While LastPass is once again in turmoil, Proton offers a new service to manage its passwords – more and more numerous – while protecting its identity. Called Proton Pass, this new tool aims to complete the Swiss publisher’s offer alongside its email, calendar, online storage and VPN services. For the sake of transparency and trust, Proton Pass is open source software and the publisher ensures that the data is encrypted from end to end.
Proton Pass: an interface always neat © Proton
Password and identity management
Proton Pass comes in the form of an extension for the main browsers such as Google Chrome and derivatives (Vivaldi, Brave, Edge…), Mozilla Firefox, but surprisingly not Apple Safari. However, a desktop application is in the works. Apps are also available for Android and iOS. Once installed, the Proton Pass app or extension will offer to automatically save your credentials for online services visited. When subscribing, Proton Pass offers either to use your “classic” email (the one used when creating the Proton account), or to send a “false” identity to protect your privacy. An email alias system logically inherited from SimpleLogin, which the Swiss company recently acquired. An always valuable anonymization solution that works even if you don’t use Proton’s email service.
Proton Pass offers to use an email alias to protect your privacy. © Screenshot / Les Numériques
A still young solution
As usual, Proton delivers an elegant, but still a little fresh password management solution. If Proton Pass performs the essential tasks (saving and restoring identifiers, creating secure notes, etc.), certain features are lacking to rise to the level of the competition. For the moment, you cannot configure the generation of passwords (length, characters used from the input fields, etc.), fill in complete identity cards (surname, first name, passport, social security number …), fill in means of payment or easily share identifiers or safes with other users of the Proton solution. However, updates aimed at gradually filling these gaps are planned. However, we appreciate the possibility of creating as many identifiers as we wish and of being able to synchronize between all our devices.
The Proton Pass extension helps generate strong passwords. Too bad that the complexity is not configurable directly in the controls. © Screenshot / Les Numériques.
Free or paid with more options
As with Proton VPN, the password manager is available in a free, but limited version, while offering the main features for comfortable use. A paid version also exists and offers other interesting options, such as 2FA authentication and an infinite number of email aliases, as well as the management of several safes. We look forward to managing a group of users to complete the whole thing. The price is €3.99/month for a one-year subscription (€47.88 in total) or €2.99/month over two years for a total amount of €71.76, which may seem like a bit expensive for a nascent service.
During this summer sales period, Proton offers a very aggressive offer at the price of one euro per month over 12 or 24 months. The icing on the cake, Proton ensures that the price will not change after the expiry date in the event of renewal of the subscription.
Paid or free, Proton Pass is available in different versions. © Screenshot / Les Numériques
With Pass, Proton completes its offer of encrypted, secure, privacy-friendly applications and strengthens its position vis-à-vis Google and other Microsofts. When will a Proton-branded office suite complete the whole thing?