The 1Password App used to be sold at the App Store for $17.99 USD. But AgileBits, the developer of the 1Password App, has decided to make it free. The response was a very positive one, where over three million downloads has occurred since the app has been made free.
From a business standpoint, it does not make much sense to offer a free password manager app like 1Password. The Verge reports that every time news about computers getting hacked is published, demand for the 1Password app usually goes up. The recent online leak of celebrities' nude photos or the stealing of credit card information from computer systems of business establishments are such examples.
Jeff Shiner and David Chartier have one reason why they decided to offer 1Password for free: they want to put password manager apps like theirs for mainstream use. Despite the recent substantial download of this particular password manager, it still has a long way to become the sought after password app.
In a Verge interview, Shiner and Chartier shared some of their views about the current state of information security.
Shiner believes that people are getting more conscious about what kind of information they release online. He says that internet users now realized that their personal and financial data is out there online. Viruses can penetrate even the most secured systems like Linux.
David Chartier says that the reason why password could easily be stolen is due to users' propensity to use easy to guess passwords. He argues that their password management app can make creating passwords secure but convenient for the user.
Shiner adds that using 1Password app is a lot easier than manually changing passwords every now and then. It will be also quite a challenge to manually manage passwords for multiple sites. Even if you have more than 20 sites, a password manager can certainly make your life easier.
