What are your thoughts on the Proton ecosystem? Share them below!⬇ *And pst. don't forget to check out our Patreon if you want more reviews likes this:* patreon.com/techlore ❤
The reason why the proton android apps have stripped down functionality Is because Apple has exclusivity deals with app developers which honestly rubs me the wrong way
I love you guys!!! I recommend you to all my friends and family! Please make an Encrypted notes app!!! office suite would be cool BUT notes should take priority
I honestly never thought I'd pay for an email and VPN but I've been a subscriber on Proton for years now and I'm not planning on changing. They've constantly improved their product range and most important, it simply works.
I am a Proton user for the past 3 months, and all that I can say is that I am super happy with every product. They put so much care and thought with such a high degree of polish and care into everything they do. It is such a joy to use Proton products. Can't wait for Proton Pass and some minor improvements to Drive.
I think Proton has a long way to go and development is not as fast as one would wish, however I still feel it is the first „alternative“ (meaning not one of big tech) services that could provide a more comprehensive user experience. Whenever I use alternative services I always get the feeling that they are clunky, out-of-date and will never develop above a certain point. Developing multi-platform, scalable services is a huge task and you need a lot of manpower for it. I don’t know if 400 people is enough (I guess they have to grow further), but it is more realistic they can compete compared to other services with often only a handful of people behind.
@@phr3ui559hey have most of the same features. BW does allow you upload files to your notes. PP has the identity protection. If you have ProtonDrive you can store your files there. IMO, Proton is Best
For free tier, bitwarden has just more features. Besides, it has been around for longer without ANY data leaks, what makes it more trustable for me atleast. That is why i use bitwarden Edit: i must say that i use email, calendar and vpn from proton. So there is always the "dont put all your eggs in 1 basket" argument
@phr3ui559 for password manager, neither to protect your account password is not to save it the website and not to save it on a password manager. The best thing is to have a flash drive with your login info on a text document and save it on the drive and unplug with out it being use. If you have the money by a encrypted storage cost around $120
I've been a Proton user since December 2022, and I love the ecosystem as a whole, but yeah, it definitely has room to improve. One of my biggest gripes is the fact that on mobile, dark mode works for everything, including the contents of the email, while on the web version, the contents of the email are stuck in a blinding white box. I do use Proton Drive, but nowhere near as much as I'd like to. How am I supposed to use up my 500 GB of storage when any large file uploads tend to fail or are extremely slow? I'd love to use it to bulk store photos, but the photo viewer takes forever to load. Would love to use it to back up files, but there's no desktop client. Not even being able to attach drive files to emails really sucks too, I was actually surprised that wasn't a thing when I went to use it. Proton Pass seems like a great idea, but I was shocked at the announcement considering the state of Proton Drive atm. At least the SimpleLogin team is in charge of it I guess, so it shouldn't impact development too much. I don't see myself switching from 1Password though, because it's gonna take too long to catch up in features, and it won't really have the family plans/family features that most of the major password managers have. That being said... I do think the suite as a whole is massive bang for buck. As I often say to people, I'm paying the same for a Proton Unlimited plan that I did for ExpressVPN _alone_ previously, and ProtonVPN is by far better and more private. Its app for Android TV works far better too. I could be paying for additional storage on another service, but I don't need to because Proton Drive is _okay_ for basic stuff. And I have a secure email, and SimpleLogin which I use every day. A lot of the services individually are fine, but the price for what you get is just amazing, and because of that, I'm okay waiting for things and putting up with the imperfections.
I’ve used and paid for proton since late 2020 and love it for my email and vpn. Yes I really want drive desktop app for use as a offsite backup for important stuff on my server, but can wait for that. Just glad I can ditch google and have custom domain support
I changed to Proton Unlimited with Mail, VPN (coming from AirVPN) and Calendar a few weeks ago and it works really good. (GrapheneOS & Nobara) I love the 15 mail domains you have under your main Mail you can use to forward from your old mails.
I wanted to move to ProtonMail but they don't allow labels to be nested. That is a deal breaker, just that one thing but it stops me from organising my emails. When I (politely) ask, on their forum, if they have plans to offer nested labels they delete my post!!
ROFL, this video is the very definition of I want to be angry with them but I can't. xD Agreed with everything... I couldn't ever imagine years ago that there was going to be a business model that is able to sustain a Google-like suite of services that does not rely in gross invasion of privacy and mass data collection, but Proton, despite not being quite there yet, is proving that is can be done, and they got very far along.
Thanks so much for your thorough review. I just came across your video and it’s about a year later has proton mail improved over the last year in some of the areas that you pointed out that you felt needed improvement. I am an iPhone user and it seems as though at the time of your video things were a bit more robust for iPhone users? How is proton VPN service for Geo blocking?
Look forward to your review on their new product Proton Pass (password manager). I have concerns about putting too much products in the same basket. Password manager is the most sensitive of all privacy tools.
Yeah, I'm a bit unsure about it as well because I separate Proton and my password manager on purpose so that if one gets compromised, or I get locked out, I can still access it using the other. It's probably not gonna work as seamlessly as the other password managers on the market too, and will probably lack family features. I'm probably just not gonna use it, but I think it's great that it's gonna be on offer because some people like the suite, couldn't afford a password manager on top of Proton, or just wouldn't use one. It'll be a good opportunity for people who don't already have one to try one out.
Proton Drive is slow, loads slow, downloads slow, transfers slow, and the downloads break around the 4 GB mark, meaning you'll have to manually order and break up files into parts to download off your drive. It's not worth using. If you care about privacy use cryptomator with a popular drive service that's cheap and good.
This is honestly how I feel about the privacy scene in general. It is definitely private! But it's not as usable as I'd like for it to be. Gaining privacy still feels like there's a lot of other things here and there that I'd have to give up, in addition to being really inconvenient
@@furdiburd It's not false advertisement per se, but I would consider their encryption claims quite gimicky. It requires you to be speaking with another client who uses PGP, which pretty much nobody does or has even heard about. The encryption doesn't matter either because the provider for anyone who you email has your data. So they can use your email for whatever purposes if they so wish (including passing it off to the government, etc.) You're basically paying for empty promises.
