What if every budget, forecast, or board report your team builds in a spreadsheet stopped being a potential data liability—and became a privacy asset instead?
On December 4, 2025, Proton quietly crossed that line in the sand with Proton Sheets, a fully end-to-end encrypted spreadsheet software built into Proton Drive—an Excel rival that does more than imitate formulas and charts. It challenges the very business model behind today's dominant productivity apps like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and Google Drive.
From convenience-first to privacy-first
Most modern document services and productivity software were designed for speed, scale, and collaboration—not for data privacy. As Avant Vijay Singh, Head of Product for Proton Drive, points out, many Big Tech giants now wrap their office suite and collaboration tools around a single priority: turning your organization's behavior into fuel for AI training pipelines and data mining.
Every model, sales tracker, or cash-flow projection you build becomes part of an invisible feedback loop. The more your business runs in those tools, the more value you hand over.
Proton Sheets is a direct response to that trade-off.
- All content is end-to-end encrypted by default—files, formulas, and even metadata like filenames.
- Not even Proton can see the data inside your spreadsheets.
- Your spreadsheets stop being part of someone else's product roadmap and remain strictly your business tools.
A familiar spreadsheet – with a different philosophy
Functionally, Proton Sheets behaves like the spreadsheet application you already know:
- Build charts and graphs to visualize performance
- Use formulas for fast calculations and analysis
- Handle data management with sorting, filtering, and validation
- Use import/export functionality for CSV and XLS files to move work from other platforms
- Collaborate with teams in real time, with granular file sharing controls
From a user's perspective, it's "just another spreadsheet." From a governance perspective, it's a fundamentally different productivity app.
You still get:
- Secure cloud storage via Proton Drive
- Real-time business collaboration across your teams
- Cross-device access like any modern office suite
But you also get something rarer: a privacy-focused foundation that doesn't treat your operational spreadsheets as training data.
Spreadsheets as an attack surface—or as a security layer
Think about how much of your organization truly lives in spreadsheets:
- Revenue models and pricing logic
- Hiring plans and compensation structures
- Customer cohorts and pipeline analysis
- M&A models and board materials
In most companies, this is the crown-jewel layer of data management—and it's usually sitting in tools whose revenue depends on understanding users at scale.
By moving that layer into Proton Sheets, you effectively convert a major user surveillance risk into a data security advantage:
- Sensitive spreadsheets become unreadable to platform providers and intermediaries
- Shared files between teams or partners remain protected by end-to-end encryption
- Your AI strategy becomes a deliberate choice—not a side effect of your cloud storage provider
Instead of asking, "Who else can see this model?" you start asking, "Who must see it?" and configure collaboration tools accordingly.
A privacy alternative to Big Tech office suites
With Proton Sheets joining Proton Calendar, Proton Docs, Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass (PCMag's pick for best free password manager), Proton is assembling a genuine privacy alternative to traditional office suites and document services.
For leaders, that unlocks a different kind of conversation:
- Do our business tools reinforce our risk posture—or undermine it?
- Is our "standard" productivity app stack compatible with our obligation to protect customer and employee data?
- What would it mean if AI training pipelines could never silently learn from our financials or R&D spreadsheets?
In other words: Is your office suite aligned with your security strategy—or in conflict with it?
Lowering the barrier to opting out
Crucially, Proton hasn't positioned Proton Sheets as an enterprise-only luxury. If you have a Proton Drive account, you can use Sheets:
- Free tier with 5GB storage for individuals and small teams
- Paid tiers up to 3TB storage for heavier cloud storage and data management needs
That means your finance lead, your legal team, or your CISO can start carving out sensitive workflows from Google Drive, Google Sheets, or Microsoft Excel Online without asking the entire company to migrate overnight.
You can keep commodity work where it is—and move strategic work to a privacy-focused environment.
The bigger shift: from "nothing to hide" to "everything worth protecting"
Underneath the launch of Proton Sheets is a more provocative idea for business leaders:
Maybe the question isn't, "Do we have anything to hide?"
Maybe the question is, "Why are we giving away the very data that defines our competitive edge?"
When your spreadsheet software is:
- End-to-end encrypted
- Designed as a privacy alternative rather than a data-harvesting platform
- Integrated into a secure productivity apps ecosystem (Mail, Docs, Calendar, password manager, VPN)
…then every forecast, staffing plan, and scenario model becomes not just an operational artifact but part of your digital moat.
For organizations looking to enhance their data security posture, comprehensive security frameworks can help establish the foundation for privacy-first operations.
A thought to leave with your team
Next time you open a spreadsheet in a mainstream office suite, ask:
- If this file contained our most sensitive strategic bet, would we still be comfortable creating it here?
- If not, why are we comfortable putting anything less sensitive here at all?
The launch of Proton Sheets is not just another "Excel rival ready to take on Google Drive." It's an invitation to redesign how your organization thinks about productivity software, data security, and the true cost of convenience in the age of AI.
For teams ready to implement privacy-first workflows, Make.com offers automation solutions that can help bridge the gap between security and productivity, while SaaS internal controls frameworks provide the governance structure needed for secure digital operations.
