Overview
Proton is a Swiss privacy company best known for Proton Mail, the world's largest end-to-end encrypted email service. Founded in 2014 by Andy Yen, Jason Stockman, and Wei Sun, a group of scientists who met at CERN, Proton has expanded into a full encrypted ecosystem: Proton VPN, Drive, Calendar, Pass (password manager), Wallet, and Lumo. In 2024 Proton transitioned to a nonprofit structure, with the Proton Foundation as the main shareholder of Proton AG to safeguard its privacy mission.
AI Capabilities
Proton's AI offerings center on Lumo, a privacy-first AI assistant designed as an encrypted alternative to mainstream chatbots, with no chat logging on Proton's side and encrypted chat history for account holders. Lumo is available free with usage limits and via a paid Lumo Plus tier. Proton also offers Proton Scribe, an AI writing assistant for composing and improving emails, available on Duo and Family plans, all built around the company's privacy-by-design principles.
Who It Serves
Proton serves privacy-conscious individuals, journalists, activists, and businesses that want secure, encrypted alternatives to mainstream productivity and AI tools. Its nonprofit governance, Swiss jurisdiction, generous free tier, and growing AI suite make it a leading choice for users who prioritize data protection.