Icloud vs Proton Drive: Features, Pricing, and Security Compared

When choosing between iCloud and Proton Drive, it's essential to consider their features, pricing, and security.

iCloud offers a generous 5GB of free storage, which is a decent starting point for most users.

Proton Drive, on the other hand, provides a more modest 1GB of free storage, but its focus on security and privacy makes it an attractive option for those who value their data's safety.

One notable difference between the two is their pricing model: iCloud charges $0.99 per month for 50GB of storage, while Proton Drive offers 500GB of storage for $5 per month.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Icloud Storage vs Google Photos

Proton Drive emphasizes security above all, and fits well into the larger ecosystem of Proton offerings.

If you're looking for a cloud storage solution that prioritizes security, Proton Drive is definitely worth considering.

Its robust encryption is a major selling point, providing an added layer of protection for your files.

Proton Drive also has a free tier, which makes it accessible to users on a budget.

Overall, Proton Drive is a solid choice for anyone who values security and ease of use.

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Proton Drive offers a free tier with 2 GB of storage, which can be increased by completing tasks to earn an additional 3GB of free storage.

Proton Drive's robust security measures include zero-access encryption, ensuring that only the user possesses the encryption keys, and end-to-end encryption, which is also used by Proton Mail.

Collaboration is a key feature of Proton Drive, allowing users to share files and folders with individuals or groups, providing complete control over permissions and access levels.

The service also integrates well with popular productivity tools like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, making it a versatile and user-friendly option.

Proton Drive offers various tiers to meet different storage needs, with the lowest-paid tier offering 200 GB of data at a starting price of $4.99/month, which can be discounted to $3.99/month when paid annually or $3.49/month when paid for 24 months in advance.

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Proton Drive is based out of Switzerland, which means you get to enjoy the strongest privacy laws globally.

This provides a stable and secure offering for worldwide users. Swiss privacy laws are a big deal, and it's great that Proton Drive takes advantage of them.

Proton Drive has robust security measures, built on the same foundation as Proton Mail, which is well known for its end-to-end encryption.

This ensures that your files remain secure and private, with zero-access encryption that only you possess.

Even Proton Mail can't access your data, which is a major advantage compared to other solutions.

Proton Drive allows seamless collaboration, enabling you to share files and folders with individuals or groups.

You get complete and granular control over permissions and access levels, so you can share files with the right people.

Collaborators can view, edit, or comment on shared files, and version history and file activity logs make it easy to track changes and revert to previous versions.

Proton Drive is available on multiple platforms, including web, PC, and mobile devices.

This cross-platform compatibility ensures that you can access your files from whatever device you're on.

The desktop and mobile applications are thoughtfully designed, offering a consistent user experience across different platforms.

Proton Drive integrates well with popular productivity tools like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

Here's an interesting read: How to Transfer Files from Google Drive to Apple Icloud

Proton Drive offers various tiers to meet different storage needs, with a free tier that includes 2 GB of storage, which is less than what other providers like Microsoft OneDrive offer for their free tier (5GB).

Completing tasks can earn an additional 3GB of free storage, which is a great way to expand your storage capacity without paying a dime.

The lowest-paid tier offers 200 GB of data at a starting price of $4.99/month, which can be discounted to $3.99/month when paid annually or $3.49/month when paid for 24 months in advance.

This tier includes end-to-end encryption and priority support, which is a great value considering the price.

The higher paid tier offers 500 GB of data, priority support, and access to the entire Proton ecosystem, including paid versions of Proton Calendar, Proton VPN, and Proton Mail.

This tier costs $11.99/month, $9.99/month for the year, or $7.99/month for 24 months, which is reasonable considering the additional services included.

Overall, Proton Drive's pricing is competitive and offers a range of options to suit different needs and budgets.

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Google Drive is perfectly fine for casually storing your documents, photos, and videos. However, it doesn't offer the same level of privacy that Proton Drive does.

Proton Drive takes your privacy much more seriously than Google Drive. It's completely encrypted, giving only you and the people you select access to your data.

Proton Drive is based in Switzerland, which has some of the best security laws in the world. This provides an extra layer of protection for your files.

Google Drive stores the keys needed to decrypt your files within its own servers. This means that Google has access to your data should it ever need it.

Proton Drive, on the other hand, does not keep any access to your data. It's completely secure, giving you peace of mind knowing that nobody can get access to your data through illegitimate means.

You can rest easy knowing that Proton Drive has your back when it comes to privacy.

Proton Drive emphasizes security above all, fitting well into the larger ecosystem of Proton offerings.

Our tests on Proton Drive showed a slow upload speed, taking 4 minutes and 17 seconds to synchronize a 589 MB folder.

In contrast, Proton Drive's versioning feature allows you to revert to a previous version of a file, keeping both versions available for up to seven days in the free version.

Proton Drive stands out for its emphasis on security, ease of use, collaboration features, and cross-platform compatibility, making it a trusted go-to choice for users prioritizing privacy and security in their cloud storage needs.

We conducted three core tests on Proton Drive to measure sync speed, file recovery, and versioning. Our tests were performed on a Windows 11 virtual machine using the Proton Drive web client.

The virtual machine was connected to the internet via fiber broadband and a VPN server. In our speed tests, the average upload speed consistently showed a blazing fast 2350 Mbps.

We were surprised by the slow upload speed in our sync test, which took 4 minutes and 17 seconds to synchronize a 589 MB folder. This is considerably slower than alternatives such as NordLocker and Internxt.

Proton Drive's file recovery feature worked as expected, sending deleted files to the Trash instead of permanently deleting them. We were able to easily retrieve the files from the Trash.

File versioning is also available in Proton Drive, allowing you to revert to a previous version of a file. We were able to see both versions of a Microsoft Word document and restore them if needed.

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Proton Drive stands out for its emphasis on security, ease of use, collaboration features, and cross-platform compatibility.

Its robust encryption is a major selling point, giving users peace of mind when storing sensitive files.

The free tier is a great option for individuals who want to try out the service without committing to a paid plan.

Proton Drive's competitive pricing makes it a great value for users who need more storage space or advanced features.

As a user, you can expect a seamless experience across all platforms, whether you're on a desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

If you're looking for an alternative to iCloud, consider using a cloud storage service like Proton Drive, which offers end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge proof storage.

Proton Drive's encryption is based on the NaCl library, a widely used and respected encryption library.

With Proton Drive, you can store files up to 5GB for free, which is more than the 5GB of free storage offered by iCloud.

Proton Drive's zero-knowledge proof storage means that even Proton Drive itself can't access your files, providing an additional layer of security.

Proton Drive also offers a simple and user-friendly interface, making it easy to upload and manage your files.

You can access your Proton Drive files from any device with an internet connection, making it a great option for those who need to access their files on the go.

Proton Drive now offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android, allowing users to sync and access files from their phones.

The free tier of Proton Drive offers only 1GB of storage, which is less generous than Apple's iCloud.

You can get 200GB of storage with Proton Drive for $4.99/month, or 500GB for $11.99/month.