Proton wants to replace Google — without harvesting your data 🔐

Cliquez ici pour lire en français

Every morning, you open Gmail. You check your schedule in Google Calendar, back up files to Drive, maybe browse behind a VPN run by a U.S. provider. It’s seamless. Convenient. “Free” — more or less. But what you don’t pay in cash, you pay in data. Your habits, movements, and most personal conversations fuel advertising profiles worth billions. Which raises a growing question: is it still possible to take back control of your digital life?

A Swiss company believes the answer is yes. It’s called Proton. And over the past decade, it has built an entire privacy-first ecosystem to prove it.

Born at CERN, built in Geneva 🏔️

Proton’s origin story doesn’t begin in a Silicon Valley garage, but inside CERN, the European particle physics laboratory.

In 2014, scientists Andy Yen, Jason Stockman and Wei Sun launched Proton Mail with a radical idea: create an email service that not even its creators could read. Funded via crowdfunding, it quickly gained traction among journalists, activists, and privacy-conscious professionals.

Ten years later, Proton is no longer just an encrypted inbox. It’s a full-stack alternative to Big Tech: encrypted email, VPN, cloud storage, password manager, calendar, Bitcoin wallet, and now a collaborative productivity suite.

In 2024, the company moved its governance under the Proton Foundation, a nonprofit structure designed to prevent acquisition by a tech giant or pressure from investors misaligned with its mission. Sitting on the foundation’s board is none other than Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.

That structural shift matters. It signals that Proton isn’t just building products — it’s trying to hard-code independence into its DNA.

What Proton actually offers 🛠️

Proton Mail

The flagship product remains Proton Mail, now the world’s most widely used encrypted email service. Its architecture relies on two pillars: end-to-end encryption (messages are encrypted before leaving your device) and zero-access encryption for stored data. In plain English: even Proton can’t read your emails.

No ads. No behavioral tracking. No scanning messages to feed marketing algorithms. The free plan includes 1GB of storage — modest compared to Gmail’s 15GB. But it’s truly free: no data harvesting in exchange. Paid plans start at €3.99/month for 15GB, while Proton Unlimited (€9.99/month) unlocks the entire ecosystem with 500GB of storage.

Proton VPN

Proton VPN is one of the most transparent VPNs on the market. Its apps are open source, its no-logs policy is independently audited, and it offers a rare perk: a free tier with no bandwidth cap. Paid plans unlock advanced features like Secure Core (multi-hop routing), ad and malware blocking, and streaming access.

Unlike U.S.-based providers, Proton operates under Swiss jurisdiction — outside American surveillance alliances. That contrasts with services like NordVPN, which, despite being headquartered in Lithuania, must navigate U.S. legal exposure through its American infrastructure.

Proton Drive

Proton Drive is Proton’s answer to Google Drive. Files are encrypted locally before hitting Proton’s servers. For years, the lack of real-time collaborative editing was a major weakness. That gap is now closing.

Proton Pass

Proton Pass is the ecosystem’s password manager. Its standout feature? Email aliases. You can generate disposable addresses for online signups, shielding your real inbox from spam and data breaches — a capability notably absent from competitors like 1Password or Bitwarden.

Proton Calendar

Proton Calendar mirrors Google Calendar’s functionality — but fully encrypted. Event titles, descriptions, locations, attendees: all protected. Even Proton can’t see your schedule.

Docs, Sheets, Meet and Authenticator

The newest additions significantly reshape Proton’s competitive position. Proton Docs delivers real-time, end-to-end encrypted document editing — a direct alternative to Google Docs, minus the surveillance model.

Proton Sheets brings collaborative spreadsheets into the fold, addressing one of the last major gaps versus Google Workspace.

Proton Meet enters the video conferencing arena as a privacy-focused alternative to Google Meet.

And Proton Authenticator offers a free, open-source two-factor authentication app available across platforms — including desktop, something Google Authenticator still doesn’t support. It syncs encrypted codes across devices and even works without a Proton account.

Together, these tools transform Proton from a secure email provider into a coherent, vertically integrated privacy platform.

What you actually gain 🔐

At its core, Proton represents a different business model. Google monetizes targeted advertising. Its “free” services are subsidized by data extraction. Proton runs on subscriptions. Your data has no commercial value to the company — it’s encrypted beyond their reach.

There’s also systemic protection. Your Proton VPN masks your IP while checking Proton Mail. Your Proton Pass credentials live inside encrypted Proton Drive storage. Everything connects — but nothing is correlated to build an ad profile. That’s not something you get by stitching together Gmail + NordVPN + Google Drive.

What you give up ⚖️

Let’s be honest: switching comes at a cost. Gmail remains faster, smarter at filtering, and deeply integrated across Google’s productivity stack. Encrypted email also means limited indexing — Proton Mail search is less powerful because it can’t fully analyze encrypted content.

Proton Docs and Sheets now support real-time collaboration, but they’re younger and less mature than Google Workspace in advanced integrations, revision depth, and formatting power.

And while Proton’s free tier respects your privacy, storage is limited. If you’ve accumulated years of Gmail threads and Google Photos archives, you’ll likely need a paid plan.

Switching is easier than you think 🔄

Proton’s Easy Switch tool imports emails, contacts and calendars from Gmail in the background, typically within one to seven days depending on volume. Messages are encrypted upon arrival.

Expect some friction: Gmail labels don’t always transfer perfectly, Google-native integrations disappear, and you’ll need to update your email address across banks, subscriptions and professional contacts.

The recommended approach? Run Proton alongside Gmail, then gradually migrate once you’re comfortable.

Pricing: how it stacks up 💶

On paper, Proton Unlimited (€9.99/month) bundles what would otherwise require multiple subscriptions: encrypted email, 500GB storage, VPN, password manager, calendar, wallet and collaboration tools.

Comparable setups combining Google One storage, a VPN and a password manager often reach similar price points — minus the privacy guarantees.

For users who value both integration and data protection, Proton’s value proposition is compelling.

Proton and Africa: the sovereignty question 🌍

Privacy takes on a distinct dimension across Africa, where vast amounts of user data flow through U.S. and European servers governed by foreign legislation.

Alternatives like Proton raise deeper questions: Who controls African citizens’ data? Where is it stored? Under which jurisdiction?

While Proton itself remains Swiss, its rise highlights a broader issue — digital sovereignty. Ultimately, the continent may need to develop its own infrastructure rather than simply swapping one dependency for another.

Is privacy a luxury — or a right? 🔭

Proton isn’t perfect. Its mobile apps aren’t as polished as Google’s. Its collaboration tools are still evolving. Its free tier requires trade-offs.

But Proton represents something larger than an encrypted inbox. It embodies the idea that personal data protection shouldn’t be a premium privilege — it should be the default.

The real question isn’t whether you should leave Google.

It’s whether you’re comfortable with what you’re giving away in exchange for convenience.

And you, have you ever tried to reduce your dependence on Big Tech services? Are you willing to pay to protect your privacy, or do you think it’s something only the elite can afford? Share your experience in the comments — the TechGriot family is reading.