@@ezioauditore7636 IMO youre just paying for the VPN. You get a mailing service with that, that doesnt read all your emails, nor does it use this data for advertisers. Gmail reads everything, so its definetly better to use Proton mail. Its true that it isn't as safe as most people think, but its worth its very low price at least to me
I'm a Proton customer since 2020 and I use Proton Mail and Proton VPN only. The calendar and Proton Drive aren't really usable in my eyes. This is why I resort to Nextcloud for that matter. The Proton calendar app UI doesn't scale on the iPad and, as you mentioned yourself, Drive isn't really integrated on the variuos clients, in contrast to Nextcloud or MEGA.
For my work, I use Google Workspace. Privately Proton. Proton Drive is my main private cloud storage with offline folders in the Android App on my smartphone and Chromebook since some month. They need some time to copy from Google. I'm a patient customer. For the drive client, they say that Linux has a much smaller market share than Win & MacOS. Ok, but world-wide, Android has a much larger market share than iOS. So why do so many function come on iOS first? I even like the fact, they have their own clients (e.g. mail client), because of better integration into the ecosystem like Google. More convienient and efficient.
@Techlore Please never stop delivering top-notch content as always. Even a newb like myself, that learns very slowly this stuff lol, gets tremendous benefits from your material. I think I'll be asking a few questions on a few of your other videos lol. I'm slowly going through them little by little. Thank you so much!
Do you have a video about how to make your phone private i was watching a video someone said use a pixel phone and download graphen os but i was wondering if there are other options
I have been using Proton for the simple fact that they are based in Europe and they value consumer privacy, however, if ordered by a court they can/will provide user info, logs, IP addresses etc. So I use it, but I'm really careful with what I do so I'm always using AnonSurf before logging in to anything.
6:36 from everything I see it seems good to me, and for the non power users in my family the only flaw will be not being able to attach things from the cloud app too a message or email; however we could just use another privacy based cloud app.
Proton is definitely the best or second best offering out there, and one of very few that actually stands against Gmail in terms of features and UX/UI. The only issue that has kept me from actually using it, is how closed it is. I understand why using a third party client requires a bridge to talk to the standard protocol, but not being able to sync contacts with any app or system outside theirs is very limiting.
@@Jzombi301 Not really sure if there's one I'd put above it, I was just leaving the door open to that possibility 😁 There are interesting contenders like Skiff (with similar limitations), and feature wise I much prefer Fastmail, but that one's not in the same privacy league. So... I guess we can call Proton the best right now.
There is a Proton drive desktop, accessed right through explorer. I access proton mail through Thunderbird. The very fact Proton does not use your files or emails for advertising, and is vastly more secure, wipes google and Microsoft right off the map. They follow the European guidelines with their products. Its a small price to pay
Been using Proton since they first launched. My one problem is with their vpn. Regularly when I pick up my iphone to look up something on the web it seems the vpn has been sleeping and needs to reconnect. Frustrating. Not sure how to solve this problem. Picked up Proton Pass yesterday. Have just used in on my computer. Super streamline when it works. So far just have one bank site that is refusing to let Pass connect with it’s login page.
Maybe a bit nitpicky, but I personally wouldn't consider less powerful devices' inability to handle large files a limitation on Proton's part. As much as it might be annoying, it's not really a limitation proton implemented any more than something a streaming service advertising 4k video but 4k only being able to be run on more powerful devices. That said, it can't truly be unlimited since every file system format has a hard cap on file size, but that's usually in TBs for any modern one nowadays.
Right, it's not their fault. Which is why the real complaint was on the marketing of the feature. Where they directly claim no max file sizes for anyone regardless of the situation. -H
My main complaint with the Calendar is mostly with the lack of Drive integration. I had a lot of appointments a couple of years ago which required a lot of paperwork. Attaching these files to the Calendar in Google Drive was a lifesaver for me. I've also gotten a bit sick of ProtonVPN. The linux CLI is absolutely broken and now I have started to have problems connecting on windows. Luckily I live in Australia so it doesn't make a dent in my speed (speedtest actually implies it makes it slightly faster lol). I love ProtonMail and it does everything I need perfectly though. Another massive thing you forgot to mention is Proton subscribers have access to Simple Login, an email alias extension/app. This thing is amazing for those random crappy sites you have to sign up to. For example on my Firefox developer page I left my alias email exposed to the public and got flooded with weird spam in German. Bam, new alias, delete the old one, no more spam.
@@asdfssdfghgdfy5940 tbf he didnt talk much about SimpleLogin, but that's probably because it's still a different product and not technically part of the "Proton Suite"
I feel like combining Proton with Murena/eOS would be the total package as eOS provides maps and notes, two really essential things people take for granted
Hi techlore . I am using Proton as well. I would like to know how different is Cryptomator E2E encryption client side comparing to Proton Drive? How they actually work in term of E2E
When you choose privacy the trade of is always convenience. You can't create a private and secure system while being convenient to use and affordable pricing. The more secure and private the less convenience you get.
except it's not even a convenience issue with proton is just straight inconsistencies in their development of their eco-system. Which should raise flags for how they handle their back end. If their front-end development is this sloppy.
Proton Drive has file support on Windows. Proton Password manager came out, which supports password, credit cards, auto fill, aliasing emails, 2FA. VPN has some extra features now on Windows. Proton Mail on iOS has swipe features to go between mail, as well as just more support in general. Proton Mail now has a desktop app.
Re: removing email trackers for the Android app platform, this is what they told me 2 days ago: "At this time, we are focused on completely rewriting the Android app due to "technical debt", in an effort to provide a faster and more stable experience. Until that is fixed, it is not possible to add new features. We are unable to share any specific timelines currently." So... uh, whatever that means. Grrrr
Honestly, from the entirety of the proton suite, I'm only using the calendar aspect, because 1. I need a private encrypted calendar 2. It looked better than what Tutanota provided
I guess proton is not perfect for many, but for me it is perfect. I am happy to have a back-up I can manage and love the email & calendar. I use VPN sometimes too ...... all good.
Great review! Wish they would sort out the feature parity issues, but I guess they're suffering from the fact that they're using many different tech stacks for each platform. Wish Proton would consider a Flutter rewrite for their apps. Most of the core logic could be shared across all platforms, making it far easier to keep feature parity. I'd love to help out tbh.
