Proton Launches Encrypted Sheets as a Privacy-First Alternative to Google, Microsoft Excel
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Anyone with a Proton Drive account can make a spreadsheet via the "New" menu in the web interface.
Proton has launched Proton Sheets, a Proton Drive cloud spreadsheet tool with stronger privacy controls than Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. The company positions Sheets as a way to plan budgets, track projects, and manage business data without exposing information to advertising systems or AI training pipelines.
Proton Sheets uses end-to-end encryption for all content, including cell values, formulas, and filenames. Proton stores data in Switzerland and says only the account holder and their collaborators can access it. The company says it cannot read spreadsheets stored on its servers because the encryption keys remain with users.
The app supports modern spreadsheet features, including formulas, charts, and real-time collaboration. Teams can edit the same sheet together, see changes as they happen, share files through Proton Drive links, and control who can view or edit each spreadsheet. Users can import existing CSV and XLS files into Proton Drive to encrypt them, and then export them when they need to work in other office suites.
Proton highlights how its approach differs from "big tech" productivity services. While those services rely on monetizing user data and integrating AI assistants directly into documents and spreadsheets, Proton focuses on other methods. The company points to Google's Gemini in Sheets and notes that Google warns users not to share confidential information with the assistant, as humans may review it or use it to improve AI systems. Proton says it does not use customer data for advertising or to train AI models.
Sheets is rolling out gradually to Proton Drive. Anyone with a Proton Drive account can start using it from the "New" menu in the web interface once the option appears. The tool is included in the free Proton Drive tier, with paid storage plans for larger teams and workloads.
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