Proton Drive

Proton Drive encrypts your files on your device before they reach the cloud. Proton says this means even it has no access to what you store. The service comes from Proton AG, the Swiss company behind Proton Mail. Scientists who met at CERN founded it in 2014. Since June 2024, the non-profit Proton Foundation has been its primary shareholder.

The free plan starts with 2 GB of encrypted storage. It grows to 5 GB when you complete three setup steps in your first 30 days. You also get Proton Docs, an editor for working on documents with others in real time, and Proton says every edit stays encrypted. Paid plans start at €3.99 a month for 200 GB, billed yearly. Proton Unlimited (€9.99 a month, billed yearly) bundles 500 GB with Proton Mail, VPN, Calendar and Pass. Proton Duo gives two people 2 TB to share for €14.99 a month, billed yearly. Shared links take a password and an expiry date, and Proton sets no limit on file size.

Desktop sync is available on Windows and macOS, with mobile apps for iOS and Android that back up your photos automatically. All apps are open source and have been independently audited by Securitum. Proton says it owns its servers, which sit in Switzerland and Germany. Switzerland is not part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.

Worth knowing

Proton Drive costs more per gigabyte than Google Drive or Dropbox. The desktop apps are for Windows and macOS. On Linux, you use the web app or Proton's command-line tool. Proton's online editors cover documents and spreadsheets, so check that they do what your team needs before you leave Google Workspace. If you already use Proton Mail, Drive fits naturally into that ecosystem. If you only need storage, weigh the privacy benefits against the price.