I like this review. It feels like Proton, in some ways, has the attitude of pushing out features/products and polishing them up later. I can understand that, but it is rather frustrating as a user to not have seamless integration
really the only 2 things that i would love to see implemented are the ability to switch a previously existing event to a different calendar in Proton Calendar on iOS, and a Proton Calendar iOS widget. better speeds on proton VPN would obviously be really nice too but they're fine for most things as it is now. i dont use Proton Drive because it feels like it's still in beta. i dont have many complaints with Proton Mail
if i could add emails that are not protonmails.. i would like to use it more, i hate to have multiple apps on my mobile phone, if i can't use something like fairmail, why don't they add a feature to use multiple accounts like disroot skiff etc :(? seems like they don't want to or it is just hard to implement~
the simple thing they don't do is they display our Full email address clearly everywhere, like in the upper right corner of the email, or in their application. they should only show the username, or just the icon. or give us ability to hide it.
We have just delved in to the Proton ecosystem and are still in the free tier, considering buying the Unlimited. About your analysis, aren't you expecting too much from a privacy respecting product which also has a generous free tier? Or to put it differently, the data thieves have more money to improve their products!
I like the idea of the PROTON ecosystem, but there are 2 things that I need now in order to switch. I need a drive client for linux, and a bridge for calendar. I simply cannot use the proton calendar independently from my other calendars, I need to manage them under one application like I do with email. I know they are already working on the drive client. And it would be very nice if they started working on simple notes and tasks apps to have a proper productivity ecosystem.
I know for a fact that people have been suggesting a tasks app with Proton, it's just a matter of when they add it. As for your other suggestions, Proton does have customer feedback. If you haven't used it yet I suggest it. You can search for those suggestions, vote for it and comment if you have an account. protonmail.uservoice.com/ Hope this helps in some way! - S
I have a Google phone (Pixel 9 Pro XL), but am starting to learn towards the Proton ecosystem. Currently using a Gmail account with SimpleLogin aliasiasing, and BitWarden. But really considering consolidating all that into a Proton Email, with Proton Pass. Your thoughts? Will feel kind of weird using a Google phone with the Google logo on it though XD (Great phone btw)
I'm trying to do something similar 😂 I'm thinking about buying my first iPhone cause I want to try the iOS system but I'm thinking to use all the proton ecosystem as well. Hope that works out 😂
Question?? Why would I want Proton to hold off on releasing a great new feature for my desktop until it is ready on my Android and iOS device? Give me the enhancment now. I don't understand why you would want to just wait for the other formats to catch up before taking advantage of the improvments. Edit: Oh, and saying that Proton has 400 employees and then comparing them to Google which has how many? Seems weird.
I’ve had Proton mail as a paying subscriber for about 5 years now. I don’t even use the bridge as it’s constantly going down. For the VPN it’s very glitchy many websites it just doesn’t work for and I constantly have to switch back to VPN Unlimited. The drive is all but worthless due to slow upload and download speed. The mail and calendar are good services. So you might ask why do I continue to pay if I’m not fully satisfied. IMHO it’s by far the best service even with the short comings. Hopefully they will improve.
I assume everything I type is going to google, microsoft, or apple depending on the device I am using. It isn't unreasonable either, as your devices listen to you anyway. I don't understand how this can give you any privacy.
If you use Android, you can use GrapheneOS, and stop using Google services, cutting you off from what you've said. If you use PC, you can use Linux, cutting you off from Microsoft. If you use Apple, you can encrypt your photos and many other elements of your phone, as well as use a bunch of other security and privacy features (Apple phones are more privacy focused out of the box than Android). You can side load apps on Android that have privacy implementation. It's all about the spectrum of privacy, or the tiers of privacy. You can be more private or less; more secure or less. There is no binary of private and not private, as you may be vulnerable in one area but not another. Saying "they're listening anyway" or "it doesn't matter so I'm going to give them all my data and not care" is exactly what they want you to do/think. It's about reducing your digital footprint, or your digital radio waves, or digital loud speaker (whatever analogy makes you understand more). The more private you are, you shrink your footprint making you less prone to being noticed, see, tracked, or having sensitive information leave... While some sensitive info might still get out there, or be out there already, to continue to let sensitive info leak just increases their data bank on you. It also makes you more prone to hackers or malicious people finding out info about you, or tracking your accounts down to your real life identity, leading to a potential stalker or harassment case. It's like saying "I already ate junk food, so I'm going to continue to eat junk food and ruin my health", or "I already went to jail, I might as well stay there". Privacy is a journey, a step by step process, something you can improve on, taking away from companies that see you as a price tag, or people that see you as a target. All those phishing and scam emails went away when I use Proton Mail and started taking privacy seriously. All the worries about "you've been pwned" showing up and having to change my password went away. Privacy and security go hand and hand, and if you ever want to be free with what you do or say on the internet, you'll never be truly free unless you're truly private. Another analogy, and one that I think is pretty good: "not caring about privacy is like leaving open a window expecting not to get robbed".
@@readifdumb While I agree with you and appreciate your help, I misspoke in my comment and should have added more. I agree with you...but I also think that if you use google with the proton suite, google still keylog tracks you and stores all that info. So does apple, and so does MS. I was referencing where most people spend their time online...their phones. I agree that to be private, you have to be on an OS that is both secure and not part of a big data business model or side load apps. Where is the average user going to get that confidence? Do they install or side load an app claiming to block features or provide protection? How do they know it is actually secure? I am in the camp of getting a proton phone if they make one, but for now, I promise, they are logging all keystrokes and no service can stop big data. We are headed to a lame dystopia because people are looking to hide and not looking at who makes the hardware.
@@CuttinInIdaho It's more so what company you actually trust more. Apple isn't all great, but they currently offer more privacy out of the box than Android phones do. They allow for encryption of photos and several other apps, which while I agree doesn't stop keyloggers or other things they might have, shows to some extent they care about privacy, even if it's just to sell their tech. They make all their money in tech sales, while Google makes all their money in data sales and ads. So it's easy for me to choose Apple in that instance. It's not perfect, but if you're on E2EE and don't use social media, use privacy focused apps, you've limited how much data companies are actually receiving. I think it's a poor mindset to not care about privacy because you have one egg in your basket that's tainted. Every step in the right direction does matter, and if you're able to get rid of social media, Google, Microsoft, and use E2EE then you're much more secure and private than those that dont. Signal and Mullvad for example have been told to give data that they couldn't provide. In these instances why didn't authorities just get keylogged information from Apple, Google, Microsoft? Unless that becomes a regular occurrence then I'm not afraid of it.
