With Proton Meet, Proton unveils a video conferencing solution that takes on the established players. The big advantage: Proton Meet is not American.
Proton launches Proton Meet. This is a video conferencing solution that positions Proton directly against Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom. As expected, Proton is adding an important pillar to its own office suite: Meet will sit alongside Mail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, and Sheets, among others. Add VPN, Pass (a password and identity manager), and Lumo AI to that, and you have the Proton Workspace bundle.
Privacy and encryption
With Workspace in general, and now Meet specifically, Proton is competing with major players in office work. The company seeks to differentiate itself by using privacy as a key asset. After all, Proton is a Swiss company, while its competitors are all headquartered in the US and are therefore subject to American legislation. Proton itself refers to the Cloud Act.
Proton Meet will therefore protect calls with end-to-end encryption. This makes it impossible for Proton to monitor or record conversations. Teams also has end-to-end encryption, but only as an option for one-on-one video calls. Google Meet supports end-to-end encryption somewhat more broadly, and you can also activate encryption in Zoom under certain conditions. Proton is confident that its own solution goes much further: all calls (and chats) are encrypted by default.
Functionality
In terms of functionality, Proton aims to match Microsoft, Google, and Zoom. So you can not only talk but also share your screen and host video conferences. Proton Meet is compatible with computers and mobile devices.
Furthermore, Proton highlights the integration of Proton Meet with the broader Workspace bundle. For example, Meet is integrated into your calendar. Proton realizes that the whole world won’t suddenly say goodbye to Microsoft and Google, so it also provides integration options with the calendars of those tech giants.
Free and without an account
Proton Meet is designed to work smoothly for those without an account. Simply create a link and invite a participant with that link. The recipient does not need to create an account. You don’t even need a Proton account to start using Proton Meet: free use without logging in is currently possible for up to 50 users for a maximum of one hour.
Of course, there is also a paid option. Meet Professional, which offers more features and fewer limitations, is available for 7.99 euros per user per month. Proton is also integrating Meet into its Workspace Standard and Workspace Premium bundles.