As its ecosystem developed, the surname of ProtonMail lost relevance. Now bringing together a service of cloud storagea vpn and one calendarthe Swiss company becomes — quite simply — Proton.
A major new step in the development of the self-proclaimed first ecosystem of “confidential by default” services (privacy by default) in the world.
A modernized and appealing graphic charter
It’s hard to compete with Google. There is the reliability of the services, of course, but also the visual luster deployed for years by the firm on Gmail, Agenda or Drive. Aware of the accumulated delay, or rather the gap that exists, Proton is taking advantage of its name change to inaugurate a brand new visual identity.
New logos, new site, but identical services. Now accessible via the Proton.me address, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton VPN and Proton Drive are unified under a common banner that is more easily identifiable by users.
In the line of sight, we said it and Proton does not hide it: Google. According to its press release, this new harmony of services ” makes it a tempting alternative to the Google productivity suite. With the major difference that all data sent to Proton is end-to-end encrypted. And that the company does not trade in the data of its customers.
The formulas and prices evolve
Proton is not a company backed by an investment fund, or even listed on the stock exchange. It was launched in 2014 thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign (more than $500,000 raised), and has since financed its services through various paid formulas.
However, all services currently online (ProtonMail, Proton VPN, Proton Calendar and Proton Drive) are accessible for free. They do, however, offer more advanced features to subscribers.
- Proton Free: an email address (@proton.me), three folders maximum and 150 messages per day; a medium-speed VPN connection among more than 100 servers; a personal calendar; 1 GB of cloud storage
- Proton Mail Plus (3.99 euros / month): 10 email addresses (@proton.me, @pm.me), unlimited folders and messages, automatic replies; a medium-speed VPN connection among more than 100 servers, 20 personal calendars with the possibility of sharing them; 15 GB of cloud storage
- Proton Unlimited (9.99 euros/month): 15 email addresses (@proton.me, @pm.me), unlimited folders and messages, automatic replies; 10 high-speed VPN connections among more than 1,700 servers (access to foreign streaming sites, TOR via VPN, etc.); 20 personal calendars with the possibility of sharing them; 500 GB of cloud storage.
A tighter offer than previously therefore (the Professional and Visionary formulas disappear), and moreover more understandable and interesting from a financial point of view.
However Proton seems to want to attract more professional customers with the introduction of new dedicated subscriptions. A choice probably aimed at better positioning itself against the competition’s business solutions (Google WorkSpace, Microsoft 365, etc.)
On its blog, Proton also indicates that all current subscribers will be automatically migrated to the new offer closest in terms of functionality. People with Visionary subscriptions, including lifetime accounts, will have their cloud storage capacity increased to 3TB as a thank you for their support.
Founded by a duo of CERN researchers in 2014, Proton is now established in six countries and has more than 400 employees. The company says it has 70 million ProtonMail accounts, making it the most popular encrypted email service in the world.
See the offer
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- Robust and secure infrastructure
- Extreme simplification of encryption
- Located in Switzerland
ProtonMail is a serious Gmail alternative for anyone who wants their privacy back. Above all, Protonmail redefines encryption by placing it within everyone’s reach. Admittedly, it will probably be necessary to adopt the paid version to make the most of it, but it is an excellent first choice for anyone wishing to start freeing themselves from GAFAM services while being assured that communications remain private.
ProtonMail is a serious Gmail alternative for anyone who wants their privacy back. Above all, Protonmail redefines encryption by placing it within everyone’s reach. Admittedly, it will probably be necessary to adopt the paid version to make the most of it, but it is an excellent first choice for anyone wishing to start freeing themselves from GAFAM services while being assured that communications remain private.
Source: press release, Proton
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