For those who are concerned about privacy, Proton has announced an end-to-end encrypted document editor intended to be a viable alternative to Microsoft Word and Google Docs. This application, released on Wednesday by the Swiss software vendor best known for its encrypted email app, provides office workers with many document creation features they might use in their daily work.
Swiss-based and privacy-conscious Proton is now focusing on cloud-based document editing as it has built up its email, VPN, cloud storage, password manager, and cloud storage offerings. Proton Docs, a newly launched service that offers an array of features and privacy protections, might be just what users need to make it work for them.
With regards to its user interface and user experience, Proton Docs draws inspiration from Google Docs while also introducing its distinctive twists. In addition to its clean, minimalist design, Proton Docs has a central focus on the document, and users can find familiar functions with icons at the top representing the common formatting options (such as bold, italics, headings, and lists).
However, the top of the screen does not have a dedicated menu bar, and all options can be found in the default toolbar. Proton Docs keeps a very similar layout to Google Docs and, therefore, if someone is transitioning from Google Docs to Proton Docs, they should not have any problems getting started with their drafts right away. The work that was done by Proton was excellent.
A lot of the basic features of Proton Docs are similar to those of Google Docs, and the first thing users will notice is that the application looks very much like Google Docs: white pages with a formatting toolbar up top, and a cursor at the top that displays who is in the document as well as a cursor to clear the document at the top. The fact is that this isn’t particularly surprising for a couple of reasons.
First of all, Google Docs is extremely popular, and the options for styling a document editor are not that many. In other words, Proton Docs has been created in large part to offer all the benefits of Google Docs, just without Google. Docs are launching inside Proton Drive today, and as part of the privacy-focused suite of work tools offered by Proton, it will be the latest addition.
It has become clear that Proton has expanded its offering from email to include a calendar, a file storage system, a password manager, and more since it began as an email client. Adding Docs to the company's ecosystem seems like a wise move since it aims to compete against Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, and it was coming soon after Proton acquired Standard Notes in April.
According to Proton PR manager Will Moore, Notes would not disappear — Docs is borrowing some of its features instead. Proton Docs is a full-featured, end-to-end encrypted word processor with the ability to store files and even its users' keys (keystrokes and cursor movements) end-to-end encrypted, so that no one, including Proton staff, will be able to access any of the users' files (not even the users). This makes it much more difficult for hackers and data breaches to access the files, thereby making them more secure. There has been a lack of improvement in this area in Proton Docs.
However, even though it is part of the growing portfolio of the company, it does not fully integrate with its existing platform. There is no ability to access calendars and contacts from the sidebar like Google Docs, and it does not have the same functionality as Google Pages. Additionally, there is no easy way for users to import existing documents, files, or media from a Proton Drive account directly into the application.
In contrast, Google Docs provides the convenience of typing an "@" followed by the name of a file from users' Google Drive account and inserting the document from there as soon as they click the hyperlink. A feature such as this is particularly useful when a document needs to include multiple files in addition to the document itself. A second advantage of Proton Docs is the use of Swiss cloud servers, which provide storage of users' data on Proton Docs' servers in Switzerland.
It is thanks to the strict Swiss laws that protect the information stored on these servers that they cannot be accessed by regulatory authorities in regions like the European Union and the United States. A new feature known as Proton Docs is scheduled to be rolled out to Proton Drive customers starting today, with the ability to access the feature expected to be available to everyone within the next few days, as per Proton.
Powered by the Proton Drive platform, Proton Drive operates on a freemium model with individual subscriptions to the platform costing as little as €10 per month (approximately $10.80 when billed annually). The monthly subscription fee for Proton for Business is €7 per user per month and can be purchased in any amount.
