Proton Sheets vs Zoho Sheet
We give Proton Sheets a 3.4 GPA and Zoho Sheet a 4.0, out of 4.0. Zoho Sheet grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Proton Sheets
End-to-end encrypted online spreadsheets inside Proton Drive
Zoho Sheet
Collaborative online spreadsheet with a free version
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAProton SheetsVery good | 4.0GPAZoho SheetExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThere's no Sheets plan to buy. It comes with Proton Drive, and Drive Plus is $3.99 a month billed yearly for 200 GB, well under the $9.99 this category typically starts at. Paying buys storage and other Proton services, not more spreadsheet. | ATeams get it with Zoho WorkDrive from $2.50 a user a month billed annually, or with Workplace from $3. Spreadsheet plans typically start nearer $10, so that's cheap, and file storage and the rest of Zoho's office suite come along. WorkDrive plans start at 3 users, mind. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with any Proton Drive account, with 5 GB of encrypted storage and the whole editor. Most people could stay here. Bear in mind that the 5 GB is shared with the files, photos and documents you keep in Drive. | AThe version for individuals is free on the web and in the phone and desktop apps, with sharing and real-time collaboration included. If it's just you, nothing pushes you to pay. Want the team side? There's a 15-day trial of WorkDrive or Workplace with no card. |
| Features | BEnd-to-end encryption, named cursors, notes on cells, and public links with an optional password and expiration date. The spreadsheet side is solid basics: built-in functions, bar, line and pie charts, conditional formatting, data validation and tabs. It imports and exports XLSX, CSV and TSV. | AMore than 350 functions, more than 35 chart types, pivot tables, and macros you record or bring over as VBA. Zia suggests charts and cleans up duplicates and missing values. Data Connection pulls records from Zoho CRM, or a CSV at a URL, and refreshes them on a schedule. |
| Ease of use | BNo app rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. If you have a Proton account it's already in your Drive, and changes sync without a save step. People you invite by email need a Proton Account, though a public link gets round that. | A4.6 from 942 App Store ratings, a small crowd but a happy one. It works with Excel files as they are, and Zia answers questions about your data in plain English. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android. But the only connections on record are Proton's own Drive and Docs, and in the Windows and macOS Drive apps a spreadsheet is a placeholder file that opens in the browser. | AWeb, Windows, macOS, iPhone and Android, with an API and links to Zoho CRM, Zoho Forms, Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox. The desktop apps are still labelled beta, though, and the iPad app can't work offline yet. |
| Best for | spreadsheets that even the provider can't read | a free online spreadsheet with macros and locked cells |
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: Proton Sheets and Zoho Sheet. How we grade
Where they differ
- Proton Sheets starts at $3.99 per month, billed yearly (Drive Plus). Zoho Sheet starts at $2.50 per user / month, billed annually (Zoho WorkDrive Starter).
- Only Zoho Sheet lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Proton Sheets is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Zoho Sheet also covers templates.
At a glance
| Proton Sheets | Zoho Sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.99 per month, billed yearly (Drive Plus) | $2.50 per user / month, billed annually (Zoho WorkDrive Starter) |
| Free plan | Proton Free: 5 GB of end-to-end encrypted storage with the online document and spreadsheet editor. Anyone with a Proton Drive account can use Sheets at no charge. | Zoho offers a free version of Sheet for individuals, and describes the web, mobile and beta desktop apps as free to use. Teams subscribe through WorkDrive, Workplace or Zoho One. |
| Free trial | None listed | 15-day free trial of Zoho WorkDrive or Zoho Workplace, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Proton AG | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | proton.me | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Proton Sheets
- People who want spreadsheets the provider itself cannot read
- Teams handling client or financial data under privacy requirements
- Existing Proton Drive users who want a spreadsheet in the same account
Zoho Sheet
- Individuals who want a spreadsheet at no cost on web, desktop and mobile
- Teams already using Zoho Workplace, WorkDrive or Zoho One
- Shared spreadsheets where some cells must stay locked
Worth knowing
Proton Sheets
- There is no standalone Sheets plan; it is part of Proton Drive, and the paid plans differ in storage and bundled Proton services.
- In the Windows and macOS Drive apps a spreadsheet is only a placeholder file that opens in the browser at docs.proton.me.
