Proton has formally launched Docs in Proton Drive, a brand new web-based productiveness app that provides you entry to a fully-featured textual content editor with shared enhancing capabilities and full end-to-end encryption. It is meant to tackle Google Docs—one of many main on-line phrase processors on the earth, and make it extra handy to make use of Proton’s storage service. However how precisely does Proton’s doc editor evaluate to Google’s? Right here’s what it is advisable know.
Docs in Proton Drive has a well-recognized face
On the floor, Docs in Proton Drive—or Proton Docs as some of us have begun calling it for simplicity’s sake—appears identical to Google Docs. And that’s to be anticipated. Textual content editors haven’t got a lot motive to stray from the identical primary “white web page with a bunch of toolbars” look, they usually all supply the identical sorts of instruments like headlines, bullet factors, font adjustments, highlighting, and many others.
Very like Google Docs, Proton’s doc editor provides you a pleasant, huge enjoying area to your phrases. It’s additionally simple to configure the sharing options—identical to in Google Docs—by interacting with the Share menu up within the interface’s prime right-hand nook. In actual fact, it appears like Proton has gone out of its method to make sure that every thing about Docs in Proton Drive is acquainted and straightforward to get used to in case you’re coming to it from Google’s editor.
Swapping between providers is barely an inconvenience—along with what I laid about above, you can even nonetheless add inline photographs, tables, and extra. Just about every thing is right here. The largest barrier is that, very like Google Docs requires customers to have a Google account to entry and edit paperwork, Docs in Proton Drive requires you to have a free Proton account. However there’s little motive to make use of the service with out one, plus a Proton account provides you entry to Proton Drive and several other of Proton’s different free apps, too.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
The distinction is not within the app itself
If the textual content editors themselves are so easy, why am I writing this text? Evaluating primary textual content editors may appear a bit foolish, true, however there’s one huge factor that actually units Proton aside from different textual content editors on the market, particularly Google Docs: end-to-end encryption.
Proton has constructed its total enterprise across the motto of “privateness first,” and that extends to the corporate’s newest software program choices, too. Docs in Proton Drive consists of full end-to-end encryption—all the way down to your cursor actions—which suggests no one, not even Proton, can observe what you’re doing in your paperwork. They’re locked down earlier than they even attain Proton’s servers.
This makes the product very attractive for companies which may wish to preserve their work as personal as attainable whereas additionally nonetheless having the identical performance as Google Docs—as a result of Proton isn’t lacking any of the performance that Google Docs affords, except for the best way that Google Docs integrates with the remainder of the Google Suite of merchandise.
That is to not say that Google isn’t safe. Google does make the most of its personal degree of encryption when storing your information within the cloud. Nonetheless, it isn’t utterly end-to-end encrypted, so Google has open entry to your information. Google says it solely trains its generative AI on “publicly accessible” data, and whereas that most likely will not have an effect on most individuals, it’s a ache level for a lot of, particularly as the corporate does make exceptions for options like Sensible Compose.
That fear is why merchandise with end-to-end encryption have develop into such a commodity in recent times—particularly as cybersecurity dangers proceed to rise, which means it’s a must to belief the businesses who retailer your information much more. Proton’s benefit is that it guarantees to NEVER use your content material for any goal—and people aren’t empty phrases. As a result of the corporate doesn’t have entry to your content material, it could not use it even when it needed to.
Selecting between Proton or Google Docs
In the end, I feel there are use instances for each providers. Whereas I really like the privateness that Proton affords with Docs in Proton Drive, I feel that Google Docs is much more handy—as much more individuals have Google accounts than Proton accounts, making it simpler to collaborate with them.
I additionally don’t suppose that each doc you make will all the time want the identical degree of end-to-end encryption that Proton is understood for. In these instances, Google Docs is greater than able to defending your doc, as long as you comply with all the same old safety suggestions like two-factor authentication, utilizing a robust password, and never giving anybody entry to your account in order that they’ll muck round in it.
Google Docs can be nonetheless built-in with all of Google’s different workplace merchandise on its aspect. Proton, alternatively, solely has Docs in the intervening time—although I wouldn’t be stunned if the corporate finally affords a whole suite of privacy-first workplace instruments, so you do not want different applications to open information you retailer with it.
However to your most secret data, say your subsequent nice American novel, Proton Docs make it simpler than ever to maintain it away from prying eyes.