What is Proton Sheets?
Proton Sheets is an end‑to‑end encrypted spreadsheet application built into Proton Drive (launched December 4, 2025). It offers familiar spreadsheet functionality—formulas, charts, sorting/filtering and real‑time collaboration—while keeping file contents and metadata private so that not even Proton can read them.
How is Proton Sheets different from Google Sheets or Excel Online?
The key difference is privacy by design: Proton Sheets encrypts file contents, formulas and metadata end‑to‑end by default. Unlike mainstream cloud office suites that can access and analyze your documents, Proton cannot read your spreadsheets—so your business models and strategic data are not usable as training data or product telemetry.
If Proton can't read the data, how does collaboration work?
Collaboration is enabled through cryptographic sharing mechanisms so authorized users can decrypt and edit files in real time. Proton Sheets provides granular file‑sharing controls so you decide who must have access; however, the platform itself never has plaintext access to the content.
Can I import and export files from Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Proton Sheets supports import and export of common formats (CSV and XLS/XLSX) so you can move existing work into and out of Proton Drive. This makes it practical to keep sensitive workflows on Proton while leaving commodity documents on other platforms.
Do formulas, charts and real‑time features work like a normal spreadsheet?
Functionally, Proton Sheets offers the expected spreadsheet features—formulas, charts/graphs, sorting, filtering and validation—so users experience familiar workflows. Behind the scenes those elements are encrypted to preserve privacy.
Who holds the encryption keys? Can Proton decrypt my files?
Proton Sheets is designed so the platform cannot read your spreadsheets; files and metadata are end‑to‑end encrypted. That means Proton does not have access to plaintext data. Collaboration and sharing are handled with client‑side cryptography so authorized users can decrypt content without the provider having visibility.
Are there any limitations because of end‑to‑end encryption (search, indexing, previews)?
Because contents and metadata (including filenames) are encrypted, server‑side indexing and provider‑side full‑text search or content previews are limited compared with non‑encrypted services. Many features that require provider access to plaintext are necessarily restricted; Proton Sheets focuses on client‑side decryption and in‑app tools to enable workflows while preserving privacy.
How does this affect compliance, audits and eDiscovery?
Because Proton cannot access file contents, platform‑side eDiscovery or provider‑run content audits aren't possible. Organizations should plan compliance workflows that either (a) export decrypted copies when legally required, (b) use internal audit processes within the organization's trust boundary, or (c) maintain a parallel, searchable copy in a compliant environment. Consult legal and compliance teams and consider internal controls and automation to bridge needs.
Can I use Proton Sheets for enterprise‑grade sensitive materials like board reports, M&A models or compensation plans?
Yes. Proton Sheets is specifically positioned for those kinds of high‑sensitivity workflows: financial forecasts, M&A models, compensation structures and other crown‑jewel spreadsheets can be stored and shared in an environment where the provider cannot access their contents. For organizations implementing comprehensive security frameworks, this represents a significant step toward privacy-first operations.
How does pricing and tiers work for Proton Drive / Sheets?
Proton Drive accounts can use Sheets. There is a free tier with 5 GB of storage for individuals and small teams, and paid tiers that expand storage up to multi‑terabyte limits (Proton currently offers plans up to 3 TB). Check Proton's pricing page for current plan details and feature comparisons.
Will moving sensitive spreadsheets to Proton Sheets break my automations and integrations?
Some third‑party integrations that expect provider access to plaintext may not work directly with end‑to‑end encrypted files. However, Proton supports import/export for common formats and you can use automation tools or workflows that operate inside your trust boundary (for example, running automations after decrypting files locally). Tools like Make.com can also help bridge automation while respecting encryption constraints.
Can I adopt Proton Sheets gradually or do I need a full migration?
Proton Sheets is designed to lower the barrier to opting out of Big Tech suites. Teams can selectively move strategic or sensitive spreadsheets to Proton while keeping commodity work on other platforms—no full‑company migration is required. This allows finance, legal or security teams to protect high‑risk workflows first.
Does Proton Sheets integrate with the rest of Proton's suite?
Yes—Proton Sheets is part of the Proton ecosystem alongside Proton Drive, Mail, Docs, Calendar, VPN and Pass. This creates a privacy‑focused productivity stack so organizations can align document, communication and access tools under the same end‑to‑end encryption principles.
Are there performance tradeoffs compared with mainstream cloud spreadsheets?
Users should expect broadly similar functionality for everyday spreadsheet work, but some advanced provider‑side conveniences (such as server‑side indexing, provider‑driven analytics or certain automated integrations) may be limited by encryption. Proton focuses on delivering real‑time collaboration and core spreadsheet features while prioritizing privacy; evaluate based on your performance and integration needs.
How should organizations update policies and governance when using Proton Sheets?
Treat Proton Sheets as a secure enclave for high‑sensitivity work. Update data classification policies to define what belongs in encrypted storage, adjust eDiscovery and audit processes to account for zero‑access encryption, and use internal controls (SaaS governance frameworks, documented workflows and selective migration) to balance productivity with legal and compliance obligations.
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