Proton Drive is the encrypted Google Drive replacement you need, and it's on sale

Published Nov 11, 2026, 10:06 AM EST The below articles are sponsored by one of our partners. Product choices and opinions expressed are from the sponsor and do not reflect the views of the How-to Geek editorial staff. When it comes to cloud storage, the difference between ubiquity and security is that the most common software solutions usually don't have your best interests at heart. Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive offer few protections for your data, which is a problem when you just want to make sure your family photos are safe and a downright liability if you're working with sensitive information. Proton Drive, however, doesn't even know what you upload. It's the most secure cloud storage option out there thanks to end-to-end encryption and many other security measures, and it's entirely open-source, so you can see exactly how it's meant to protect you. And if you need to go beyond the basics, Proton offers plans that include VPN protection and the company's excellent email platform. Proton's biggest sale of the year is running until November 30, so if you're in the market for a private, secure cloud storage service that won't sell your info or use it to train AI, this is the best time to give Proton Drive a try. What is Proton Drive? Proton Drive Number of Accounts 1 Apps Included Some bundles include Proton Mail, Proton VPN, and Proton Password Manager Cloud Storage Starting at 5GB Free Trial Period Free account available indefinitely Cloud-based storage doesn't have to mean sacrificing your privacy. Proton Drive's cloud storage software provides everything users need, including backups, syncing, and unlimited access, plus encryption so data remains secure. Best of all, Proton Drive is on sale, so you can get started at a discount. Proton Drive is Proton's cloud-based storage software. Think Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive — and then think much more secure. Proton Drive has the suite of services you'd expect from cloud storage, including backup, syncing, and access anywhere via desktop or mobile. It gives you access to Proton's spreadsheet and document tools as well, even at the free tier. What sets Proton Drive apart is its security. Everything you upload is end-to-end encrypted, so no one can see your data except for you and whoever you might give access to. Not even Proton knows what's inside your drive. It's perfect for sensitive documents and remote work. But in a digital landscape where privacy seems almost impossible to guarantee — and nearly everything seems like fodder for AI training — it's just as useful for everyday things like family photos that you want to store safely and securely. Credit: Proton Dive Proton Unlimited is one subscription that includes all of Proton's premium products, VPN protection and Proton Mail, if you need to go beyond the standard, (which also includes Proton Calendar), a password manager, and a higher storage limit. Proton Mail is a superb choice that goes beyond your usual Outbox-like software. It gives a single user up to three personalized domains and 15 email addresses, tools like auto-reply and catch-all, dark web monitoring, and advanced account protection through Proton Sentinel. Unlimited is optional, though. If you just need a basic storage service or want secure workplace apps, Proton Drive has plenty of options. And for the security-minded user, they're among the best, most convenient options out there. The most secure, convenient choice for cloud storage Credit: Proton Drive Proton Drive guarantees privacy and security all in one place. It's funded by subscriptions, rather than advertising, and it's owned by a non-profit foundation more interested in providing a good service than harvesting and selling your data. So, there's no chance of what you upload getting into the hands of third parties without your knowledge, and it's safe from being used to train AI models without your permission. All of Proton Drive's apps are open-source, so while they're independently audited, you can also see exactly how they work and inspect their security measures. Aside from high-level security that other services don't offer, what makes Proton Drive an appealing option compared to similar tools is that it combines everything in one place. Sure, you could have your documents in Ellipsus or build your own custom spreadsheets in IronCalc and get privacy that way. But flipping between so many different services is tiresome and time-consuming, and that's before even getting to the challenge of handling open-source tools like IronCalc. It's just not practical for the average user. That, plus most other apps don't have the presence Proton does. You can download and manage your Proton Drive on the web or on dedicated apps for Windows, Mac, and iOS or Android. Proton Drive has multiple plans for single-account users and entire families Proton Drive's free and paid tiers make it easy to get what you need as quickly and simply as possible. If you have minimal storage needs or just want to try Proton Drive out, the free tier offers 5GB of storage and access to Proton's documents and spreadsheet editor. You get the same secure, end-to-end encryption as the higher tiers, too, and you can access it from the desktop and mobile apps or the web version. Drive Plus normally costs $4.99 per month on the annual plan, but during Proton’s Black Friday sale it’s $1.99 per month ($23.88 for the year). Drive Plus offers access to the documents and spreadsheet editors, along with 200GB of storage — 40 times more storage than the free tier — and 10 years to recover previous file versions. That keeps your family photos, documents, and anything else you've entrusted to your Proton Drive safe from data corruption or even just accidental overwrites. If something happens to the existing version, you can bring up its version history and restore an older version of it. Then there's Proton Unlimited, which Proton is billing as the sale's best value. Proton Unlimited normally costs $12.99 per month on the annual plan, but while the sale lasts, you can get it for $6.49 per month ($77.88 for the year). Proton Unlimited has everything that Drive Plus offers, but the storage cap is bumped up to 500GB. It also includes the following premium features: Proton VPN (Proton's premier virtual private network that's just as secure as everything else Proton offers.) Proton Mail Proton Calendar Proton Pass (An end-to-end encrypted password manager.) If you're fed up with not knowing who has access to your most sensitive and important material, there's never been a better time to try Proton Drive. The free version is always available, but the Black Friday sale has every plan discounted to the lowest it's been all year. Now's the best time to check it out.