Nice video.. I just recently 1 or 2 months ago switched to proton ultimate trying to eradicate as much google as possible.. Most of the gripes you have with the suite are exactly what my problems are. I really hope Proton will watch this video and take it seriously. One of the things I first noticed is that even though the e-mail app on android can be unlocked with biometrics and other locking mechanisms, all the others can't... They are just freely accessable if someone finds your phone unlocked. No logon required and no unlocking needed.. Just open them.. The fact that there is a no windows desktop syncing is a major one for me and really feels that Proton drive is half baked and more like an alpha/beta product.. You do a good summup of the others grips..
I really dislike that you have to use their clients, web or native. This is one of the reasons I moved to Posteo. In hindsight though, I probably should have done a service that supports custom domains-mostly so it was easier to move if I needed to migrate, but the last couple of years have been fine.
The lack of feature parity is actually a net positive. Feature parity would mean features are delayed from being released until they are functional on all platforms. Shipping a feature when it's ready for one platform is a good thing, as opposed to artificially holding it back.
Say that to Proton services on Linux which they leave dead in last. Yes, it's great for Windows, but it feels like they've shelved Linux users, which is a core of the privacy community.
I feel right now Proton's biggest strength is value, I think you'd have to spend way more money if wanted to get a VPN, private cloud storage and featured private email
Yes, this is a huge issue. Drive has no built in file support for Linux, and VPN doesn't have full functionality of Windows GUI version. You can still use all of their features though, just not to their full capabilities.
Great review Henry as usual and whilst I absolutely agree with your points, I do think it suffers in the same way all Proton reviews do which is to compare on a service by service basis. Whilst Proton is consistently in the Top 3 services in each field if you compare them 1 on 1 they probably get beaten by 1-2 other great services individually (with maybe the exception of Proton mail which is best in class imo). However, Proton's strength is that it is building out a phenomenal ecosystem which I don't think gets the credit it deserves (I can't believe we still try to compare it to Google's ecosystem) and combined with the fact it is so entry-level easy, unless you have a higher than average threat model, Proton Unlimited should just be the stock standard recommendation for everyone. At $4 a month (if you buy on sale during Black Friday etc), it is actually insane value.... TLDR: Great review but maybe a tiny bit harsh on each service :) Your last comments were great.
@@donluigi3589 Double checked. You are actually correct. My apologies, I paid $81.87USD but thought I paid in AUD so I converted accordingly. Still immense value imo.
Hi, I really don't understand why you have issues with Proton being Just a "connection" and not your "file/email/contact manager", From a security and privacy point of view, you should trust only in the main intention of a company: email company 1 for email 1 email company 2 for email 2 bank company 1 for account 1 ... When A company covers multiple needs, it becomes controlling and discriminating between those needs. Instead focus on combining the Proton with a private environment. which you do, so, don't really understand the issue.
I have android, and had downloaded proton mail etc on my Android phone awhile ago, one thing I wish is that I could add another account but oh well, such is life... I think proton is by far the better one over gmail and other VPNs etc, I have all the proton apps on my phone I still have gmail etc but....
ProtonMail domain support ist also meh (limited aliases) and you can't use it with something like a printer or NAS, unless you pay for their business plan, even though there is no reason to bar private premium users from this. Overall after using it for a while, I'm actually a little disappointed by ProtonMail.
What are your thoughts on the Proton ecosystem? Share them below!⬇
*And pst. don't forget to check out our Patreon if you want more reviews likes this:* patreon.com/techlore ❤
They have had to many accusations of being team glowie, so I don't trust them that much. I'd rather self host for 100% privacy
Havent theh collaborated with the fbi in the past?
Isn't Proton compromised after their newly appointed CEO who isn't or as privacy oriented?
I would actually like Proton... if they supported Thunderbird, were I centralize my multiple emails. It's a must have for me
The reason why the proton android apps have stripped down functionality Is because Apple has exclusivity deals with app developers which honestly rubs me the wrong way
Hi! We'd just like to inform you that the theme sync with the OS settings is now available!
Add separate task colors to proton calendar!!!
I love you guys!!! I recommend you to all my friends and family! Please make an Encrypted notes app!!! office suite would be cool BUT notes should take priority
What a gangster company....they listen to their customers....nice...im def gonna switch!
@@tampsin Done. =D
I honestly never thought I'd pay for an email and VPN but I've been a subscriber on Proton for years now and I'm not planning on changing. They've constantly improved their product range and most important, it simply works.
same here, i bought the unlimited plan and it gets discounted during black friday so thats nice
I am a Proton user for the past 3 months, and all that I can say is that I am super happy with every product. They put so much care and thought with such a high degree of polish and care into everything they do. It is such a joy to use Proton products. Can't wait for Proton Pass and some minor improvements to Drive.
I think Proton has a long way to go and development is not as fast as one would wish, however I still feel it is the first „alternative“ (meaning not one of big tech) services that could provide a more comprehensive user experience.
Whenever I use alternative services I always get the feeling that they are clunky, out-of-date and will never develop above a certain point. Developing multi-platform, scalable services is a huge task and you need a lot of manpower for it. I don’t know if 400 people is enough (I guess they have to grow further), but it is more realistic they can compete compared to other services with often only a handful of people behind.
would like to see a look at proton pass especially in comparison to bitwarden
which one is better
@@phr3ui559hey have most of the same features. BW does allow you upload files to your notes. PP has the identity protection. If you have ProtonDrive you can store your files there. IMO, Proton is Best
For free tier, bitwarden has just more features. Besides, it has been around for longer without ANY data leaks, what makes it more trustable for me atleast. That is why i use bitwarden
Edit: i must say that i use email, calendar and vpn from proton. So there is always the "dont put all your eggs in 1 basket" argument
@phr3ui559 for password manager, neither to protect your account password is not to save it the website and not to save it on a password manager. The best thing is to have a flash drive with your login info on a text document and save it on the drive and unplug with out it being use. If you have the money by a encrypted storage cost around $120
I've been a Proton user since December 2022, and I love the ecosystem as a whole, but yeah, it definitely has room to improve. One of my biggest gripes is the fact that on mobile, dark mode works for everything, including the contents of the email, while on the web version, the contents of the email are stuck in a blinding white box.
