{
 "schema_version": "1.0",
 "id": "proton-drive",
 "name": "Proton Drive",
 "research_status": "researched",
 "vendor_domain": "proton.me",
 "category": "IT & Productivity",
 "task": "Security, backup & privacy",
 "summary": "End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from a Swiss provider. Because Proton cannot read your files there is no server-side search inside documents, integrations are thinner, and losing your credentials without recovery loses the data.",
 "best_for": "privacy-conscious individuals and businesses that want genuinely end-to-end-encrypted storage from a Swiss provider, ideally as part of the wider Proton suite",
 "skip_if": "your workflow lives on deep integrations, shared-drive collaboration and full-text search (mainstream clouds do that better), or you'd never set up account recovery",
 "honest_knock": "End-to-end encryption is the point and the price. Because Proton can't read your files, there's no server-side search inside documents. Previews and third-party integrations are more limited than Google Drive or Dropbox, and losing your credentials without recovery set up means losing data — by design. You trade convenience for the mathematical guarantee that nobody, including Proton, can look inside.",
 "pricing": {
  "status": "public",
  "entry_price": "$3.99",
  "entry_price_terms": "per month for 200GB (20% off $4.99), billed $47.88 a year",
  "from_price_usd_month": 3.99,
  "plans": [
   {
    "name": "Proton Free",
    "price": "$0",
    "includes": "5 GB"
   },
   {
    "name": "Drive Plus",
    "price": "$3.99/mo billed yearly",
    "includes": "200 GB — the only tier that is storage on its own"
   },
   {
    "name": "Proton Unlimited",
    "price": "$9.99/mo billed yearly",
    "includes": "500 GB plus the VPN, Mail and Calendar"
   },
   {
    "name": "Proton Duo",
    "price": "$14.99/mo billed yearly",
    "includes": "2 TB across two users"
   },
   {
    "name": "Proton Family",
    "price": "$23.99/mo billed yearly",
    "includes": "3 TB, up to six users"
   },
   {
    "name": "Drive Professional",
    "price": "$7.99 per user/mo",
    "includes": "for teams, 1 TB each"
   }
  ],
  "plans_source": "hand-curated from the vendor's pricing page",
  "notes": "(read 2026-08-26 over a US connection and re-read 2026-10-16 with USD selected, on proton.me/drive/pricing, Individuals view with yearly billing) Proton Free gives 5 GB. Drive Plus is $3.99 a month for 200 GB, marked 20% off $4.99 and billed at $47.88 every twelve months. Proton Unlimited is $9.99 for 500 GB and folds in the VPN, Mail and Calendar, billed at $119.88 a year. Proton Duo is $14.99 for 2 TB across two users at $179.88 a year, and Proton Family $23.99 for 3 TB and up to six. Teams get Drive Professional at $7.99 per user a month for 1 TB each. The page carries its own currency selector with CHF, EUR and USD, so these are the US default rather than a conversion. The thing worth seeing in that ladder: Drive Plus is the only tier that is storage on its own — every step above it bundles the rest of Proton, so you are buying a suite the moment you need more than 200 GB.",
  "verified_at": "2026-10-16",
  "source_url": "https://proton.me/drive/pricing"
 },
 "free_plan": true,
 "free_plan_evidence": "(read 2026-08-26 over a US connection and re-read 2026-10-16 with USD selected, on proton.me/drive/pricing, Individuals view with yearly billing) Proton Free gives 5 GB.",
 "cost_traps": [
  {
   "id": "per_seat",
   "label": "Per-seat pricing",
   "evidence": "Teams get Drive Professional at $7.99 per user a month for 1 TB each.",
   "verified_at": "2026-10-16",
   "source_url": "https://proton.me/drive/pricing"
  }
 ],
 "compare_with": {
  "name": "Tresorit or Google Drive",
  "why": "Tresorit is the enterprise E2EE peer; Google Drive is the convenience default — Proton wins on suite value per euro for individuals"
 },
 "links": {
  "record": "https://aibuildermarketplace.com/api/v1/products/proton-drive.json",
  "review": "https://officesoftwaremarketplace.com/proton-drive-review.html",
  "marketplace": "https://aibuildermarketplace.com/marketplace/proton-drive/",
  "vendor_site": "https://proton.me"
 },
 "purchase": {
  "seller": "the vendor",
  "how": "AIBuilder Marketplace does not sell this software. Sign up, start a trial or buy on the vendor's site.",
  "handoff_url": "https://now.getproton.me/xtd5ynchlrma",
  "affiliate": true,
  "disclosure": "Where purchase.affiliate is true, purchase.handoff_url is an affiliate link: AIBuilder Marketplace may earn a commission at no extra cost to the buyer. Commission never changes what a record says, and products are not ranked by commission. Where it is false the link is the vendor's plain site."
