I’ve been a Google Drive user for well over a decade but have been playing with the idea of de-Googling my life for a while now. I’ve tried several times, but I keep coming back to the company’s apps because they’re so easy to use and work seamlessly together.

I wanted to give it another shot, and I think I’m finally at a point where I’m able to say goodbye to at least some of the biggest Google apps, including Drive, Photos, and Docs. And that’s thanks to Proton Drive, a well-known privacy-focused app that merges the three into one.

While I like the overall experience, there are several drawbacks to Proton’s apps that make it less than an ideal solution for many people. But for those like me who want to ditch Google for security reasons, Proton is hard to beat.

Those of you who know Proton can already guess the main reason for the switch — it’s privacy. While Google’s apps are generally safe against bad actors thanks to features like 2FA and the company’s commitment to security, I have one major problem with them: Google doesn’t support end-to-end encryption for consumer accounts.

This means the company can technically see everything in my account if it wants to — all my documents, images, and other files. That includes emails, notes in Keep, and my conversations with Gemini. The older I get, the more I cherish my privacy, and the idea of someone (or something) accessing my personal files with just a few clicks is scary. Furthermore, Google generally has to share data with governments when asked. While I don’t think any government is targeting me, the thought of it happening is frightening to say the least.

Here’s where Proton Drive comes in. The Swiss-based company offers end-to-end encryption, which basically means that I, and I alone, have access to the files in my account. Proton doesn’t have the decryption keys, so even if the company wanted to see what’s in my account, it couldn’t. It also means that if a government agency asks for data, Proton simply has nothing readable to hand over.

Then there’s AI. While I trust that Google employees aren’t randomly going through my images, AI definitely is. Gemini basically scans every image, email, and document in a Google account by default to provide features like natural language image search. For example, searching for “cat” brings up all your feline photos because the AI has scanned and labeled them. I don’t like the idea of AI analyzing all my data, and I’m not alone. My colleague Tushar recently shared his thoughts on the matter, explaining how he’s bothered by this feature being turned on by default.

There’s none of that in Proton Drive. No AI scanning my docs. No company employees having access to my files. Everything is private by default, giving me peace of mind about my sensitive business documents and personal thoughts jotted down in Proton Docs.

While privacy is the main catalyst, I also really enjoy specific Proton Drive features that make it a better option than Google Drive in many ways. The first thing I noticed is that Proton Drive keeps everything under one roof. This includes all the files I upload, the documents I create in Proton Docs, and all the photos I back up.

Google does things differently. Photos is considered its own service with a dedicated app and website, and your images don’t natively appear in the Google Drive app anymore. It’s a small difference, but one I actually prefer — though I may be in the minority. Opening Proton Drive shows me all my important files in one place without needing to switch apps.

To my surprise, I’ve been very impressed with Proton Docs. I write for a living, and this Google Docs alternative offers everything I need. Compared to Google, it’s a lot cleaner and simpler, without skimping on formatting features.

While I’ve used Google Docs extensively over the years, I’ve never been a big fan of its cluttered design. Between the menu bar at the top, the massive formatting ribbon, and shortcuts to various Google Workspace tools on the right, it feels excessive. You can hide a lot of it, but I still prefer Proton’s philosophy. Proton Docs is minimalist at its core, allowing me to focus on writing while only keeping the essential formatting options in view. I don’t need to tweak the page once I open it — it’s perfect the way it is.

Photo management is also easy, thanks to the ability to create albums and sort files by type (videos, photos, screenshots) with a simple click. I can change the theme to customize the interface, and I enjoy the dedicated “Shared” tab that lets me see all files shared with me in one place. The app is incredibly easy to use and less cluttered than Google Drive. However, it’s far from perfect.

Because it’s so fiercely privacy-focused, Proton Drive lacks a lot of the convenience features Google Drive and Photos offer. All those AI-powered tools that speed things up are absent. Search is basic — you can’t search for “beach” or photos of a specific person. That would require AI scanning, which Proton fundamentally opposes.

Proton also lacks photo editing capabilities. There’s no Magic Eraser or Gemini integration to summarize your documents. There’s also no equivalent to Google Photos’ Locked Folder, which separates sensitive images from your main grid. Granted, Proton won’t randomly surface old photos via an “Over the years” feature to an unsuspecting friend looking over your shoulder, but a dedicated vault for sensitive images would still be a great addition to prevent awkward swiping accidents.

The UI feels a bit more old-school, and while the app is fast, it occasionally takes a fraction of a second longer to load a file or image than Google Drive does.

Then there’s the price. A free Proton Drive account only gives you 5GB of storage, while a Google account gets you 15GB. 5GB isn’t enough for most people, so you’ll likely need to upgrade. Their 200GB plan costs $4.99 per month, which is $2 more than the equivalent Google One tier.

The battle between Proton Drive and Google Drive is ultimately a battle between privacy and features. Google offers a lot more overall: it’s feature-packed, the design is modern, and the ecosystem is incredibly mature.

However, Proton offers absolute privacy. For my workflow, Proton Docs is slightly better than Google Docs, and having all my files and photos under one roof is a massive plus. I’m definitely staying with Proton for now. I sleep better at night knowing my data is safe from prying eyes, and while I miss a few of Google’s conveniences, the compromise is worth it to me.

Your mileage may vary, though. If you can’t live without Google’s AI-powered features and you trust Google enough that privacy isn’t your primary concern, switching to Proton is probably pointless. But if you’re in the same boat as I am, trying to reclaim your digital footprint, Proton Drive is hard to beat.

For me, this is just the start. The Swiss company offers many other apps bundled in its Unlimited plan (starts at $10/month), including Proton Calendar, Mail, Pass, and VPN. I’ll be doing a deep dive into those soon in hopes of ditching a few more Google services.