Proton Drive

Freemium

End-to-end encrypted file storage from Switzerland that lets you securely back up your files…

Generous Free Tier

Visit Website View Pricing

About Proton Drive

Proton Drive is a storage tool for storing and sharing files. In its own words: End-to-end encrypted file storage from Switzerland that lets you securely back up your files on the cloud, access them anywhere, and share them with anyone.

What the free plan gives you

Free plan with 5GB. Taken from Proton Drive's own pricing page, the free plan includes 5 GB of storage, photos and documents; online document and spreadsheet editor; all protected with end-to-end encryption; 200 GB of storage, photos and documents — 40x more than Free.

What it does

Proton Drive covers file storage, file sharing, keep everything in sync, desktop file syncing, everywhere access.

When you would pay

The free allowance is large enough to build on properly. Upgrade when you consistently hit the ceiling — not before, and not because a banner suggests it.

We list Proton Drive because the free plan was checked against its own pricing page, not because a vendor asked. If it has changed, tell us and we will re-check it.

Key Features

File storage

File sharing

Keep everything in sync

Desktop file syncing

Everywhere access

Proton Docs

Proton Sheets

Proton Free

Pros & Cons

Unusually generous free allowance

Free plan limits are published clearly

Covers file storage on the free plan

Free plan verified against the vendor's pricing page

Hosted only — no self-hosting escape hatch

The free plan in practice

What you can actually do on Proton Drive's free plan (Free plan with 5GB), where it stops, and when it's worth paying.

What you can do free

5 GB of storage, photos and documents
Online document and spreadsheet editor
All protected with end-to-end encryption
200 GB of storage, photos and documents — 40x more than Free
10 years to recover previous file versions
500 GB of storage — 2.5x more than Drive Plus
Proton VPN: Ultra fast and private VPN
Proton Mail

Where it stops

No major limitations beyond the plan's usage limits.

When to upgrade to a paid plan

Stay on the free plan while you're comfortably under the free plan's limit (Free plan with 5GB). It's worth moving to a paid plan once you consistently bump into that ceiling, need to remove branding, or want features the free tier holds back.