Cryptomator vs Proton Drive (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Cryptomator and Proton Drive share a 2.6 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money and the free plan, where Cryptomator grades higher, or features, where Proton Drive does.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cryptomator
Open-source encryption for the files you keep in any cloud
Proton Drive
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from the maker of Proton Mail
Which one is for you
Pick Cryptomator if
- Fits if you already have a cloud drive and want your files encrypted before they reach it
- Works for people who would rather pay once than rent more storage
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want storage, as you still have to bring your own cloud account
- Pricey if you want it on both phones: full access is EUR 29.99 on Android and EUR 29.99 on iOS
- Tight if you're a business: Hub Standard is $12 a seat billed yearly with a 3-seat minimum
- Watch out: Hub Enterprise starts at EUR 10,000 a year for at least 50 seats, and desktop dark mode is a paid upgrade
Pick Proton Drive if
- Fits if you want storage that even the company running it can't read
- Works for people who already pay for Proton Mail, VPN or Pass and can bundle storage with Unlimited
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, because 5 GB fills up fast with photos
- Skip it if you're on Linux and want a folder that syncs, as you get a command-line client instead
- Pricey if you want lots of space and nothing else, since past 200 GB it's bundles only, from $9.99 for 500 GB
- Watch out: the low prices need yearly billing, and Drive Plus is $4.99 a month paid monthly
- Not for you if you want it to plug into other apps, as only Proton's own products are listed and no API
How we grade them
| 2.6GPACryptomatorGood | 2.6GPAProton DriveGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe desktop program is free for personal use and anyone can download it. Phones are extra at EUR 29.99 each, which is still under a year of the category's middle subscription. | BDrive Plus is $3.99 a month billed yearly for 200 GB, which puts it just inside this category's cheapest quarter, and $4.99 if you pay monthly. Google wants $2.99 for the same 200 GB unencrypted. More room only comes bundled: Unlimited is $9.99 for 500 GB with VPN, Mail and Pass. |
| Free plan and trial | BIndividual use on desktop is free with unlimited vaults and community support. Phones, dark mode and Hub are paid. | C5 GB free, with the same end-to-end encryption and the Docs and Sheets editors included. It's still 5 GB, though, and a phone backing up photos will hit it inside a month. No trial of the paid plans is listed. |
| Features | DIt encrypts and nothing else: no storage, no sync, so it is useless without a cloud account from another product. | BIt covers the job: encryption on everything, links with passwords and expiry you can revoke, automatic photo backup, desktop sync and old versions recoverable for up to 10 years, plus encrypted Docs and Sheets two people can edit at once. Nothing core is absent on the platforms it supports. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You make a vault and point it at a cloud folder before it does anything. | C4.11 from about 1,200 App Store ratings, the weakest score of any storage app here with a rating worth counting, where Dropbox, Box and OneDrive all sit at 4.6 or better. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps are listed, but only 1 integration and no web app. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android covers most people, but Linux gets a command-line client and the website instead of a sync app. The things it joins up with are all Proton's own, Mail, VPN, Pass and Calendar, with no outside integrations or API listed. |
| Best for | encrypting files before they go to your own cloud | private files and documents nobody else can read |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cryptomator and Proton Drive. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cryptomator starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Proton Drive starts at $3.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Proton Drive scores higher and starts $8.01 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 28 score higher than Cryptomator for less, and 6 score higher than Proton Drive for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Cryptomator is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Cryptomator can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Proton Drive is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Proton Drive also covers documents, spreadsheets, file sync and file sharing.
At a glance
| Cryptomator | Proton Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.00 per seat / month, billed yearly (Cryptomator Hub Standard) | $3.99 per month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Individual: free for personal use on desktop, unlimited vaults, community support. Hub Community is free for 5 seats, self-hosted. | Proton Free: 5 GB of end-to-end encrypted storage for files, photos and documents, including the online document and spreadsheet editor. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Cryptomator Hub Standard | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Skymatic | Proton AG |
| Price read from | cryptomator.org | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cryptomator
- It does not store files itself; you still need a cloud storage account.
- Full access on Android and iOS is a separate purchase of EUR 29.99 each, and the desktop dark mode is a paid upgrade.