 },
 "provenance": {
  "research": "hand-researched dossier, read on the vendor's own pages",
  "researched_since": "2026-07",
  "method": "https://aibuildermarketplace.com/how-we-review/",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0. Credit 'AIBuilder Marketplace' with a link to https://aibuildermarketplace.com/atlas/.",
  "note": "A rebuild is not a new measurement: pricing.verified_at is the date that matters."
 },
 "cost": {
  "status": "available",
  "engine": "https://aibuildermarketplace.com/agents/#cost",
  "rules": {
   "currency": "USD",
   "unit": "user",
   "axis": "users",
   "plans": [
    {
     "id": "proton-free",
     "name": "Proton Free",
     "audience": "personal",
     "model": "free",
     "max_units": 1,
     "evidence": "Proton Free gives 5 GB"
    },
    {
     "id": "drive-plus",
     "name": "Drive Plus",
     "audience": "personal",
     "model": "flat",
     "max_units": 1,
     "annual_month": 3.99,
     "annual_year": 47.88,
     "monthly_status": "unknown",
     "evidence": "Drive Plus is $3.99 a month for 200 GB, marked 20% off $4.99 and billed at $47.88 every twelve months"
    },
    {
     "id": "proton-unlimited",
     "name": "Proton Unlimited",
     "audience": "personal",
     "model": "flat",
     "max_units": 1,
     "annual_month": 9.99,
     "annual_year": 119.88,
     "monthly_status": "unknown",
     "evidence": "Proton Unlimited is $9.99 for 500 GB and folds in the VPN, Mail and Calendar, billed at $119.88 a year"
    },
    {
     "id": "proton-duo",
     "name": "Proton Duo",
     "audience": "personal",
     "model": "flat",
     "max_units": 2,
     "annual_month": 14.99,
     "annual_year": 179.88,
     "monthly_status": "unknown",
     "evidence": "Proton Duo is $14.99 for 2 TB across two users at $179.88 a year"
    },
    {
     "id": "proton-family",
     "name": "Proton Family",
     "audience": "personal",
     "model": "flat",
     "max_units": 6,
     "annual_month": 23.99,
     "monthly_status": "unknown",
     "evidence": "Proton Family $23.99 for 3 TB and up to six"
    },
    {
     "id": "drive-professional",
     "name": "Drive Professional",
     "model": "per_unit",
     "annual_month": 7.99,
     "monthly_status": "unknown",
     "evidence": "Teams get Drive Professional at $7.99 per user a month for 1 TB each"
    }
   ],
   "notes": [
    "Read on the yearly-billing view; monthly-billing prices are not in our notes."