I do use Proton Drive, but nowhere near as much as I'd like to. How am I supposed to use up my 500 GB of storage when any large file uploads tend to fail or are extremely slow? I'd love to use it to bulk store photos, but the photo viewer takes forever to load. Would love to use it to back up files, but there's no desktop client. Not even being able to attach drive files to emails really sucks too, I was actually surprised that wasn't a thing when I went to use it.
Proton Pass seems like a great idea, but I was shocked at the announcement considering the state of Proton Drive atm. At least the SimpleLogin team is in charge of it I guess, so it shouldn't impact development too much. I don't see myself switching from 1Password though, because it's gonna take too long to catch up in features, and it won't really have the family plans/family features that most of the major password managers have.
That being said... I do think the suite as a whole is massive bang for buck. As I often say to people, I'm paying the same for a Proton Unlimited plan that I did for ExpressVPN _alone_ previously, and ProtonVPN is by far better and more private. Its app for Android TV works far better too. I could be paying for additional storage on another service, but I don't need to because Proton Drive is _okay_ for basic stuff. And I have a secure email, and SimpleLogin which I use every day.
A lot of the services individually are fine, but the price for what you get is just amazing, and because of that, I'm okay waiting for things and putting up with the imperfections.
All super valid, thanks for sharing your experience along!! -H
I’ve used and paid for proton since late 2020 and love it for my email and vpn. Yes I really want drive desktop app for use as a offsite backup for important stuff on my server, but can wait for that. Just glad I can ditch google and have custom domain support
Ive been using Proton services for years now and love it!
I changed to Proton Unlimited with Mail, VPN (coming from AirVPN) and Calendar a few weeks ago and it works really good. (GrapheneOS & Nobara) I love the 15 mail domains you have under your main Mail you can use to forward from your old mails.
I wanted to move to ProtonMail but they don't allow labels to be nested. That is a deal breaker, just that one thing but it stops me from organising my emails.
When I (politely) ask, on their forum, if they have plans to offer nested labels they delete my post!!
@@mainStream-user won't be able to expand and collapse the tree. Confuses me that they don't just support it or want to explain why not.
ROFL, this video is the very definition of I want to be angry with them but I can't. xD
Agreed with everything... I couldn't ever imagine years ago that there was going to be a business model that is able to sustain a Google-like suite of services that does not rely in gross invasion of privacy and mass data collection, but Proton, despite not being quite there yet, is proving that is can be done, and they got very far along.
Thanks so much for your thorough review. I just came across your video and it’s about a year later has proton mail improved over the last year in some of the areas that you pointed out that you felt needed improvement. I am an iPhone user and it seems as though at the time of your video things were a bit more robust for iPhone users? How is proton VPN service for Geo blocking?
Look forward to your review on their new product Proton Pass (password manager).
I have concerns about putting too much products in the same basket. Password manager is the most sensitive of all privacy tools.
I'd keep a password manager local storage only, and open source. Like keepasxc
Yeah, I'm a bit unsure about it as well because I separate Proton and my password manager on purpose so that if one gets compromised, or I get locked out, I can still access it using the other. It's probably not gonna work as seamlessly as the other password managers on the market too, and will probably lack family features.
I'm probably just not gonna use it, but I think it's great that it's gonna be on offer because some people like the suite, couldn't afford a password manager on top of Proton, or just wouldn't use one. It'll be a good opportunity for people who don't already have one to try one out.
@@1Iljo1 agree.
I really want to buy storage by itself. I would like more than 500 gbs.
4:18 do you consider that proton drive is better than Mega io?
Proton Drive is slow, loads slow, downloads slow, transfers slow, and the downloads break around the 4 GB mark, meaning you'll have to manually order and break up files into parts to download off your drive. It's not worth using. If you care about privacy use cryptomator with a popular drive service that's cheap and good.
Once they add a desktop-sync app for drive then I'll finally make the jump. I'm really jonesing to get away from Google, but I need that drive-sync
This is honestly how I feel about the privacy scene in general. It is definitely private! But it's not as usable as I'd like for it to be. Gaining privacy still feels like there's a lot of other things here and there that I'd have to give up, in addition to being really inconvenient
Well their gmail import tool works great to me. Its even forward new emails
It's certainly not private in the way many customers assume they are. Proton relies on a lot of false advertisement.
@@boshi9 false advertisement? can you write here some that proton did?
@@furdiburd It's not false advertisement per se, but I would consider their encryption claims quite gimicky. It requires you to be speaking with another client who uses PGP, which pretty much nobody does or has even heard about. The encryption doesn't matter either because the provider for anyone who you email has your data. So they can use your email for whatever purposes if they so wish (including passing it off to the government, etc.) You're basically paying for empty promises.
@@ezioauditore7636 IMO youre just paying for the VPN. You get a mailing service with that, that doesnt read all your emails, nor does it use this data for advertisers. Gmail reads everything, so its definetly better to use Proton mail. Its true that it isn't as safe as most people think, but its worth its very low price at least to me
I'm a Proton customer since 2020 and I use Proton Mail and Proton VPN only. The calendar and Proton Drive aren't really usable in my eyes. This is why I resort to Nextcloud for that matter. The Proton calendar app UI doesn't scale on the iPad and, as you mentioned yourself, Drive isn't really integrated on the variuos clients, in contrast to Nextcloud or MEGA.
For my work, I use Google Workspace. Privately Proton. Proton Drive is my main private cloud storage with offline folders in the Android App on my smartphone and Chromebook since some month.
They need some time to copy from Google. I'm a patient customer. For the drive client, they say that Linux has a much smaller market share than Win & MacOS. Ok, but world-wide, Android has a much larger market share than iOS. So why do so many function come on iOS first?
I even like the fact, they have their own clients (e.g. mail client), because of better integration into the ecosystem like Google. More convienient and efficient.
@Techlore Please never stop delivering top-notch content as always. Even a newb like myself, that learns very slowly this stuff lol, gets tremendous benefits from your material.
