Proton launches free, privacy-focused Google Docs alternative

Proton has launched 'Docs in Proton Drive,' a free and open-source end-to-end encrypted web-based document editing and collaboration tool.

Proton is a Swiss company renowned for its privacy-focused services, including Proton VPN, Proton Mail, Proton Pass, Proton Drive, and now also Proton Docs.

Recently, the company announced its transition to becoming a non-profit organization to better align with its mission of prioritizing privacy and societal benefit over profit.

Launch of Proton Docs

Proton says Docs is a compelling, secure, and user-friendly alternative to established online document editing and collaboration platforms like Google Docs.

The Swiss firm says the recent acquisition of encrypted notes app 'Standard Notes' played a crucial role in accelerating the development of Docs, helping it reach the desired form to compete in a tightly contested space.

The product's key features, highlighted in the launch announcement, which make it stand out from the competition are:

• End-to-end encryption to protect all keystrokes and cursor movement in real time.
• Does not harvest or share any user data with third parties.
• Secure and speedy image embedding into documents.
• Free tier with no feature barriers for up to 5GB of document storage.
• Open-source and independently audited code for transparency and verification.
• Support for rich text editing to enable the creation of professional, highly polished documents.
• Support for text markdown, code blocks, and checklists.
• Seamless integration with multiple formats, including proprietary formats like Microsoft .docx.
• Real-time collaboration features like comments, presence indicators, and unique cursors.

Of course, Proton Docs come with the advantage of being fully integrated with the Proton ecosystem, so if you're already a user of any Proton products, there's an added benefit there, too.

Collaborators can be invited without restrictions, but they need a Proton account to participate to ensure everyone has the same security.

Anant Vijay Singh, Product Lead for Proton Drive, stated that their goal with Docs is to alleviate people's worries about cloud-based collaboration tools.

“Docs in Proton Drive makes it effortless to stay secure and private. Users don't have to lift a finger or worry about complicated security measures—Proton's got it all covered. In a world where Big Tech constantly breaches privacy and mishandles data, Docs offers a seamless and reliable solution for document editing and collaboration. Our users can confidently create and share documents, resting easy knowing their information is protected.” – Singh, Proton

For more information on Proton Docs, visit Drive's webpage or read the full announcement here.