Key Robot vs 1Password Secrets Automation
Updated October 2026
1Password Secrets Automation is for a team that already runs 1Password for human passwords and wants to extend the same vault to machine credentials. Key Robot is for a developer who wants an API key to actually rotate, with no team password plan required.
Side by side
| What it does | Where keys live | Rotation | Price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Password Secrets Automation | Extends 1Password's vault to machine credentials | 1Password's vault, read by a service account | A feature you build with the 1Password CLI or SDK | No standalone price, bundled into the Business plan | A team already paying for 1Password's Business plan |
| Key Robot | Changes your keys on a schedule and deletes the old ones | Your own encrypted GitHub Actions secrets | Daily, automatic, included free | Free for one app. Pro for all apps: $19/month | A solo dev who wants keys that actually change, no team plan needed |
1Password sells Secrets Automation as part of its Business plan, billed annually with a 14-day trial and no standalone free tier. It is a feature bolted onto the human password product, not something sold by itself. We checked 1Password's dedicated Secrets Automation pricing page on October 24, 2026, and it returned a 404, so there's no standalone number to quote here, only the fact that it rides on the Business plan.
When to pick 1Password
Pick 1Password Secrets Automation if your team already pays for 1Password's Business plan for human logins, and you want machine credentials to live in the same vault, read through its CLI or SDK. It makes sense as an add-on to a plan you already have, less sense as a standalone buy.
When to pick Key Robot
Pick Key Robot if you don't have a team password plan to attach this to, or don't want one just to automate a key. Key Robot doesn't ask you to store anything. It runs in your own GitHub Actions, locks each key in your browser before anything is sent, and saves it as an encrypted GitHub Actions secret. Key Robot's own server never sees the key, only names, dates, and results.
Every day, for a connected service, it makes a new key, checks your app still works, and deletes the old one. If the check fails, the old key comes back by itself. A Kill it now button handles a leaked key outside the daily cycle. We timed it on our own demo app on October 23, 2026: 82 seconds from pressing the button to the old key being dead.
Today that's Neon, Resend and Supabase keys, for apps on Netlify or Vercel. Cloudflare and OpenAI are built and being tested. Free for one app, no card.
The honest gap
1Password can manage every kind of secret a team has, human and machine, in one vault with roles and audit logs, if you're already paying for the Business plan. Key Robot stores nothing and doesn't touch human passwords at all. It only rotates the specific keys it supports. If you need a unified vault for people and machines, 1Password is built for that. If you just need a key to change on a schedule without a per-user password plan behind it, Key Robot is the cheaper, simpler route.
See Key Robot vs Bitwarden for a lower-priced vault comparison, or the rotate hub for exactly which services Key Robot handles today.
Questions
Is there a free tier for 1Password Secrets Automation?
No. It's a feature of the Business plan, billed annually with a 14-day trial, and there's no free tier of its own. 1Password's dedicated Secrets Automation pricing page returns a 404, so there's no standalone number to quote.
Can I use 1Password Secrets Automation without a team password plan?
No. It is bundled into the Business plan, which is priced for human password management first. You can't buy it on its own.
Does Key Robot replace 1Password for password management?
No. 1Password manages human passwords and shared vaults. Key Robot only rotates specific API keys and database credentials for apps you connect to it.