I think I'll be asking a few questions on a few of your other videos lol. I'm slowly going through them little by little.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching and just keep it up! -H
@Techlore Always thank you for helping and informing us of privacy issues and sharing your vast knowledge.
Great review! Balanced and with great perspective. Keep up the good work!
In the Calendar Android app, you can't search events (no search bar of any kind) :(
1 year from this, proton added few of the features you said, and now is also proton pass, pretty solid password manager, super easy to use
Do you have a video about how to make your phone private i was watching a video someone said use a pixel phone and download graphen os but i was wondering if there are other options
I have been using Proton for the simple fact that they are based in Europe and they value consumer privacy, however, if ordered by a court they can/will provide user info, logs, IP addresses etc. So I use it, but I'm really careful with what I do so I'm always using AnonSurf before logging in to anything.
6:36 from everything I see it seems good to me, and for the non power users in my family the only flaw will be not being able to attach things from the cloud app too a message or email; however we could just use another privacy based cloud app.
Always a wealth of knowledge coming from you. Thank you very much!
Proton is definitely the best or second best offering out there, and one of very few that actually stands against Gmail in terms of features and UX/UI. The only issue that has kept me from actually using it, is how closed it is. I understand why using a third party client requires a bridge to talk to the standard protocol, but not being able to sync contacts with any app or system outside theirs is very limiting.
whats the other one you would put above it?
@@Jzombi301 Not really sure if there's one I'd put above it, I was just leaving the door open to that possibility 😁
There are interesting contenders like Skiff (with similar limitations), and feature wise I much prefer Fastmail, but that one's not in the same privacy league. So... I guess we can call Proton the best right now.
There is a Proton drive desktop, accessed right through explorer. I access proton mail through Thunderbird. The very fact Proton does not use your files or emails for advertising, and is vastly more secure, wipes google and Microsoft right off the map. They follow the European guidelines with their products. Its a small price to pay
Been using Proton since they first launched. My one problem is with their vpn. Regularly when I pick up my iphone to look up something on the web it seems the vpn has been sleeping and needs to reconnect. Frustrating. Not sure how to solve this problem. Picked up Proton Pass yesterday. Have just used in on my computer. Super streamline when it works. So far just have one bank site that is refusing to let Pass connect with it’s login page.
Maybe a bit nitpicky, but I personally wouldn't consider less powerful devices' inability to handle large files a limitation on Proton's part. As much as it might be annoying, it's not really a limitation proton implemented any more than something a streaming service advertising 4k video but 4k only being able to be run on more powerful devices. That said, it can't truly be unlimited since every file system format has a hard cap on file size, but that's usually in TBs for any modern one nowadays.
Right, it's not their fault. Which is why the real complaint was on the marketing of the feature. Where they directly claim no max file sizes for anyone regardless of the situation. -H
My main complaint with the Calendar is mostly with the lack of Drive integration. I had a lot of appointments a couple of years ago which required a lot of paperwork. Attaching these files to the Calendar in Google Drive was a lifesaver for me. I've also gotten a bit sick of ProtonVPN. The linux CLI is absolutely broken and now I have started to have problems connecting on windows. Luckily I live in Australia so it doesn't make a dent in my speed (speedtest actually implies it makes it slightly faster lol).
I love ProtonMail and it does everything I need perfectly though. Another massive thing you forgot to mention is Proton subscribers have access to Simple Login, an email alias extension/app. This thing is amazing for those random crappy sites you have to sign up to. For example on my Firefox developer page I left my alias email exposed to the public and got flooded with weird spam in German. Bam, new alias, delete the old one, no more spam.
I should watch a whole video before commenting.
@@asdfssdfghgdfy5940 tbf he didnt talk much about SimpleLogin, but that's probably because it's still a different product and not technically part of the "Proton Suite"
I feel like combining Proton with Murena/eOS would be the total package as eOS provides maps and notes, two really essential things people take for granted
also something like google docs would be amazing
As subscriber of PM... i find the service ONE OF THE BEST, ACTUALLY... and i not change for other... for no reason, for sure. I try ALL...
i will switch!
Hi techlore .
I am using Proton as well.
I would like to know how different is Cryptomator E2E encryption client side comparing to Proton Drive? How they actually work in term of E2E
Thank you for your comprehensive and unbiased review.
When you choose privacy the trade of is always convenience.
You can't create a private and secure system while being convenient to use and affordable pricing. The more secure and private the less convenience you get.
except it's not even a convenience issue with proton is just straight inconsistencies in their development of their eco-system.
Which should raise flags for how they handle their back end. If their front-end development is this sloppy.
so any updates ? 8 months is alot for things to change
Proton Drive has file support on Windows. Proton Password manager came out, which supports password, credit cards, auto fill, aliasing emails, 2FA. VPN has some extra features now on Windows. Proton Mail on iOS has swipe features to go between mail, as well as just more support in general. Proton Mail now has a desktop app.
Re: removing email trackers for the Android app platform, this is what they told me 2 days ago:
"At this time, we are focused on completely rewriting the Android app due to "technical debt", in an effort to provide a faster and more stable experience. Until that is fixed, it is not possible to add new features. We are unable to share any specific timelines currently." So... uh, whatever that means. Grrrr
Proton has been excellent for me!
Honestly, from the entirety of the proton suite, I'm only using the calendar aspect, because
1. I need a private encrypted calendar
2. It looked better than what Tutanota provided
5:20 What's "Dobby time"?
I guess proton is not perfect for many, but for me it is perfect. I am happy to have a back-up I can manage and love the email & calendar. I use VPN sometimes too ...... all good.
What alternative cloud drives would you suggest?
Great review! Wish they would sort out the feature parity issues, but I guess they're suffering from the fact that they're using many different tech stacks for each platform. Wish Proton would consider a Flutter rewrite for their apps. Most of the core logic could be shared across all platforms, making it far easier to keep feature parity. I'd love to help out tbh.
