Proton Drive — End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Proton, with a 5 GB free tier, open-source (GPL-3.0) clients, and Swiss jurisdiction.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
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Proton Drive in 20 seconds
Best for: privacy-focused individuals who want end-to-end encrypted cloud storage with a usable free tier
Pricing: Free for 5 GB; Drive Plus is $4.99/month for 200 GB; best value is the $12.99/month Proton Unlimited bundle with 500 GB plus Mail, VPN, Calendar, and Pass.
- Proton Drive's free tier includes 5 GB of storage.
- Drive Plus costs $4.99/month for 200 GB; Proton Unlimited is $12.99/month for 500 GB plus the full Proton suite.
- Proton Duo costs $16.99/month for 2 TB shared across 2 users.
- Files are end-to-end encrypted before upload, and Proton cannot read stored file contents.
- Client source code is public on GitHub under GPL-3.0 and independently audited.
Limitations: No password recovery for end-to-end encrypted content without a saved recovery kit.; Free tier's 5 GB is smaller than Google Drive's 15 GB free tier.; Best per-dollar value requires bundling into the pricier Proton Unlimited plan.
Top alternatives: Google Drive, Dropbox, Tresorit, Sync.com, pCloud — full list
What is Proton Drive?
Proton Drive is a cloud storage and file-sync service built by Proton, the Switzerland-based company known for Proton Mail, designed around end-to-end encryption rather than server-side encryption alone. Files are encrypted on a user's device before upload, meaning Proton's servers only ever store encrypted data and cannot read file contents even if compelled to — a stronger privacy model than services like Google Drive or Dropbox, which can decrypt user files server-side. Proton Drive includes password-protected sharing links with expiration dates, automatic mobile photo and video backup, collaborative albums, desktop sync clients for Windows and macOS, and encrypted Proton Docs and Proton Sheets for collaborative editing within the same encrypted storage. The client apps' source code is published on GitHub under GPL-3.0 and has been independently audited by third-party security firms. Proton Drive is one product in Proton's broader suite alongside Mail, VPN, Calendar, and Pass, and its higher-value plans bundle several of those products together rather than selling Drive storage alone at the best price.
Proton Drive is an end-to-end encrypted cloud storage service from Proton, the Swiss company behind Proton Mail, that encrypts files before they leave a user's device so Proton itself cannot read them. Pricing starts free with 5 GB of storage, Drive Plus is $4.99/month for 200 GB, Proton Unlimited bundles 500 GB with Mail, VPN, Calendar, and Pass at $12.99/month, and Proton Duo covers 2 users with 2 TB and VPN at $16.99/month. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee, and the client source code is public on GitHub under GPL-3.0. Proton reports over 100 million users across its product suite.
Standout feature: Files are end-to-end encrypted before upload — Proton itself cannot read them — and the client source code (GPL-3.0) is public on GitHub for independent review.
Biggest weakness: End-to-end encryption means there is no way for Proton to recover a lost password or restore access to encrypted files without a saved recovery kit; the free tier's 5 GB is modest, and getting the best per-dollar value requires bundling into the pricier $12.99/month Proton Unlimited plan rather than buying Drive storage alone.
Pros
- Files are end-to-end encrypted client-side, so Proton cannot read stored content.
- Client source code is open source (GPL-3.0) and independently audited.
- 5 GB free tier is more generous than most end-to-end encrypted competitors.
- Based in Switzerland, subject to strict Swiss privacy law rather than US or EU data requests.
Cons
- Lost passwords can't be recovered by Proton for end-to-end encrypted content without a saved recovery kit.
- Free tier storage (5 GB) is modest compared to Google Drive's 15 GB free tier.
- Best value per dollar requires the pricier Proton Unlimited bundle rather than a Drive-only plan.
Proton Drive pricing
Free tier · paid from $4.99/mo · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 5 GB storage; includes Proton Docs and Proton Sheets; end-to-end encryption. |
| Drive Plus | $4.99/mo | 200 GB storage; 10-year file version history; 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Proton Unlimited | $12.99/mo | 500 GB storage bundled with Proton Mail, VPN, Calendar, and Pass; 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Proton Duo | $16.99/mo | 2 TB storage for 2 users, plus VPN and the rest of the Proton suite; 30-day money-back guarantee. |
What reviewers say
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