Is 1Password or Blacksmith better?

Neither clearly leads. 1Password starts at $2.99/month and Blacksmith at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, 1Password or Blacksmith?

Blacksmith has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.99/month for 1Password and Free for Blacksmith.

Does 1Password or Blacksmith run on more platforms?

1Password runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web. Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS.

Can I use Blacksmith for free?

Yes. Blacksmith has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 1Password starts at $2.99/month.

What is 1Password best used for?

1Password is most often used for password management, secure document storage, team credential sharing, identity protection. Of those, password management and secure document storage are not what Blacksmith is typically brought in for.

What can 1Password do that Blacksmith cannot?

1Password covers Password generator, Autofill, Secure notes, Credit card storage. Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching.

Cybersecurity · head to head

1Password vs Blacksmith

1Password

Cybersecurity

The world's most-loved password manager

From: $2.99/month
Free plan: No

Full review Website

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Full review Website

The short version

Only Blacksmith has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: 1Password no free tier; all plans require paid subscription; Blacksmith per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs
They diverge on capability: 1Password covers Password generator, Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 1Password and Blacksmith actually diverge.

Attributes where 1Password and Blacksmith differ
Attribute	1Password	Blacksmith
Starting price	$2.99/month	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web	GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS
Category	Cybersecurity	Developer Tools
Founded	2006	Unknown

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 1Password

Password generator
Autofill
Secure notes
Credit card storage
Document storage
Two-factor authentication
Watchtower security alerts
Travel mode

Only in Blacksmith

Bare metal runners
Multiple OS support
ARM support
Docker layer caching
Sticky disks
GitHub Actions observability
Free tier
Static IPs

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

1Password

Password managementnot Blacksmith
Secure document storagenot Blacksmith
Team credential sharingnot Blacksmith
Identity protectionnot Blacksmith
Compliance managementnot Blacksmith

Blacksmith

Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructurenot 1Password
Accelerating CI build times for organizations with heavy CI loadnot 1Password
Reducing cloud spend on GitHub Actions by 60% or morenot 1Password
Supporting ARM architecture builds without GitHub runnersnot 1Password

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

1Password

No free tier; all plans require paid subscription
Offline access requires prior device sync; cannot add new passwords while offline
Enterprise plan does not include free trial access

Blacksmith

Per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs
macOS M4 pricing ($0.08/min) is significantly higher than GitHub Actions
Docker layer caching and sticky disks are paid add-ons at $0.50/GB/mo
Static IP add-on costs $100/IP/mo

Pricing, plan by plan

1Password

$2.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the 1Password review.

Blacksmith

Free

Ubuntu x64$0.004/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads
Ubuntu ARM$0.0025/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads
Windows x64$0.008/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads
macOS M4$0.08/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads

Which should you pick?

Choose 1Password if

You need password generator.
You work on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web.
You also want autofill.

1Password review

Choose Blacksmith if

You need bare metal runners.
You want to start without paying.
You work on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS.
You also want multiple os support.

Blacksmith review

Questions people ask

Is 1Password or Blacksmith better?: Neither clearly leads. 1Password starts at $2.99/month and Blacksmith at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 1Password or Blacksmith?: Blacksmith has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2.99/month for 1Password and Free for Blacksmith.
Does 1Password or Blacksmith run on more platforms?: 1Password runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Web. Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Blacksmith for free?: Yes. Blacksmith has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 1Password starts at $2.99/month.
What is 1Password best used for?: 1Password is most often used for password management, secure document storage, team credential sharing, identity protection. Of those, password management and secure document storage are not what Blacksmith is typically brought in for.
What can 1Password do that Blacksmith cannot?: 1Password covers Password generator, Autofill, Secure notes, Credit card storage. Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

1Password: Does 1Password offer a free tier?

No. 1Password offers no free tier as of July 2026, but provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required for all plans except Enterprise.

Source

Blacksmith: How much do Blacksmith runners cost compared to GitHub Actions?

Blacksmith offers 60-75% cost savings depending on OS. Ubuntu x64 costs $0.004/min vs GitHub at $0.012/min. All plans include 3,000 free minutes monthly.

Source

1Password: Can I access 1Password offline?

Yes. The desktop app allows for offline access to your vault once you have synced your passwords to the device.

Source

Blacksmith: Can I use Docker layer caching with Blacksmith?

Yes, Docker layer caching is available as an add-on at $0.50/GB/mo. Managed Docker layer persistence is included with the base service.

Source

1Password: What is the pricing for individuals and families?

Individual plan costs 2.99 USD per month or 35.88 USD annually. Families plan costs 59.88 USD per year and includes five licenses with the ability to add more for 1 USD per month each.

Source

Blacksmith: What is the SLA for Enterprise plans?

Enterprise Blacksmith plans include a 99.9% SLA guarantee along with 24/7 priority support, dedicated Slack channels, white-glove onboarding, and CI optimization support.

Source

1Password: What platforms does 1Password support?

1Password is available on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, with browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Safari.

Source

1Password vs Blacksmith

1Password

Blacksmith

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in 1Password

Only in Blacksmith

What people use each for

1Password

Blacksmith

Where each one falls short

1Password

Blacksmith

Pricing, plan by plan

1Password

Blacksmith

Which should you pick?

Choose 1Password if

Choose Blacksmith if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on 1Password

More on Blacksmith

Keep looking

Other head to heads