- Hub Standard is billed per seat excluding VAT, with a 3-seat minimum.
- Hub Enterprise starts at EUR 10,000 per year for at least 50 seats.
Proton Drive
- The free plan is limited to 5 GB.
- Desktop sync apps exist for Windows and macOS only; Linux users get a command-line client and the web app.
- The lowest prices require yearly billing. Drive Plus costs $4.99 a month when billed monthly.
- Individual storage above 200 GB comes only through the Unlimited, Duo and Family bundles, which include other Proton products.
Key features
Cryptomator
- Vaults in any cloud
- Vaults sit inside the folder of a cloud storage service you already use, and the files are encrypted before they sync.
- Desktop and mobile apps
- Apps run on Windows 10 and later, macOS 11 and later, Linux, Android 8 and later, and iOS 14 and later.
- Open-source code
- The project is published on GitHub and the pricing page calls the individual app open source and free forever.
- Team management with Hub
- Cryptomator Hub adds user and group management and audit logs, and runs as a managed service or on your own infrastructure.
Proton Drive
- End-to-end encryption
- Files are encrypted before they are uploaded. Proton states that only the owner and the people they share with can open them, and that Proton itself cannot.
- Sharing controls
- Files, photos, documents and spreadsheets are shared by link, with password protection, expiry dates and the ability to revoke access at any time.
- Proton Docs and Sheets
- Encrypted document and spreadsheet editors with real-time collaboration are built into Drive, and the editor is included on the free plan.
- Photo backup
- The mobile apps back up photos automatically and support collaborative albums for sharing them.
- Desktop sync
- Desktop apps for Windows and macOS sync files between the computer and the cloud. A command-line client is offered for Linux, macOS and Windows.
- Long version history
- Paid plans from Drive Plus allow previous versions of a file to be recovered for up to 10 years.
Plans
Cryptomator
Individual$0
Desktop app, unlimited vaults, any cloud storage, community support. Mobile apps are one-time purchases of EUR 29.99 each.
Hub Community$0
Free, open source and self-hosted, with 5 seats for small teams.
Hub Standard$12.00
per seat / month, billed yearly, excl. VAT
Managed or self-hosted, 3 seats and up, with user and group management, audit logs, mobile apps and email support.
Hub EnterpriseFrom EUR 10,000
per year, from 50 seats, excl. VAT
Everything in Standard plus emergency access, training, a dedicated account manager and priority email support.
Proton Drive
Proton Free$0
5 GB of storage for files, photos and documents, with the online document and spreadsheet editor.
Drive Plus$3.99
per month, billed yearly at $47.88 ($4.99 billed monthly)
200 GB of storage and 10 years to recover previous file versions.
Proton Unlimited$9.99
per month, billed yearly at $119.88 ($12.99 billed monthly)
500 GB of storage plus Proton VPN, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar and Proton Pass.
Proton Duo$14.99
per month, billed yearly at $179.88 ($19.99 billed monthly)
2 TB of storage for up to 2 users, with everything in Unlimited and advanced account protection.
Proton Family$23.99
per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)
3 TB of storage for up to 6 users, with the Proton premium products that are included in Duo.
Drive Professional$7.99
per user / month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)
Team plan with 1 TB per user, user access management, and sync across devices and users.
Ways to pay less
Cryptomator
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly Hub billing
The pricing page shows a 20% saving when Cryptomator Hub is billed yearly instead of monthly.
Proton Drive
- Annual discount
20% to 25% off with yearly billing
Billed yearly, Drive Plus is $3.99 a month instead of $4.99 (20% off), Proton Unlimited is $9.99 instead of $12.99 (23% off) and Proton Duo is $14.99 instead of $19.99 (25% off).
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cryptomator or Proton Drive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Cryptomator starts at $12.00 per seat / month, billed yearly (Cryptomator Hub Standard), and Proton Drive starts at $3.99 per month, billed yearly. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Cryptomator or Proton Drive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Cryptomator and Proton Drive have a free plan.
Which platforms do Cryptomator and Proton Drive run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Cryptomator lists a Linux app and only Proton Drive lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.