Proton has focused on building a suite of apps and services revolving around its main concept: privacy and security. It already has an email app, a cloud storage service, a VPN, a calendar, and a password manager. Now, a new document editor is joining the fray, albeit as a sub-feature of Proton Drive.
Proton has just unveiled Docs, a new end-to-end encrypted document creation and collaboration tool integrated with its cloud storage service, Proton Drive. With this, Proton is attempting to compete more directly with Google Docs and OneDrive, offering a more secure alternative to these apps with robust features. Proton’s Docs prioritizes user privacy and data protection. Unlike many popular document editors, Proton says that its Docs implementation does not collect or utilize user data, ensuring information remains confidential. This commitment to privacy makes Docs particularly appealing to industries with strict data regulations, such as healthcare, finance, and legal.
The new tool aims to combine privacy with user-friendliness. It includes features like rich text editing, file compatibility with formats like .docx, commenting and collaboration tools, image embedding, and real-time collaborative cursors. Proton also plans to introduce additional collaboration features in the future. Looking at screenshots of the app, you might find Proton’s Docs feature to be a bit more barebones than Google Docs or Microsoft Word. This is normal, as it’s the very first version of the service. It’s also a sub-feature of Proton Drive in theory, although Proton might still choose to give it some love.
This launch follows the company’s acquisition of encrypted notes app Standard Notes, and hints that Proton will likely continue expanding a lot over the next coming months.. Proton Drive offers a free tier with essential document features. Paid tiers will offer additional functionality.
You can try out the Docs feature by opening drive.proton.me in your browser, and clicking on the “New” button at the top-left corner.
Source: Proton
