Proton Drive
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Proton AG. Swiss jurisdiction. Zero-access encryption means Proton cannot read your files — even under court order.
What should journalists know about Proton Drive?
Proton Drive is the strongest zero-knowledge cloud storage option for journalists who don't need Google-level collaboration. The encryption architecture is real: client-side key generation, hierarchical folder encryption, signed passphrases to prevent server-side tree forgery. All client apps are open source and audited by Securitum (no outstanding vulnerabilities found). Proton completed SOC 2 Type II attestation in July 2025 and holds ISO 27001 certification since May 2024. The Swiss jurisdiction story is more nuanced than marketing suggests — Proton processed 11,023 legal orders in 2024, contesting only 5.9%. That rate improved to 10.6% contested in 2025 (9,301 orders). File contents remain encrypted and undisclosable, but metadata, IP addresses, and payment info are fair game under a Swiss court order. Since 2025, Proton Docs and Proton Sheets bring encrypted real-time collaboration into the suite — still behind Google Docs in features, but the gap is closing. Desktop sync now works on Windows and macOS (macOS 2.0 shipped with Documents/Desktop folder sync). No native Linux client yet — CLI and WebDAV only. The free 5GB tier is enough for critical documents; the paid tiers compete on privacy, not on price.
Encrypted storage for source documents and investigation files. Secure file sharing with non-Proton users via encrypted links. Journalists who already use Proton Mail and want a unified encrypted workflow with Docs and Sheets.
Heavy real-time collaboration (Google Docs still wins on co-editing speed and features). Users who need full-text search across file contents (encryption prevents server-side indexing). Linux desktop users who need native sync (CLI/WebDAV only as of early 2026). Anyone who needs more than 500GB at a competitive price — Google and Dropbox are far cheaper per GB.
Security & Privacy
Data is scrambled while being sent to their servers
Data is scrambled when stored on their servers
Where servers are located — affects which governments can request your data
Privacy policy summary
Zero-access encryption: Proton cannot decrypt file contents, file names, or folder structure. Metadata encrypted client-side using hierarchical key tree with signed passphrases. Proton does not sell data. However: IP addresses can be logged under Swiss court order, and payment info (credit card) is stored if you pay that way. In 2024, Proton received 11,023 legal orders and contested 5.9%. In 2025, 9,301 orders received, 10.6% contested. File contents remain undisclosable regardless.
How to protect yourself:
Enable two-factor authentication. Pay with Bitcoin or cash (gift cards) to avoid payment metadata exposure. Use Proton VPN or Tor to mask IP address — Proton can be compelled to log IPs under Swiss court order. Use a strong, unique password: if you lose it and your recovery method, files are permanently unrecoverable. Sharing links create decryptable URLs — share only with trusted recipients. For highest-risk scenarios, consider an air-gapped backup alongside Proton Drive.
Zero-access E2E encryption with client-side key generation and hierarchical signed key tree. Open-source clients audited by Securitum (no outstanding vulnerabilities). ISO 27001 certified (May 2024). SOC 2 Type II attested (July 2025). Swiss jurisdiction with FDPA protections. File contents are cryptographically undisclosable even under court order. Metadata (IP, payment info) is the attack surface — mitigated by VPN use and anonymous payment. Contest rate on legal orders trending upward (10.6% in 2025 vs 5.9% in 2024).
Who Owns This
Known issues
No native Linux desktop client — limited to CLI, WebDAV, or web app. Full-text search impossible across encrypted file contents (filename/tag search only). Video preview limited to files under 100MB. Sync speeds historically slower than Google Drive due to encryption overhead, though the January 2026 SDK rewrite significantly improved performance. No presentation tool (Slides equivalent) in the Proton suite yet. Proton's contest rate on legal orders dropped from 21.2% (2021) to 5.9% (2024) as order volume nearly doubled — partly attributed to Switzerland's 2024 switch to flat-rate compensation for law enforcement data requests. The rate recovered to 10.6% in 2025. Non-Proton collaborators get encrypted access via sharing links but cannot use Docs/Sheets editing without a Proton account.
Pricing
Free: 5GB (2GB default, 5GB after completing setup steps). Drive Plus: €4.99/month (annual) for 200GB. Proton Unlimited: €9.99/month (annual) for 500GB — includes Mail, VPN, Pass, Calendar, Docs, Sheets. Duo: €14.99/month (annual) for 1TB shared across 2 users. Business: from €6.99/user/month (1TB/user). Cost per GB roughly 3x Google One.
This is an editorial assessment based on publicly available information as of 2026-04-02, using our published methodology. Independent security review is pending. Security posture can change at any time. This is not a guarantee of safety.
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