I like this review. It feels like Proton, in some ways, has the attitude of pushing out features/products and polishing them up later. I can understand that, but it is rather frustrating as a user to not have seamless integration
Thanks for including mobile security rather than focusing on pc's!
really the only 2 things that i would love to see implemented are the ability to switch a previously existing event to a different calendar in Proton Calendar on iOS, and a Proton Calendar iOS widget. better speeds on proton VPN would obviously be really nice too but they're fine for most things as it is now. i dont use Proton Drive because it feels like it's still in beta. i dont have many complaints with Proton Mail
if i could add emails that are not protonmails.. i would like to use it more, i hate to have multiple apps on my mobile phone, if i can't use something like fairmail, why don't they add a feature to use multiple accounts like disroot skiff etc :(? seems like they don't want to or it is just hard to implement~
Before I spend my time on this video, is any of this paid? other than the mail, which Ive been using for years
thanks for the really good review
the simple thing they don't do is they display our Full email address clearly everywhere, like in the upper right corner of the email, or in their application. they should only show the username, or just the icon. or give us ability to hide it.
Come on Proton, get with the program!
Hey Dude,
What about lavabit? Ist is use and recommended by Edward Snowden.
What does four hundred staff do?
We have just delved in to the Proton ecosystem and are still in the free tier, considering buying the Unlimited.
About your analysis, aren't you expecting too much from a privacy respecting product which also has a generous free tier? Or to put it differently, the data thieves have more money to improve their products!
I like the idea of the PROTON ecosystem, but there are 2 things that I need now in order to switch. I need a drive client for linux, and a bridge for calendar. I simply cannot use the proton calendar independently from my other calendars, I need to manage them under one application like I do with email. I know they are already working on the drive client.
And it would be very nice if they started working on simple notes and tasks apps to have a proper productivity ecosystem.
I know for a fact that people have been suggesting a tasks app with Proton, it's just a matter of when they add it. As for your other suggestions, Proton does have customer feedback. If you haven't used it yet I suggest it. You can search for those suggestions, vote for it and comment if you have an account.
protonmail.uservoice.com/
Hope this helps in some way! - S
I have a Google phone (Pixel 9 Pro XL), but am starting to learn towards the Proton ecosystem. Currently using a Gmail account with SimpleLogin aliasiasing, and BitWarden. But really considering consolidating all that into a Proton Email, with Proton Pass. Your thoughts? Will feel kind of weird using a Google phone with the Google logo on it though XD (Great phone btw)
I'm trying to do something similar 😂 I'm thinking about buying my first iPhone cause I want to try the iOS system but I'm thinking to use all the proton ecosystem as well. Hope that works out 😂
J'ai le 9 pro xl et j'hésite aussi a prendre la suite proton 🤣
Question?? Why would I want Proton to hold off on releasing a great new feature for my desktop until it is ready on my Android and iOS device? Give me the enhancment now. I don't understand why you would want to just wait for the other formats to catch up before taking advantage of the improvments. Edit: Oh, and saying that Proton has 400 employees and then comparing them to Google which has how many? Seems weird.
I’ve had Proton mail as a paying subscriber for about 5 years now. I don’t even use the bridge as it’s constantly going down. For the VPN it’s very glitchy many websites it just doesn’t work for and I constantly have to switch back to VPN Unlimited. The drive is all but worthless due to slow upload and download speed. The mail and calendar are good services. So you might ask why do I continue to pay if I’m not fully satisfied. IMHO it’s by far the best service even with the short comings. Hopefully they will improve.
Proton isn't all privacy just search yt.
Part of the slow development problem, Proton is very lenient for their employees, which causes procrastination.
So companies value their employees.
That’s a bad thing?
You don’t like it? Go elsewhere.
I assume everything I type is going to google, microsoft, or apple depending on the device I am using. It isn't unreasonable either, as your devices listen to you anyway. I don't understand how this can give you any privacy.
If you use Android, you can use GrapheneOS, and stop using Google services, cutting you off from what you've said. If you use PC, you can use Linux, cutting you off from Microsoft. If you use Apple, you can encrypt your photos and many other elements of your phone, as well as use a bunch of other security and privacy features (Apple phones are more privacy focused out of the box than Android). You can side load apps on Android that have privacy implementation.
It's all about the spectrum of privacy, or the tiers of privacy. You can be more private or less; more secure or less. There is no binary of private and not private, as you may be vulnerable in one area but not another. Saying "they're listening anyway" or "it doesn't matter so I'm going to give them all my data and not care" is exactly what they want you to do/think. It's about reducing your digital footprint, or your digital radio waves, or digital loud speaker (whatever analogy makes you understand more). The more private you are, you shrink your footprint making you less prone to being noticed, see, tracked, or having sensitive information leave...
While some sensitive info might still get out there, or be out there already, to continue to let sensitive info leak just increases their data bank on you. It also makes you more prone to hackers or malicious people finding out info about you, or tracking your accounts down to your real life identity, leading to a potential stalker or harassment case. It's like saying "I already ate junk food, so I'm going to continue to eat junk food and ruin my health", or "I already went to jail, I might as well stay there". Privacy is a journey, a step by step process, something you can improve on, taking away from companies that see you as a price tag, or people that see you as a target. All those phishing and scam emails went away when I use Proton Mail and started taking privacy seriously. All the worries about "you've been pwned" showing up and having to change my password went away. Privacy and security go hand and hand, and if you ever want to be free with what you do or say on the internet, you'll never be truly free unless you're truly private.
Another analogy, and one that I think is pretty good: "not caring about privacy is like leaving open a window expecting not to get robbed".
@@readifdumb While I agree with you and appreciate your help, I misspoke in my comment and should have added more. I agree with you...but I also think that if you use google with the proton suite, google still keylog tracks you and stores all that info. So does apple, and so does MS. I was referencing where most people spend their time online...their phones.
I agree that to be private, you have to be on an OS that is both secure and not part of a big data business model or side load apps. Where is the average user going to get that confidence? Do they install or side load an app claiming to block features or provide protection? How do they know it is actually secure?
I am in the camp of getting a proton phone if they make one, but for now, I promise, they are logging all keystrokes and no service can stop big data.
We are headed to a lame dystopia because people are looking to hide and not looking at who makes the hardware.
