A while back, I was listening to a Mac podcast and they had come to the part in the show where they gave their “picks of the week” and one of the hosts had mentioned an application called 1Password by Agile Web Solutions. I had wondered to myself, “Why would anyone need a password manager on the Mac? I have the keychain to record all the passwords I could use.” Well, after having used 1Password, I can say that I was totally wrong. Now that I’m using this fantastic application, I couldn’t imagine how I felt as secure with my information as I do now.

1Password, at it’s most basic, is a password management tool. I had always prided myself on using complex passwords that I had memorized. The main problem was that I would find myself using the same complex password over and over again. That’s a security issue, right there! In 1Password, you can have randomly generated passwords created for you, anywhere from 1 character up to 50. 1Password will remember the password then will fill it into the website for you. When you start with 1Password, you will create a Master Password that you will need to unlock your various passwords… but you only need ONE password (hence, the name). The password management tools are the bread and butter of this application, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all the other features packed in here.

There is an accounts section, which will allow you to record various bits of account information that you may to need recall, such as email accounts, ftp accounts and so on.

The identities section is a great way to auto fill forms when you reach a website. You can create multiple identities, which is great for someone like myself who sometimes fills out information of a personal nature or needs to fill out a form in a business sense. You will find it much more flexible than the Auto-Fill features in Safari or Firefox. Addresses, phone numbers, email addresses… it keeps them all in here.

1Password also includes a secure notes section as well.

One section that I was surprised to find, but happy to see was the software section. I’ve been using Macs for many years and over time, software delivery has changed from getting programs on physical media to more digital delivery. One thing that has happened with that is the rise of License Keys for software. I am always afraid of losing them, but now with 1Password, I have a great way to keep track of all my software licenses. I love it!

The last section I want to mention, that is bound to get me in trouble some day, is the wallet section. Here, you can store all the information you need to use your credit cards online. One click of a button, and it fills in the information needed on a web form to make a purchase. Great stuff.

1Password has great integration with your browsers so anytime you access a website you need to login, you can get quick access to your password. It will also store new passwords automatically when you create a new account with a website as well. I find that the toolbar 1Password had created in Firefox to a little more intuitive than the Safari interface, but that may also come from using Firefox much more than Safari. There is also a companion iPhone/iPod Touch application to go with this which I have used, but I will talk more about that in an upcoming review.

At $39.95 ($69.95 for a 5-user family license), 1Password might seem priced a little steep. When I factor in the seemless integration into Mac OS X and the multiple browsers, I find that the price is well-worth it. I give 1Password my highest recommendation.

5 out of 5 stars