Proton Drive vs OneDrive: price and which to choose
Quick verdict
Proton Drive is end-to-end encrypted storage with a privacy suite on top — VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass from Unlimited. OneDrive comes inside Microsoft 365, where storage is bundled with the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps, Copilot and Microsoft Defender. If you need Office anyway, Microsoft 365 is more for one bill; if privacy is the point, Proton.
Option A
$4.99/moDrive Plus
Official price before tax: $4.99
Price checked
Also has a free plan: Proton Free
Proton Drive price and plans
Option B
$1.99/moMicrosoft 365 Basic
Official price before tax: $1.99
Price checked
Microsoft OneDrive price and plansWe compare plans with a similar purpose, whose features may differ; prices before sales tax; prices for other plans and periods are in the reviews.
Feature comparison
| Criterion | Proton Drive | Microsoft OneDrive |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption | End-to-end | Encrypted and scanned |
| Bundled | VPN, Mail, Pass (Unlimited) | Office apps, Copilot, Defender |
| Family | 3 TB, up to 6 users | Up to 6; 2 TB shared |
| Free | 5 GB | 5 GB |
| Try first | 30-day money-back | 1-month trial |
Both offer family plans for up to six people. The difference is what comes with the storage: privacy tools from Proton, productivity apps from Microsoft.
If you don’t want to read further
Encrypted files and a VPN — Proton Drive. Office apps, Copilot and storage in one subscription — Microsoft 365 with OneDrive.
What really sets them apart
In each row, the last sentence matters most — what the difference means for you.
Encryption?
Proton Drive
End-to-end — Proton says not even it can access your files.
Microsoft OneDrive
Files are encrypted and scanned; Microsoft monitors for suspicious activity.
For zero-access privacy, Proton.
What comes with the storage?
Proton Drive
From Unlimited: Proton VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass.
Microsoft OneDrive
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps, Copilot and Microsoft Defender (Personal and up).
If you’d pay for Office anyway, Microsoft 365.
Family storage?
Proton Drive
Proton Family: 3 TB for up to 6 users.
Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft 365 Family: up to 6 people sharing 2 TB.
Check Microsoft’s checkout for the exact Family storage.
Free storage?
Proton Drive
5 GB, with a document and spreadsheet editor.
Microsoft OneDrive
5 GB with every Microsoft account.
The same free amount.
Trial or refund?
Proton Drive
30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans.
Microsoft OneDrive
1-month free trial of Personal, Family and Premium; renews automatically.
Microsoft lets you try before paying; Proton refunds after paying.
Where they don’t differ, even though it seems they should
This part is often more useful than the list of differences — it saves money for anyone who was about to pay for an imaginary advantage.
Up to six people
Proton Family and Microsoft 365 Family both cover up to six.
Yearly saving
Both are cheaper per month when billed yearly (Microsoft: up to 17%).
Ransomware and recovery
Proton keeps file versions; OneDrive has ransomware protection.
Which one fits whom
| Your situation | What to choose | On what condition |
|---|---|---|
| You want private, encrypted files | Proton Drive | End-to-end on every plan. |
| You need Word and Excel | Microsoft 365 Personal or Family | Desktop apps with storage. |
| You want a VPN in the same bill | Proton Unlimited | VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass. |
| You want to try first | Microsoft 365 | 1-month free trial. |
- Microsoft 365 renews automatically at the regular price, including after the free month.
- On Microsoft 365 Family, AI features are for the subscription owner only.
- Proton’s lowest monthly prices are for yearly billing.
- Proton Drive Plus is storage only — the VPN starts with Unlimited.
Where the facts come from
Sources: proton.me and microsoft.com for the US. Microsoft’s pages give two answers for Family storage; both are shown. Prices are in the price blocks on each service’s page.
Facts in the text checked: .
FAQ: Proton Drive or Microsoft OneDrive
Other comparisons
The same products against other competitors, and other comparisons in the “Cloud storage” category.
Where their scores differ
Only criteria we’ve checked for both services and where the scores differ. Equal criteria and criteria without data aren’t shown here, because they add nothing to the decision.
If what matters most is — encryption: Proton Drive Drive Plus
Proton Drive Drive Plus: zero-knowledge — the provider has no keys (5,0/5) · Microsoft OneDrive Microsoft 365 Basic: the provider manages the keys (2,0/5)
If what matters most is — version history: Proton Drive Drive Plus
Proton Drive Drive Plus: 10 years (5,0/5) · Microsoft OneDrive Microsoft 365 Basic: 30 days (3,0/5)
If what matters most is — amount of storage: Proton Drive Drive Plus
Proton Drive Drive Plus: 200 GB (3,0/5) · Microsoft OneDrive Microsoft 365 Basic: 100 GB (2,0/5)
If what matters most is — app rating: Microsoft OneDrive Microsoft 365 Basic
Proton Drive Drive Plus: 4,1 out of 5 (4,1/5) · Microsoft OneDrive Microsoft 365 Basic: 4,7 out of 5 (4,7/5)
The scores and their weights are the same as in the reviews of both services. How we calculate
Comparison text updated: