ons work by means of KeePass plugins, and password technology works higher with KeePass since you’ll be able to regulate extra choices than 1Password presents.
For safe file storage, 1Password caps you at 1GB on private plans, whereas KeePass handles recordsdata as much as 4GB. I used to be paying purely for ease, and even that got here with strings hooked up.
Every 12 months, the subscription felt extra like a tax on laziness. Why hold paying when free options exist? That $60 might go towards precise safety {hardware}, like a YubiKey security key to keep your accounts secure. KeePass prices precisely zero {dollars}, whether or not you employ it for one password or ten thousand.
The subscription mannequin additionally means you are locked in. Once you cease paying, you lose entry to your passwords. With KeePass, the software program works without end. I might disconnect from the web for a decade and nonetheless entry my passwords.
Open-source transparency issues to me
Anyone can examine the code
Open-source instruments are open to public scrutiny, that means anybody can examine and audit the code. The EU-FOSSA comprehensive audit [PDF] examined the KeePass code in 2016, discovering zero important or high-risk vulnerabilities and no hidden telemetry, utilization analytics, or nameless information assortment.
Commercial password managers love their safety theater. They’ll inform you about their zero-knowledge architecture and secure cloud infrastructure, however you take their phrase for it. With KeePass, 1000’s of safety researchers have examined the code. Even when vulnerabilities are found, the group identifies them, reviews them, and addresses them promptly.
I additionally respect the philosophical distinction. KeePass exists as a result of one developer wished a greater password supervisor and saved bettering it for 22 years, to not flip it for revenue or construct a startup however to resolve an issue and share the answer. That’s the open-source spirit that feels completely different from business approaches. When 1Password moved to the Electron framework, changing native apps with a web-based model, it highlighted the pure pressure between industry wants and consumer expertise that open-source initiatives do not face.
KeePass works on all my units
One database, each platform
I run Windows on my PC and Android on my telephone. Most password managers deal with this setup positive, however KeePass lets me do it precisely how I would like.
On Windows, I exploit vanilla KeePass 2.x with a handful of plugins. Yes, the interface appears prefer it escaped from Windows XP, however it works. You’ll discover KeePass runs noticeably quicker than 1Password 7 ever did. My Android telephone runs KeePass2Android, which integrates with the system autofill and even works offline. If you employ an iPhone, you’ll be able to select between KeePassium or Strongbox.
That mentioned, if the dated interface places you off, KeePassXC could be extra your pace. It’s a group fork that reads the identical KDBX recordsdata however would not seem like it time-traveled from 2003. You lose some plugin compatibility however acquire built-in browser integration and TOTP help with out the setup trouble. Setting up KeePassXC is even less complicated than vanilla KeePass — the method takes about 10 minutes in comparison with the hour I spent configuring plugins.
Syncing occurs by means of Dropbox. If there are modifications on two units directly, KeePass handles conflicts nicely; it combines the modifications and saves each variations within the historical past. That mentioned, switching sync companies is not as seamless as 1Password — it’s a must to transfer your database file to the brand new service and manually replace the file location in KeePass on every machine. It’s not as seamless, however I’m okay with that trade-off for the pliability it offers me.
The flexibility extends to authentication. I exploit a password, together with a key file saved on a USB drive. Lose both one, and the database stays locked. Some even add Windows consumer account integration as a 3rd issue.
Browser integration took some setup, however now it really works precisely how I would like. I exploit KeePass plugins like KeePassHttp, together with browser extensions that help it, plus customized Auto-Type sequences for every part else. While the connection between the browser and KeePass is usually interrupted and requires a refresh — and I’ve to authorize new websites throughout setup — the Auto-Type characteristic, as soon as configured, is extra versatile than 1Password’s autofill ever was.
The change was simpler than I anticipated
Two hours, begin to end
The whole migration took about two hours. First, I exported my information from 1Password to CSV and imported it into KeePass, which helps over 35 codecs, together with 1Password, Dashlane, LastPass, and Bitwarden. Then I spent one other hour organizing entries into folders and organising AutoType for my most-used websites.
The solely actual problem was configuring sync, since KeePass would not have built-in cloud sync. Following the KeePass documentation, I saved my database to a Dropbox folder after which assigned the identical folder because the database folder on my Android telephone for KeePass2 Android. Once configured, it really works so nicely I neglect it is not built-in. When I edit on my telephone, my laptop computer reveals the modifications in seconds.
Just bear in mind, to make sure modifications aren’t misplaced or conflicted, it is best to not edit the database on a couple of machine on the similar time, and all the time let Dropbox end syncing earlier than making edits elsewhere.
Looking again, I do not miss the features I thought were a must-have for a password manager. For occasion, I used to depend on Watchtower for breach monitoring, however now I merely examine Have I Been Pwned typically to search for any breaches. Instead of utilizing Travel Mode, I handle delicate entries by not syncing them to my telephone. As for shared vaults, I’ve arrange a separate database for our household passwords, and it really works completely for our wants.
Two months in, I’ve saved $10, gained full management, and realized my password supervisor inside out. The indisputable fact that my spouse tailored to KeePass2Android so simply proves it is not as intimidating because it first seems. What appeared like a downgrade turned out to be precisely what we wanted.
If you worth full possession of your digital safety and do not thoughts a little bit of preliminary setup, KeePass presents one thing business managers cannot: complete management over your information with out ongoing charges. Yes, paid choices provide seamless setup and polished interfaces, however I found I used to be paying for options I did not actually use.
Don’t get me mistaken, 1Password is great at what it does. But with KeePass, I personal my passwords, management my information, and lower your expenses every month. If something, I want I’d made this alteration sooner.
