I find myself thinking if unlimited is worth it to me anymore and if I should convert to Mail plus and keep it like that. I find that I just don’t use the additional apps anymore and am wondering if anyone else feels like me.
Mail/Calendar: Obviously still use this, and probably always will
Drive: I work on Linux so I just can’t use it, and I already already have Syncthing and Filen
VPN: This and Mail were the main reasons I got into Proton. But without a usable Linux version, I found myself looking for other options. I found other ways to safely do things I needed it for. Having said that, the free version will work fine for me since I’ll only need it public wifi I don’t trust.
Pass: I never liked the idea of using Pass along with all the other services so I use Bitwarden. Nothing against Pass.
Wallet: To be honest I like the idea, but I just won’t use it.
Nothing against Proton, I like it, but I just don’t see myself being able to justify the cost anymore.
Unlimited is still cheaper than paying for 2 or 3 of the services separately, so it’s “worth it.” In the same way that cable TV is worth it if you watch more than 5 channels, even though you are “paying for” 900 channels.
I tried out Unlimited for a month just to see how I liked it. I found that I didn’t really need the other services and that Mail was all I really cared about, so I downgraded back to Mail Plus. I have since moved on to Fastmail, but I still have my Mail Plus subscription, at least for a while longer.
I see this question a lot here and I don’t entirely understand it. A Proton Unlimited subscription costs about $10/month (as of late October 2024 in the USA). For your $10, you get mail (including for two custom domains), calendar, VPN, drive, password manager and Bitcoin wallet. Say you’re only interested in using Proton Mail, Calendar and VPN. The question should be, are you willing to pay $10/month for those three services/apps from Proton?
Consider some of your alternatives:
For about the same $10/month, Hey gives you only mail and calendar. Hey’s web and mobile apps are very good, if somewhat idiosyncratic. But if you need custom domains with Hey, the price jumps up very fast. Hey handles custom domains really well, almost as well as Proton Mail, but at 2× the cost or higher. (For two custom domains + two “@hey.com” email addresses with Hey I was paying about $400/year. Note the past tense.)
NordVPN costs $3-$6/month depending on which of their three plans you choose. (NordVPN continues to be regarded as the #1 VPN by most web reviewers, although I see that Proton VPN may now be challenging Nord for that spot.) You can add NordPass for a couple dollars more per month, which makes it fairly economical, but of course, no email.
Google will charge about $6/month for the lowest-level Workspace plan which gives you mail, calendar, and three or four hundred other apps. (Is that an exaggeration? Hard to tell. I don’t know how to count them all!) And of course Google will provides access to nearly all those same apps for free, if you sign over your soul to them. (And yes, you can use free Google with custom domains, if you know how to.)
One obvious question is: How can Google be so cheap? It’s a question that ought to make consumers more uneasy than it seems to. The answer isn’t simply that they have more users.
If all you want from Proton is mail and VPN, then it seems to compare favorably to Hey. Instead of feeling like you’re paying for apps you don’t need, just regard those as “free” add-ons, the way everybody thinks of all those apps in the Google suite of apps that most people never use.
Users who aren’t business people themselves might be less frustrated if they could realize that complex pricing menu options are themselves a problem for the company. Proton isn’t charging you for (say) Wallet or Drive, at least not now. Yes, of course it costs Proton money to develop and offer those services. But they’re saving themselves some money and a lot of aggravation by bundling everything into a single Proton subscription. I would add that they’re also doing customers a favor by making the choices easier. What Proton does is very like what Google does with Workspace (and for that matter, even with “free” Google accounts).
I’m willing to continue supporting Proton. I’m holding out hope for improvements in the apps like Calendar and Drive to eventually be as useful, integrated as my Apple calendar and iCloud.
I subscribed Duo, even though I am not using most of the Proton services, as I primarily use SimpleLogin, VPN, and have been exploring Pass. But I’m considering stepping away from Pass, as managing two separate passwords feels cumbersome, especially when I prefer a single strong master password.
I’m still debating whether a Proton subscription is worthwhile for me, given my current usage. So, I don’t have a definite answer for you at this point.
I think it’s expensive on normal price. I’m moving away from proton until the end of this year due to the promotion prices are only for new subscribers. Paying 2 years in advance should have better pricing. Storage and computing is quite cheap these days and proton haven’t launched any amazing product for long time.
OP & others are comparing the cost of features (apps).
I’m primarily here not bc i compared Proton apps to other providers, I’m here bc I’m willing to trust a Swiss company way before I’m willing to trust an American company, post Snowden.
I’m not American so there’s no nationalism at stake.
Pre Snowden, my primary email used to be gmail.
I still have that account, its just dormant.
I currently use Kaspersky Password Manager.
(I actually trust the Russians MORE than the Americans, even in today’s climate/circumstances).
It has more features than Proton Pass. I’m hoping Proton Pass actually catches up. I’m using both password managers at the same time, ie, slowly migrating.
Any privacy Google, or any other Big Tech promises, I just don’t believe. I refer to any T&C as being “terms they will publicly admit to”.
PS i can’t understand how you couldn’t use Drive in Linux… Just use the browser interface. Or do you want to use some fancy sync client?
I also forgot about SimpleLogin being included. If I do the math thats $3.5/mon (on 2 year) for Mail, plus $2.5/mon (on annual) for SL, equals to $6/mon.
Assuming I don’t use any other services, I’d save $2/mon by not being in unlimited. It’s insidious!
Nord VPN has a cheap introductory price, but beware the $140-$320 per year trap on their renewal price. Compared to that, Proton Unlimited is a bargain even if you only really use the VPN.
It’s not just the cost either. Just some of the apps I won’t/can’t/will not use.
Being a Linux user, some just can’t be used effectively, the VPN and drive being some. The VPN can be used to a lesser extent, but I just find it more cumbersome. The drive just flat out can’t be used on Linux.
That’s a pricing strategy to push customers into buying bundled products. There’s nothing wrong with that. In my opinion, if you are sure that you are only going to use those two services then you should save those 2 dollars.
you’re always free to get unlimited in the future if you need more than 2 of their products.
They do have VPN clients for linux - both a CLI and GUI application. If the official client GUI client is not supported on your distro, you should be able to use the flatpak.
I do understand that it’s not just about price. And I understand the problem with apps simply not working. I was unable to use Proton VPN until recently, when they released a public beta for ARM/Snapdragon X Elite. Works great for me now. Isn’t there a free open-source VPN for Linux?
As for Drive, it seems that this app just isn’t quite cooked yet on any OS. I purchased a lifetime account for pCloud which is good.
As for Proton Pass, I also understand being anxious about connecting it to the service that also provides your email. But as I think about it more, I am coming to the conclusion that it’s possible to make it as secure as any other password manager. And it’s actually pretty good. But I also have Bitwarden, 1Password and NordPass.
I go back and forth on these issues myself almost constantly and have for years. I wish that Google’s apps weren’t so good, and/or that Proton’s apps were decisively better. I like Microsoft for hardware but I long ago gave up on them for software. I really need to make up my mind to give up and enjoy Google; or go all-in, sell my Pixel phone, and switch to Linux.