Dropbox Paper vs Proton Docs

Dropbox Paper

• Teams that already keep their files in Dropbox
• Meeting notes, briefs and plans with assigned to-dos
• People who want shared docs without paying for another tool

Proton Docs

• People who want documents the provider itself cannot read
• Lawyers, doctors and advisers drafting confidential client documents
• Existing Proton Drive users who want a document editor in the same account

Dropbox Paper

• Paper has no plan of its own: it is free with a Dropbox account, and everyone who opens a doc has to sign in to Dropbox.
• Docs cannot be edited offline; the Dropbox desktop app stores them as web-based files that open only on dropbox.com.
• No more than 50 people can edit a doc at once, and inserted files are limited to 50 MB each.
• On the new release of Paper, the Slack integration's commands and previews do not work and docs can only be exported one at a time.

Proton Docs

• There is no standalone Docs plan: it is part of Proton Drive, and the paid plans differ in storage and bundled Proton services.
• A document can be no larger than 25 MB.
• In the Windows and macOS Drive apps a document is only a placeholder file that opens in the browser at docs.proton.me.
• The free plan's 5 GB of storage is shared with the files and photos kept in Proton Drive.

Dropbox Paper

Real-time co-editing

Up to 50 people can edit a doc at the same time; anyone beyond that sees it as view-only. Collaborators can be mentioned in the text to bring them into a doc.

Comments on text and images

Comments attach to highlighted text or to a selected area of an image, can mention colleagues to notify them, and can be linked to directly.

To-dos with assignees and due dates

Checklist items are assigned by mentioning someone and can carry a due date. A Things to do sidebar gathers the to-dos assigned to a user and those they assigned to others.

Tables, timelines and embedded files

Docs can hold tables, timelines and code blocks. Files under 50 MB can be dragged in and are previewed inline when Paper supports the file type.

Templates

Dropbox supplies pre-designed templates for formats such as project plans and creative briefs, and any doc can be turned into a reusable template.

Stored as Dropbox files

Docs sit in Dropbox folders as .paper files, follow the account's sharing policies and use Dropbox version history. Each doc can be exported as .docx, Markdown or PDF.

Proton Docs

End-to-end encryption

Documents are encrypted on your device before they are uploaded, and only you hold the keys, so nobody else can read them. Proton says that includes Proton itself.

Real-time collaboration

See who else is viewing or editing a document and follow their cursors live. Every update stays end-to-end encrypted.

Suggestions and comments

Collaborators can propose edits as highlighted suggestions to accept or reject, and discuss a passage in threaded comments attached to the text.

Sharing controls

Invite people by email or with a sharing link, including people without a Proton Account, choose whether they can view or edit, and revoke access at any time.

Import and export

Opens .docx, .txt, .md and .html files stored in Proton Drive for editing, and downloads documents as .docx, .html, .txt, .md or .pdf.

Rich text editing

The toolbar covers text styles, fonts, colors and highlights, code blocks, numbered, bulleted and check lists, quotes, dividers, images and tables.

Dropbox Paper

• Basic$0

  Free Dropbox account with 2 GB of storage. Paper is included at no charge, with no limit on the number of docs.

• Plus$9.99

  per month, billed yearly ($11.99 billed monthly)

  For 1 person: the same Paper editor with 2 TB of Dropbox storage and 30 days of version history and deleted-file recovery.

• Standard$15

  per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

  Team plan with storage from 3 TB, team folders, admin controls and 180 days of version history, which also covers Paper docs.

• Advanced$24

  per user / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly)

  For 3 people or more: storage from 15 TB, single sign-on, tiered admin management and 1 year of version history.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom pricing with integrations for third-party security tools and live support from dedicated staff.

Proton Docs

• 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)

  Proton Drive with Docs, 200 GB of storage and 10 years to recover previous file versions.

• Drive Professional$7.99

  per user / month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)

  Team plan for Proton Drive with Docs: 1 TB per user, user access management and sync across devices and users.

• 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 alongside Drive and Docs.

• Proton Duo$14.99

  per month, billed yearly at $179.88 ($19.99 billed monthly)

  Everything in Unlimited for up to 2 users, with 2 TB of storage 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.

Dropbox Paper

• Annual discount

  About 17% to 20% lower with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Dropbox Plus is $9.99 a month instead of $11.99, Standard is $15 per user instead of $18, and Advanced is $24 per user instead of $30. Paper itself stays free.

Proton Docs

• 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).

• Education

  Student discount on Proton Unlimited

  Students verified through Student Beans get 62% off Proton Unlimited for the first 12 months. The subscription then renews at the regular price.

• Nonprofit

  Reduced pricing for nonprofits

  Proton offers nonprofit organizations reduced pricing through a customized quote from its sales team. No fixed percentage is published.