   ],
   "rules_verified_at": "2026-10-16"
  },
  "growth": {
   "annual": {
    "product_id": "proton-drive",
    "currency": "USD",
    "axis": "users",
    "unit": "user",
    "billing": "annual",
    "rows": [
     {
      "units": 1,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 7.99,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 95.88,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 7.99
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 2,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 15.98,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 191.76,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 15.98
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 3,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 23.97,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 287.64,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 23.97
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 5,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 39.95,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 479.4,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 39.95
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 10,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 79.9,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 958.8,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 79.9
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 15,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 119.85,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 1438.2,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 119.85
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 20,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 159.8,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 1917.6,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 159.8
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 25,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 199.75,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 2397.0,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 199.75
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 50,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 399.5,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 4794.0,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 399.5
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 100,
      "cheapest_plan": "drive-professional",
      "cheapest_plan_name": "Drive Professional",
      "total_month": 799.0,
      "billed": {
       "amount": 9588.0,
       "every": "year"
      },
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": 799.0
      }
     }
    ],
    "switch_points": [],
    "conflicts": [],
    "unknowns": []
   },
   "monthly": {
    "product_id": "proton-drive",
    "currency": "USD",
    "axis": "users",
    "unit": "user",
    "billing": "monthly",
    "rows": [
     {
      "units": 1,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 2,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 3,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 5,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 10,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 15,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 20,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 25,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 50,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     },
     {
      "units": 100,
      "cheapest_plan": null,
      "cheapest_plan_name": null,
      "total_month": null,
      "billed": null,
      "ranges": [],
      "per_plan": {
       "proton-free": "not_eligible",
       "drive-plus": "not_eligible",
       "proton-unlimited": "not_eligible",
       "proton-duo": "not_eligible",
       "proton-family": "not_eligible",
       "drive-professional": "price_unknown_on_billing"
      }
     }
    ],
    "switch_points": [],
    "conflicts": [],
    "unknowns": []
   }
  }
 },
 "unknowns": [
  "Contract terms (cancellation, data export, data location, minimum seats) are not researched as separate fields; pricing.notes mentions them only where the vendor's pricing page does."
 ],
 "task_evidence": {
  "structured_checks": [],
  "sessions": [
   {
    "source": "session",
    "product_name": "Proton Drive",
    "product_id": "proton-drive",
    "run_date": "2026-10-09",
    "what": "A new free account, used in the web app in Chrome. We uploaded four files we made ourselves with known SHA-256 checksums: a 9.6 KB text note, 1 MB and 8 MB files of random bytes, and a small text file named 'naam met spaties en é.txt' to test spaces and an accented letter. We created a public link for the 1 MB file, opened it in a separate browser that was not signed in to Proton, then downloaded all four files again and compared them byte for byte with the originals.",
    "findings": [
     "All four files came back identical: the same size and the same SHA-256 checksum as the originals, and the file name with spaces and an accented letter was unchanged, byte for byte.",
     "The new account started at 2 GB, not 5 GB. A pop-up offered a 3 GB welcome bonus, and after we uploaded files and created a share link the meter showed 5 GB. The same pop-up still said '29 days left to claim' afterwards.",
     "The public link opened for a visitor without a Proton account and offered the file for download. The decryption key is the part of the link after the '#': the same link without it showed a password prompt instead, so a chat app or mail client that cuts off that part leaves the recipient stuck.",
     "Setting an expiry date and a password on a link is available on the free plan; we opened both settings but did not save them.",
     "Not tested: the desktop and mobile apps, sync, photo backup, version history, sharing with another Proton user, and large uploads."
    ],
    "not_tested": null,
    "report": null,
    "result": "reported",
    "note": "Findings as written up after the session; no pass/fail per task was scored.",
    "in_catalog": true
   }
  ]
 },
 "open_questions": [
  {
   "question_id": "proton-drive:cancellation_terms",
   "key": "cancellation_terms",
   "question": "Can a customer cancel at any time, and what happens to an annual plan that is cancelled mid-term?",
   "status": "open"
  },
  {
   "question_id": "proton-drive:data_export",
   "key": "data_export",
   "question": "Which data can a customer export, in which formats, on which plans?",
   "status": "open"
  },
  {
   "question_id": "proton-drive:data_location",
   "key": "data_location",
   "question": "Where is customer data stored, and can a customer choose the region?",
   "status": "open"
  },
  {
   "question_id": "proton-drive:monthly_billing",
   "key": "monthly_billing",
   "question": "Which plans can be bought month to month, and at what price?",
   "status": "open"
  }
 ],
 "vendor_answers": [],
 "agent_channels": {
  "vendor_mcp": null,
  "agent_checkout": {
   "status": "not_found",
   "detail": "No explicit support for purchases by AI agents on the vendor's own pages.",
   "checked_at": "2026-10-07",
   "method": "homepage, /pricing and the pricing page we cite, read as plain HTML (no JavaScript) and searched for explicit support of purchases by AI agents: Agentic Commerce Protocol, Instant Checkout, Agent Payments Protocol, buy in ChatGPT, agentic checkout"
  }
 }
}