Piece by piece, Proton is constructing an alternative to Google Workspace with a extra of a give attention to privateness.
The most recent addition is a doc editor with end-to-end encryption. Formally dubbed “Docs in Proton Drive,” the brand new service appears to be like quite a bit like Google Docs and helps real-time collaborative modifying. It’s free to make use of with as much as 5 GB of storage.
The doc editor considered one of many latest Proton launches geared toward making its productiveness suite extra aggressive with Google’s. Final month, the corporate added automated photograph and video backups to Proton Drive’s iOS app—the identical function arrived on Android in December—signaling an curiosity in constructing a correct Google Images various. For the reason that begin of final yr, Proton has additionally launched a password supervisor, rebuilt its cell e-mail and calendar apps, overhauled Proton Drive’s file sharing options, and added desktop apps for Proton Mail.
Google’s Workspace suite nonetheless leads in lots of areas—for one factor, Proton isn’t dealing with spreadsheets but—however as Proton closes the hole on main options, it could possibly be a compelling various particularly as Google pushes more users onto paid storage plans. When you’re going to subscribe to a productiveness suite, it is best to no less than contemplate one which places privateness first.
What’s in Proton’s doc editor (and what isn’t)
Proton declined to make Docs in Proton Drive obtainable for testing forward of the general public launch, however from a short demo it appears to be like like fairly commonplace for on-line doc creation.
The highest toolbar has all of the requisite formatting choices similar to fonts, headings, and bullet factors. The editor permits for inline photos and helps Markdown formatting as you type. You may both create paperwork inside Proton Drive’s web site—although cell doc creation isn’t supported but—or import DOCX recordsdata from Phrase. Exports to DOCX, PDF, plain textual content, and Markdown are additionally supported.
On the sharing entrance, Proton’s doc editor has a menu for including collaborators with view-only or edit privileges. Invitations arrive through e-mail, and collaborators will want a Proton account, as Proton Drive doesn’t assist link-based sharing or public paperwork. Collaborators can spotlight textual content to remark, however instructed modifications aren’t but supported. Though Proton re-encrypts paperwork with each keystroke, syncing seemed fast in a demo, with shared doc edits taking a few second to mirror throughout two separate accounts.
As for privateness, Proton’s press launch makes a giant to-do of “by no means harvesting consumer information for any goal.” There’s consolation in seeing an up-front dedication like that, although Google additionally says it doesn’t train its Document AI models on users’ private content and doesn’t use that content for advertising purposes. (Proton, in contrast, has no generative AI options to talk of.)
Proton’s end-to-end encryption does present some assurance that the corporate can’t simply change insurance policies on a whim. But it surely’s additionally about heading off exterior threats, similar to authorities snooping or safety breaches. Even when Proton’s methods have been hacked, for example, the attacker wouldn’t have entry to your paperwork.
Proton says extra parity with Google Docs is on its roadmap. It plans to supply public doc hyperlinks, Notion-like interlinked documents, @ mentions, and it’s wanting into direct imports from Google Drive.
As of now, Proton isn’t gating any of its doc options behind a paywall, so the one limitation is storage. For customers who exceed Proton Drive’s free restrict of 5 GB, Proton fees 6 Euros per 30 days or 48 Euros per yr for 200 GB of storage, and 13 Euros per 30 days or $120 Euros per yr for a 500 GB plan, which additionally contains entry to Proton’s e-mail, calendar, VPN, and password supervisor.
Extra to come back
Proton is hardly the primary to supply end-to-end encrypted doc modifying. Its new providing attracts on the work of Standard Notes, which Proton acquired earlier this year however stays obtainable as a standalone service.
There was additionally Skiff, which launched in 2021 as a more private Google Docs alternative and ultimately expanded to email. It’s shutting down this summer after being acquired by Notion, which doesn’t share the identical privateness focus.
Proton appears to be on extra steady footing. The corporate, which launched 10 years in the past by means of a crowdfunding marketing campaign, has by no means taken on enterprise capital funding and is within the means of restructuring itself as a non-profit. Whereas its free choices are restricted, it boasts of getting never raised prices on its paid plans, and it even reduced the price of its password manager subscription in January.
As Google and its fellow tech giants go all-in on generative AI, Proton has a shot to compensate for the meat-and-potatoes of doc modifying, photograph administration, file storage, and e-mail. If it could possibly shut the function hole whereas making stronger assurances about privateness and safety, its personal subscription choices can be even simpler to justify.