Is there life after Microsoft, Google and Zoom? Proton says yes. The Swiss company on Tuesday launched Workspace, an office suite that puts all of its “privacy-first services,” including VPN, email, document creation and a new video conferencing tool, under one roof.
The company said it’s a way for businesses to “break free from Big Tech dependency and take back complete control of their data.” Workspace is an alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, which also have the same kinds of software tools, but which use customer data for various purposes.
The introduction of Proton Workspace comes nearly four years after the launch of Proton Unlimited, a subscription bundle that includes VPN, email and document creation tools, but which is cheaper and designed more for non-business consumers.
Although Microsoft and Google dominate the office software market — accounting for more than 95% combined globally — there are more and more alternatives. LibreOffice is free (and we liked it), and there is also Zoho, OnlyOffice, FreeOffice and CryptPad, to name a few. Proton founder and CEO Andy Yen said businesses are leaning more toward adopting “ecosystems” rather than individual products and services.
“We’re hearing more from customers, particularly those wary of Big Tech’s data practices, that they want a secure, bundled alternative that matches the ease of migration and integration of Google or Microsoft, but without the privacy trade-offs,” Yen said in a news release.
What’s in Proton Workspace
There are two versions of Proton Workspace. The Standard suite includes Proton Mail, Calendar, Drive, Docs and Sheets, Meet (video conferencing), VPN and Pass (password manager) and costs $15 per user per month (paying monthly) or $156 a year per user, which saves you about $2 a month per user versus a monthly subscription. The annual plan breaks down to $13 per user per month, paid annually. The Premium version includes the Standard features but also expanded storage, email data retention policies, higher participant limits per Meet call and Lumo — an AI assistant — and costs $240 per user annually or $25 per user monthly.
CNET senior editor Moe Long has checked out a lot of Proton software and says they’re a solid alternative to Google and Microsoft for the average person. He said he will try the free version of Proton Meet, which the company also launched on Tuesday.
“I appreciate the focus on privacy and transparency that doesn’t sacrifice usability,” Long said. “Proton’s roster of apps offers an alternative to Google and Microsoft for the average person. As I’m personally striving to move away from Big Tech as much as possible, Proton has a compelling smorgasbord of tools, from its VPN and password manager to its Gmail and Google Drive alternative, that has a lot of potential.”
Although Workspace is a new umbrella name for Proton’s office suite, most of the tools were already in existence, including its email, cloud storage, password manager and VPN (which CNET reviewed).
Proton says its new video conferencing software Meet has end-to-end encryption.
The main newcomer to the party is Proton Meet, which allows for encrypted and secure video conferencing. The company said Meet doesn’t require a sign-in, even for those who don’t have a Proton account, and meeting appointments can be integrated with Microsoft or Google calendars.
Proton said Workspace tools have end-to-end encryption and zero‑access encryption, so the company doesn’t have access to your data — and neither can a hacker. Proton also said that, as a Europe-based company, it can’t be forced to hand over data to the US government via the US CLOUD Act. Proton also said it doesn’t use customer data for AI training.
What about Proton Unlimited?
For non-business consumers, Proton Unlimited might be a better option. Unlimited gives you access to Proton Mail, VPN, Calendar, Drive, Pass and Wallet. You can also use the free version of Meet, although there are limits on call duration (1 hour) and participants (50). Likewise, you can access the free version of Proton’s AI chatbot, Lumo, but a Plus plan costs you $13 per month per user or $120 a year per user.
Proton Unlimited costs $120 a year.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
