Proton Drive is finally becoming a viable alternative to Google Drive

Proton is a privacy-first company that promises to take good care of your data. It all started with its email client Proton Mail, but the company has since expanded its portfolio with a VPN, a calendar, one of many excellent password managers out there, and a cloud storage solution. The latter lacked an option to sync local files for a long time, though, which is something the company is now finally fixing for Windows users.

As announced by Proton on its blog, the company’s new Proton Drive Windows app allows you to sync any files from your computer with its cloud, complete with the end-to-end encryption you expect from the business. In contrast to other solutions like Google Drive and Dropbox, which only let you select a limited number of folders, Proton Drive makes it possible to sync any folder of your choice with its cloud. The folders from your computer will show up in Proton Drive’s web view under a Computers section, no matter how many Windows computers you’ve got synced up.

Proton Drive also offers other smarts you’ve come to expect from cloud storage providers. By default, Proton Drive’s own folder doesn’t take up any space on your computer. Instead, it only downloads files on-demand as you need them. There is supposedly some intelligent caching on board, which automatically keeps files you interact with often readily available while it offloads those you rarely use. It’s also possible to mark files that you always want available on your device.

Source: Proton

Files synced with Proton Drive can take advantage of the company’s version history, which allows you to restore older versions in case something goes wrong or you need to reference something you’ve deleted.

None of these features, aside from the option to select any folder for syncing, are new when compared to the competition, but Proton isn’t trying to differentiate itself based on features alone. The company promises that your data is protected by end-to-end encryption and tough Swiss privacy laws, and that your files are always stored on the business’s own servers, positioned in Europe.

The Drive app for Windows is bringing Proton closer to its competitors, including Google Drive, by making the process of downloading and uploading as seamless as possible. Proton is also working on a macOS version of Proton Drive to bring syncing to the other big desktop platform. The file app is also already available on Android and iOS.

The Windows app is first coming to Proton Lifetime accounts and will be made available to Visionary users later. Beta invites will be sent out at a later stage. Proton Drive offers a free 1GB plan, which you can expand with subscriptions starting at $5 when paid monthly. There are also plans available that combine all the company’s products, including a money-saving family offering for up to six users.