Proton’s New Year Offer: A Deep Dive into the Mail & Drive Deals
Proton is running a New Year promotion for new users, offering a premium, end-to-end encrypted email account with Proton Mail for $1/€1 for the first month. This article provides a critical analysis of this offer, the service itself, and its limitations, as well as the accompanying promotion for Proton Drive.
Evaluation Criteria for Privacy Services
When evaluating services that handle personal data, we focus on the following criteria:
- Encryption Model: The strength and implementation of encryption are paramount. End-to-end encryption is the gold standard.
- Jurisdiction and Legal Protections: The company’s country of incorporation determines the legal framework for data requests.
- Transparency and Open Source: We look for transparency reports and open-source code for independent verification.
- Business Model: A clear and sustainable business model that does not rely on user data is a positive signal.
The Proton Mail Offer: $1 for the First Month
The main offer is for Proton Mail, which is available for $1 for the first month for new users. This provides access to the premium features of Proton Mail, which is a significant step up from the free version.
Strengths:
- End-to-end encryption: Provides strong privacy protection for your communications.
- Swiss Jurisdiction: Switzerland has strong privacy laws.
- Open Source: The web app is open source, allowing for public scrutiny.
Limitations to Consider:
- Price after the first month: After the promotional period, the price will increase to the standard rate for the paid plan.
- Subject lines are not encrypted: This is a limitation of the OpenPGP standard that Proton Mail uses.
- Usability trade-offs: While the user interface is clean, some advanced features found in services like Gmail may be missing.
The Proton Drive Offer
The promotional email also mentioned a “$1 / €1 first month” offer for Proton Drive. While the affiliate link leads to the standard Proton Drive page, users should verify the promotional pricing during the checkout process.
Strengths:
- End-to-end encryption for all files: This includes file names and metadata.
- Secure file sharing: Files can be shared securely with a password-protected link with an expiration date.
- Part of an ecosystem: It integrates with other Proton services.
Limitations to Consider:
- Higher cost per GB: Compared to mainstream providers like Google Drive or Dropbox, Proton Drive is more expensive.
- Fewer third-party integrations: The number of third-party apps and services that integrate with Proton Drive is limited.
- Mobile apps are relatively new: The mobile apps are still evolving and may lack some features of more mature competitors.
Verdict: A Low-Cost Trial with Long-Term Considerations
The $1 Proton Mail offer provides a low-cost method for new users to evaluate the service’s privacy features and limitations. The applicability of the same discount to Proton Drive should be verified by the user at checkout. While the privacy model is strong, the long-term cost and feature gaps compared to mainstream alternatives remain significant factors for consideration.
> Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This does not affect our evaluations.