- People invited by email need a Proton Account to open a shared spreadsheet; public links do not require one.
- The free plan's 5 GB of storage is shared with files, photos and documents kept in Proton Drive.
Zoho Sheet
- There is no standalone paid Sheet plan; teams get it through a Zoho WorkDrive, Zoho Workplace or Zoho One subscription.
- The Windows and macOS desktop apps are labeled beta, and the Windows app does not sync offline edits automatically.
- Offline use is available on iPhone but not yet in the iPad app, which Zoho says is under development.
- Organizations without one of those subscriptions pay $10 per device for the Zoho Office desktop apps; the page does not show a billing period.
Key features
Proton Sheets
- End-to-end encryption by default
- Spreadsheets are encrypted on the device before upload, including metadata such as file names, so no one but the owner and invited collaborators can read them, not even Proton.
- Real-time collaboration
- Edits from other people appear as they type, each collaborator has a named cursor, and notes can be attached to cells. Changes sync without a save step.
- Sharing controls
- Share with specific people as Editor or Viewer, or create a public link with an optional password and expiration date. Access can be changed or revoked at any time.
- Formulas, charts and data tools
- Built-in functions such as SUM and IF, bar, line and pie charts, conditional formatting, data validation and multiple tabs in one spreadsheet.
- Import and export
- Imports CSV, TSV and XLSX files into a new or existing sheet and downloads spreadsheets as XLSX, CSV or TSV. ODS import and export were added in beta in February 2026.
Zoho Sheet
- Real-time collaboration with cell locking
- Collaborators edit and comment on a spreadsheet together. Cells can be locked for everyone or for specific people, earlier versions restored, and each change reviewed in the audit trail.
- Zia AI assistant
- Zia suggests charts and pivot tables for a data set and answers questions about the data in plain English. A ChatGPT-powered option generates sample data, formulas and VBA macro code.
- Data cleaning
- An automatic Data Cleaning tool finds duplicate entries, missing values and inconsistent data and suggests fixes that are applied with a click.
- Charts, pivot tables and functions
- More than 35 chart types, a pivot table builder and more than 350 built-in functions, plus custom functions for a team's own logic.
- Excel files and VBA macros
- Works with XLS, XLSX and XLSM files as well as CSV and TSV. Existing VBA code can be reused, and macros can be recorded or written from scratch.
- Data connections
- Data Connection pulls records from Zoho apps such as CRM, Books and Campaigns, and from CSV, RSS or HTML sources by URL, and refreshes them on a schedule.
Plans
Proton Sheets
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 Sheets, 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 Sheets: 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 Sheets.
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.
Zoho Sheet
Free$0
The version for individuals: spreadsheets on the web and in the mobile and desktop apps, with sharing and real-time collaboration.
WorkDrive Starter$2.50
per user / month, billed annually ($3 monthly); min. 3 users
Zoho WorkDrive with the Zoho Office Suite, including Sheet, and 1 TB of team storage for 3 to 10 users.
Workplace Standard$3
per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
Zoho Workplace: Sheet, Writer and Show alongside Mail with 30 GB per user, WorkDrive, Cliq and Meeting.
WorkDrive Team$4.50
per user / month, billed annually ($6 monthly); min. 3 users
3 TB of team storage for 3 to 10 users, a 50 GB upload limit per file and data recovery for up to 120 days.
Workplace Professional$6
per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
100 GB of mail storage per user, 1 TB of team file storage, email retention and eDiscovery, and the Connect intranet.
WorkDrive Business$9
per user / month, billed annually ($11 monthly); min. 3 users
5 TB of team storage for 3 to 10 users, custom workflows, data loss prevention policies and an admin audit trail.
Ways to pay less
Proton Sheets
- 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).
Zoho Sheet
- Annual discount
Lower WorkDrive rates with annual billing
WorkDrive Starter is $2.50 per user a month billed annually against $3 billed monthly. Team is $4.50 against $6 and Business $9 against $11.
- Annual discount
Lower Workplace rates with annual billing
Workplace Standard is $3 per user a month billed annually against $4 billed monthly, and Workplace Professional is $6 against $7.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On October 9, 2026 the price list behind the WorkDrive pricing page gave Starter as ₹140 per user a month billed annually for India, against $2.50 in US dollars. Workplace Standard was ₹99 against $3.
