I’m getting ready to move off of Google (and Private Internet Access), and Proton is looking like the best option. But I’m nervous. Some of the things I worry about:
- Calendar support: I rely really heavily on Google Calendar. How will I share events with others? And what will I do without Google Tasks?
- VPN App Quality: Seeing some mixed reviews on Proton VPN Android app.
- Proton ethics & politics: Look, I really don’t want to open up the holy war here. My big stipulation is: I don’t want my money to go to a company that will donate its money or services to fascists. To my knowledge, Proton does not do that. I know they made a post that seemed to praise GOP antitrust efforts. I do not believe that that is the same thing as lending material support for fascists. (And, as someone who is very well read-in on antitrust issues, I’ll say that – for a lot of complicated reasons – there is some truth to Proton’s post, but I wish they had framed it as a critique of the corporate wing of the Democratic party and not praise of the GOP.)
- Anything else I haven’t thought to ask.
So, folks who have made the switch: What do you wish you had known? What do you wish you had done to make the move easier?
Thank you for your advice.
Get a custom domain so that your new email address isn’t tied to Proton. If Proton goes to shit it will be much easier to just take mail@mulcahey.com with you to your new email provider. I wish I had done this with Gmail so that it would’ve been easier to move to Proton.
Mail@name is so much better than mine first@fullname.
100% this! Proton pass is convenient, but their email forwarding locks you into their ecosystem, and they limit your aliasing for your own custom domain. I started using it, and its nice, but I wish I knew about annonaddy before. I’d prefer making aliases using a custom domain so if i have to respond with a forwarded alias I can manage a way to reply from it, plus if I ever decide to leave proton, its not a road block. Sure you can usually change email addresses on sites, but may end up being a ton of work depending how many aliases you have, and how annoying the site makes it.
As someone with a tuta.io email address who might have to switch in the future because of .io potentially going away… Good tip. I needed it 3 years ago.
Oof. Didn’t know that was the case. That’s rough.