Proton
Swiss software company Proton launched a new end-to-end encrypted product on Thursday, which joins its growing productivity suite. Called Proton Sheets, the spreadsheet software is an alternative to the universally known Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets spreadsheet editors that many people use. The key difference between Proton Sheets and its rivals concerns privacy and security. Like Proton’s various other software products, Proton Sheets is end-to-end encrypted, which means the data in Proton Sheets documents can’t be seen by anyone. Only the person with access to the Proton account storing the spreadsheets can view the contents. Not even Proton can see the data in Proton Sheets.
Privacy has never been more important than it is now. We’re in the early years of the AI software revolution. OpenAI has just celebrated ChatGPT’s third anniversary. During these three years we’ve witnessed massive artificial intelligence developments from all major tech companies. But training sophisticated AI models is a process that requires massive data sets. Also, AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini can connect to more data sources to provide assistance during day-to-day tasks, including productivity platforms that feature spreadsheet editors. That’s where an end-to-end encrypted product like Proton Sheets can help, as it’ll ensure no third party will have access to sensitive personal or company data, including AI models.
What can Proton Sheets offer?
Proton
“With the launch of Proton Sheets, we are not just closing the productivity gap –- we are reclaiming data sovereignty for businesses and individuals alike,” Anant Vijay Singh, Head of Product at Proton Drive, said in a statement. “The reality today is that most spreadsheet tools come from Big Tech giants whose entire business models are built on exploiting user data. Now, with AI woven deeply into these platforms, the risks have escalated exponentially. Every keystroke, every formula you enter can feed into their AI training pipelines. This is an unacceptable trade-off. Users deserve a future free from hidden surveillance and invasive data mining. That’s why we built Proton Sheets: a robust, privacy-first alternative that puts control, security, and trust back where they belong –- firmly in users’ hands.”
Strong privacy and security aren’t the only features Proton Sheets has to offer. Proton explained in a blog post that the productivity tool has an intuitive interface that should be familiar to users. The app also supports collaboration like Excel and Google Drive, allowing teams to work on the same documents simultaneously. On that note, Proton users can manage who can view and edit files and revoke access. Proton Sheets also supports charts, the most common Excel formulas, and works with files that were saved in other spreadsheet editors. Proton users can import CSV and XLS files and continue their work in Proton Sheets. The app will work on any device, like competing products.
Proton Sheets is part of Proton Drive, where you’ll also find the secure Proton Docs word editor. To start using it, you’ll need to create a free account. A premium subscription, which starts at $3.99/month, includes significantly more cloud storage space and access to more Proton premium features.