@@CuttinInIdaho It's more so what company you actually trust more. Apple isn't all great, but they currently offer more privacy out of the box than Android phones do. They allow for encryption of photos and several other apps, which while I agree doesn't stop keyloggers or other things they might have, shows to some extent they care about privacy, even if it's just to sell their tech. They make all their money in tech sales, while Google makes all their money in data sales and ads. So it's easy for me to choose Apple in that instance. It's not perfect, but if you're on E2EE and don't use social media, use privacy focused apps, you've limited how much data companies are actually receiving.
I think it's a poor mindset to not care about privacy because you have one egg in your basket that's tainted. Every step in the right direction does matter, and if you're able to get rid of social media, Google, Microsoft, and use E2EE then you're much more secure and private than those that dont.
Signal and Mullvad for example have been told to give data that they couldn't provide. In these instances why didn't authorities just get keylogged information from Apple, Google, Microsoft? Unless that becomes a regular occurrence then I'm not afraid of it.
Why can't they make this in a cross platform toolkit?
may be due to any pricavy issues? like flutter is owned by google?...
Nice video.. I just recently 1 or 2 months ago switched to proton ultimate trying to eradicate as much google as possible.. Most of the gripes you have with the suite are exactly what my problems are. I really hope Proton will watch this video and take it seriously. One of the things I first noticed is that even though the e-mail app on android can be unlocked with biometrics and other locking mechanisms, all the others can't... They are just freely accessable if someone finds your phone unlocked. No logon required and no unlocking needed.. Just open them..
The fact that there is a no windows desktop syncing is a major one for me and really feels that Proton drive is half baked and more like an alpha/beta product..
You do a good summup of the others grips..
Proton Drive has the option to unlock with biometrics
I really dislike that you have to use their clients, web or native. This is one of the reasons I moved to Posteo. In hindsight though, I probably should have done a service that supports custom domains-mostly so it was easier to move if I needed to migrate, but the last couple of years have been fine.
The lack of feature parity is actually a net positive. Feature parity would mean features are delayed from being released until they are functional on all platforms. Shipping a feature when it's ready for one platform is a good thing, as opposed to artificially holding it back.
Say that to Proton services on Linux which they leave dead in last. Yes, it's great for Windows, but it feels like they've shelved Linux users, which is a core of the privacy community.
@@readifdumb I'm a Proton user on Linux.
@@hclyrics Same, I don't enjoy it as much as what they offer on Windows.
Huge fan. It's been great.
I feel right now Proton's biggest strength is value, I think you'd have to spend way more money if wanted to get a VPN, private cloud storage and featured private email
@Techlore - Could you do a video on Skiff? It seems like an interesting competitor to Proton.
The day Proton Calendar will have a widget for iOS then it will become a very solid contender…
I like them. I use their email and vpn. No problems so far. Their proton drive needs work give them a few more mins on that one.
A similar review of Skiff would be great!
In general, using an iPhone is more secure and private than using android (and I use both daily so I can say that). So iOS first makes sense
Only if you are not using a custom ROM on android, but ROMs are oftentimes pron to failure or problems.
I was intreresting to change to proton but the problem its that they doesnt support to linux.
Yes, this is a huge issue. Drive has no built in file support for Linux, and VPN doesn't have full functionality of Windows GUI version. You can still use all of their features though, just not to their full capabilities.
Did you already checked Skiff email?
Proton Pass, I hope you review it, only Visionary users can use it for now.
Thanks for your video
I hope proton creates it's own Operating System for Android/Windows for extra privacy.
Android/Linux do you mean?
Great review Henry as usual and whilst I absolutely agree with your points, I do think it suffers in the same way all Proton reviews do which is to compare on a service by service basis. Whilst Proton is consistently in the Top 3 services in each field if you compare them 1 on 1 they probably get beaten by 1-2 other great services individually (with maybe the exception of Proton mail which is best in class imo). However, Proton's strength is that it is building out a phenomenal ecosystem which I don't think gets the credit it deserves (I can't believe we still try to compare it to Google's ecosystem) and combined with the fact it is so entry-level easy, unless you have a higher than average threat model, Proton Unlimited should just be the stock standard recommendation for everyone. At $4 a month (if you buy on sale during Black Friday etc), it is actually insane value.... TLDR: Great review but maybe a tiny bit harsh on each service :) Your last comments were great.
Proton Unlimited was >$7/month (24 months) on black friday, never $4 sadly (I wish)
@@donluigi3589 Double checked. You are actually correct. My apologies, I paid $81.87USD but thought I paid in AUD so I converted accordingly. Still immense value imo.
Loved it from day one ❤❤
Would be nice Proton to create a desktop email client, better then MS Outlook
Summed up @ 12:23
Need a video on Proton mail vs Skiff Mail
Hi, I really don't understand why
you have issues with Proton being Just a "connection" and not your "file/email/contact manager",
From a security and privacy point of view, you should trust only in the main intention of a company:
email company 1 for email 1
email company 2 for email 2
bank company 1 for account 1
...
When A company covers multiple needs, it becomes controlling and discriminating between those needs.
Instead focus on combining the Proton with a private environment. which you do, so, don't really understand the issue.
Would love to give their new password manager software a spin too.
Is that in the making? Haven’t heard if it.
weird, i have like 1gbs with protonVPN
you might want to update this video as a lot of the features which you mention do not exist, as of July 2024 have been released and are available.
Can you cover skiff?
It's on our radar!
I have android, and had downloaded proton mail etc on my Android phone awhile ago, one thing I wish is that I could add another account but oh well, such is life... I think proton is by far the better one over gmail and other VPNs etc, I have all the proton apps on my phone I still have gmail etc but....
Just switched to the Proton system.
Google wasn't perfect when it first came out, but decided to do away with Google everything
Very disappointed that you did not cover ProtonVPN's lamentable service for Linux users!
Looking forward to your proton pass review but they will be years behind bitwarden.
Bring 👏 us 👏 Proton 👏 Contacts 👏
ProtonMail domain support ist also meh (limited aliases) and you can't use it with something like a printer or NAS, unless you pay for their business plan, even though there is no reason to bar private premium users from this. Overall after using it for a while, I'm actually a little disappointed by ProtonMail.
We need more competition betweem these companies, sadly most usually end up putting them out of business or buys them out aka META.
I like how they released a desktop client for windows but not linux... Like are you even kidding me! I will stick with nextcloud for now
i miss the old proton email UI from 2 years ago :(
storage is the only limitation for free plan