{"id":909,"date":"2024-07-05T01:03:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T01:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/"},"modified":"2025-03-04T06:58:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T06:58:32","slug":"proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Proton<\/em>, once famed for a VPN, now provides a suite of secure online services, including e-mail, cloud storage, and password manager (Proton Pass<\/em> Linux app<\/a> launched last month).<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s adding another string to its privacy-focused bow, and takes aim at Google Docs in the process.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This week Proton announced<\/a> Docs in Proton Drive<\/em>, a \u201cprivacy-first document editor\u201d which allows anyone with a (free or a paid) Proton account to create, edit, share, and collaborate documents on-the-go from any web browser.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Admittedly, an open source, auditable cloud-based word processor isn\u2019t strictly<\/em> Ubuntu-specific news (incase you\u2019re wondering why I\u2019m writing about it). <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

But the launch of official Proton Mail<\/em> and Proton Pass<\/em> desktop Linux apps does mean more Ubuntu users are now using Proton services, so\u2026 It\u2019s as relevant as anything else we Ubuntu users make use of, in that sense.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Alas, there\u2019s (currently) no official Proton Drive<\/em> desktop app or integration \u2014 it\u2019d be ace to see something similar to GNOME\u2019s OneDrive<\/em><\/a> and Google Drive<\/em> support\u2014 which is where documents edited get saved to.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

That makes adding files to Proton Drive<\/em> to edit online, and access those files from your desktop so you can open\/edit documents in native Linux apps, a little more hassle than in other cloud-based services (like Microsoft Office via OneDrive or Google Docs via Drive).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

But the fact Proton positions its services as secure, safe, and privacy-focused means that hassle may be worth it \u2014 until something more seamless comes along.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay Joey \u2014 but is it any good<\/em>?\u201d.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Proton\u2019s Google Docs alternative <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

While \u201cGoogle Docs\u201d is a suite of apps, \u2018Docs\u2019 is also the name of the word processor component, which is what Proton\u2019s analog (wordily named Docs in Proton Drive<\/em>) is \u2014 there\u2019s no spreadsheet or presentation maker component, alas. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In terms of features, Proton Docs is equipped to handle most regular use cases, with the usual range of rich text editing capabilities, tablet support, paragraph styles, and file compatibility with common formats like DOCX and RTF.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

However, it cannot open or save to ODT, the format used by LibreOffice<\/em>. Unfortunately.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

One of the standout features of Proton Docs is that it offers real-time collaboration with others you share documents with, including in-line indicators showing who is editing where, the ability to make comments and replies, all end-to-end encrypted<\/strong> and secure.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

However, it does have some limitations: it is not a comprehensive word processor and lacks many formatting and advanced features found in Google Docs, Zoho, ONLYOFFICE Online Editors, and similar platforms.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

As such, anyone writing an essay or study paper that requires specific layouts, header\/footers, bibliographies, etc should stick to a dedicated desktop productivity suite like LibreOffice<\/em>, ONLYOFFICE<\/em>, or similar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Still, this online document editor is brand new; what it lacks right now could easily be added in the coming months or years \u2014 Proton as a company is very receptive to the feedback and requests from its users.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Privacy as a feature<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Proton assure users their words are truly private. View image<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Privacy is arguably the biggest feature of Docs in Proton Drive, not character styles, page rulers\/margins, and LaTeX support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n

Online document editors have become a core productivity tool, used for everything from private journals to sensitive business strategies. The problem is that most companies offering document editors today [\u2026] collect and monetize your private information.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Proton<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For many, the fact that what they write in a document online stays private unless they choose to share; can\u2019t be scraped or accessed by algorithms, snooped on by governments, or leaked in data breaches; is sure to be an overriding lure.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re an existing Proton user who wants to try this out, you can: visit Proton Drive<\/em><\/a> in a web browser, sign in with your account, click the \u2018new\u2019 button, followed by \u2018document\u2019 and start typing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019ve not used a Proton product before, perhaps this one could tempt you? You can sign up for a Proton account<\/a> \u2014 the free tier is fairly generous, offering e-mail, 2GB cloud storage, password sync, and more.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Proton, once famed for a VPN, now provides a suite of secure online services, including e-mail, cloud storage, and password manager (Proton Pass Linux app launched last month). Now, it\u2019s adding another string to its privacy-focused bow, and takes aim at Google Docs in the process. This week Proton announced Docs in Proton Drive, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[411,4,317,553],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cloud-storage","category-news","category-proton","category-webapps"],"yoast_head":"\nProton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration - ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Proton introduces a new latest privacy-focused document collaboration tool, offering encryption and enhanced security for teams and individuals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration - ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Proton introduces a new latest privacy-focused document collaboration tool, offering encryption and enhanced security for teams and individuals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-05T01:03:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-04T06:58:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1008\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/\",\"name\":\"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration - ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-05T01:03:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-04T06:58:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/535ebc9c42672d8f79ad3ee8ea563d66\"},\"description\":\"Proton introduces a new latest privacy-focused document collaboration tool, offering encryption and enhanced security for teams and individuals.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1008},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/535ebc9c42672d8f79ad3ee8ea563d66\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e5973018461f98bcdda40e69a0a7ae6548c079e5e7a1a0c8b40c0738e0fb52?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e5973018461f98bcdda40e69a0a7ae6548c079e5e7a1a0c8b40c0738e0fb52?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration - ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog","description":"Proton introduces a new latest privacy-focused document collaboration tool, offering encryption and enhanced security for teams and individuals.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration - ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog","og_description":"Proton introduces a new latest privacy-focused document collaboration tool, offering encryption and enhanced security for teams and individuals.","og_url":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/","og_site_name":"ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog","article_published_time":"2024-07-05T01:03:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-04T06:58:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1008,"url":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/","url":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/","name":"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration - ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp","datePublished":"2024-07-05T01:03:55+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-04T06:58:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/535ebc9c42672d8f79ad3ee8ea563d66"},"description":"Proton introduces a new latest privacy-focused document collaboration tool, offering encryption and enhanced security for teams and individuals.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d332391915a6df00efb0029486245fb1.webp","width":1920,"height":1008},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/proton-unveils-privacy-focused-alternative-to-google-docs-a-new-era-of-secure-collaboration\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Proton Unveils Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Docs: A New Era of Secure Collaboration"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/","name":"ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/535ebc9c42672d8f79ad3ee8ea563d66","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e5973018461f98bcdda40e69a0a7ae6548c079e5e7a1a0c8b40c0738e0fb52?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8e5973018461f98bcdda40e69a0a7ae6548c079e5e7a1a0c8b40c0738e0fb52?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2221,"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909\/revisions\/2221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}