Happy Valley

1Password vs Better Auth

1Password and Better Auth are both security & identity tools. 1Password is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while Better Auth is aimed at developers. 1Password costs less, from $3.99/mo versus $20/mo for Better Auth. Only Better Auth has a free plan.

1Password

Password manager for people and teams

Better Auth

Framework-agnostic TypeScript authentication

PricingPaid · $4Open source · $20
Starting price$3.99/mo$20/mo
Free planNoYes
Free trial14 days—
Built forSmall businesses, Enterprise, FreelancersDevelopers
Platformsweb, macos, windows, linux, ios, androidweb
CountryCA · 2005US · 2024
Rating——

Choose 1Password if

Businesses and individuals who want the most polished experience and are willing to pay for it.

  • Excellent apps and autofill reliability
  • Strong security architecture and audits
  • Business features are mature

Look elsewhere if: Budget users and open-source purists (Bitwarden, Proton Pass).

Choose Better Auth if

TypeScript developers who want complete ownership and flexibility without paying per user.

  • Free and MIT licensed; you own user data
  • Comprehensive plugin set rivals hosted providers
  • Excellent TypeScript DX

Look elsewhere if: Teams that want hosted UI and zero maintenance (Clerk) or heavy enterprise SSO today (Auth0).

1Password vs Better Auth pricing

1Password

  • Individual$3.99/moBilled annually; first-year promo $2.99/mo; 1 user
  • Families$5.99/moBilled annually; promo $4.49/mo; 5 members
  • Teams Starter Pack$24.95/moBilled annually; 10 users, extra seats $4.99
  • Business$8.99/user/moBilled annually; SSO, admin controls
  • EnterpriseCustom

Better Auth

  • Open source$0MIT library, self-hosted, no per-user fees
  • Starter$0Managed infra: 1 dashboard seat, 10k audit logs/mo
  • Pro$20/moUnlimited seats, 20k audit logs/mo, 1 SSO connection
  • EnterpriseCustomCustom limits, log drain, Slack support

1Password · Key features

  • Vaults for passwords, passkeys, cards, documents and SSH keys
  • Watchtower breach and weak-password monitoring
  • Autofill across browsers, desktop and mobile apps
  • Shared vaults, guest access and Travel Mode
  • Business: SSO, policies, reporting, Extended Access Management
  • Developer CLI, SSH agent and secrets automation

Cons

  • No free tier
  • More expensive than Bitwarden
  • Some advanced features need Business or Enterprise

Better Auth · Key features

  • Email/password, OAuth, magic link, passkeys and OTP
  • Plugins: organizations, teams, 2FA, admin, multi-session, API keys
  • Database adapters for Drizzle, Prisma, Kysely and more
  • Framework integrations: Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Hono, Express
  • Typed client hooks for React, Vue and Svelte
  • Rate limiting, session management and CLI migrations

Cons

  • You host and secure it yourself
  • No prebuilt UI components (bring your own)
  • Younger project; APIs still evolving

1Password vs Better Auth: FAQ

Which is cheaper, 1Password or Better Auth?

1Password starts at $3.99/mo and Better Auth at $20/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do 1Password and Better Auth have a free plan?

1Password has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. Better Auth has a free plan.

Which is better for small businesses, 1Password or Better Auth?

1Password lists small businesses as a core audience, while Better Auth is aimed more at developers.

Not sure yet?