Updated September 28, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team
IDrive Inc. vs Proton
IDrive Inc. vs Proton: the differences
| Compare |  IDrive Inc. |  Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Free storage | 10Higher | 5 |
| Price per TB per year | $12 to $23.98Lower | $95.88 |
| Jurisdiction | US | CH |
| Compliance certifications | SOC 2 Type 2, SSAE 18, ISO 27001, PCI DSS | ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II |
Same on both: Zero-knowledge encryption (Yes).
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Key differences
- IDrive Inc. scores higher overall: 9.6 vs 9.3.
- Free storage is higher at IDrive Inc.: 10 vs 5.
- Price per TB per year is lower at IDrive Inc.: $12 to $23.98 vs $95.88.
- Support channels: only IDrive Inc. offers Phone.
- Support channels: only Proton offers Community.
- Compliance certifications: only IDrive Inc. offers SOC 2 Type 2, SSAE 18, PCI DSS.
- Compliance certifications: only Proton offers SOC 2 Type II.
- Pricing model: only IDrive Inc. offers Budget.
Our verdict on each
IDrive Inc.
IDrive Inc. suits households and small teams that want encrypted backup without a large bill: fees per terabyte run $12 to $23.98 a year. Shoppers choosing mainly on free space should check MEGA or Degoo first, and buyers needing a non US legal home will find the US terms a limit.
Proton
Proton bundles a password manager, VPN and encrypted storage in one account, with Pass starting at $4.99 and a free tier. It suits readers who want passwords, private files and a VPN in a single subscription, and who can live with free plan limits that leave out an authenticator, password sharing and file attachments.
Score breakdown
| Area | IDrive Inc. | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 10.0HigherFees of $12 to $23.98 per terabyte per year put IDrive Inc. at position 1 of 31. | 9.2Entry at $4.99 sits under the site median of €6.84, with storage at $95.88 per TB per year and a free plan. |
| Offer | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| Privacy | 9.2Higher | 9.1 |
How the counts compare
| Fact | IDrive Inc. | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Free storage | 10 | 5 |
| Price per TB per year | $12 to $23.98 | $95.88 |
What it costs in practice
2 TB for a year
IDrive Inc.
$24 to $47.96
2 × $12 to $23.98
Proton
$191.76
2 × $95.88
IDrive Inc. costs $167.76 less.
Worked out from the stated prices and rates; your own total depends on how you use it. Facts checked September 26, 2026.
Positions in our rankings
| Ranking | IDrive Inc. | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy tools | 61 of 280 | 10 of 280 |
| Secure cloud storage and backup | 5 of 70 | 2 of 70 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | IDrive Inc. | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free, BudgetCovers more | Free |
| Legal entity | IDrive Inc. | Proton AG |
| Headquarters | United States | Switzerland |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 2014 |
| Support channels | Chat, Email, Phone, Help centre | Email, Chat, Help centre, Community |
VPN
| Fact | IDrive Inc. | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Devices | Not confirmed | 10 |
| Server countries | Not confirmed | 140 |
| Features | Not confirmed | No logs, Streaming, Travel |
| Audience | Not confirmed | Business |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Protocols | Not confirmed | WireGuard, OpenVPN |
| Features | Not confirmed | Kill switch |
| Streaming services | Not confirmed | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu |
| Platforms | Not confirmed | Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web app, Command line interface, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Brave |
| Owner | Not confirmed | Proton Foundation |
| Longest plan (months) | Not confirmed | 24 months |
Password managers
| Fact | IDrive Inc. | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Not confirmed | $4.99 |
| Free plan | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Family plan | Not confirmed | Pass Family: up to 6 users, includes 6 Pass Plus accounts and an admin panel |
| Passkeys | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Security audit | Not confirmed | Independently audited by third-party experts (Cure53 audit published July 2023), open source under GPLv3, public bug bounty |
| Encryption | Not confirmed | End-to-end encryption; 256-bit AES-GCM encrypted vaults; OpenPGP with ECC (Curve25519) for vault keys |
| Open source | Not confirmed | Yes |
Secure email
| Fact | IDrive Inc. | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan limits | Not confirmed | Unlimited logins, notes, credit cards and devices; 10 hide-my-email aliases; passkeys and password health alerts; no 2FA authenticator, secure sharing, file attachments or dark web monitoring |
| End-to-end encryption | Not confirmed | All fields end-to-end encrypted: passwords, usernames, web addresses, credit cards, note contents and metadata; 256-bit AES-GCM vaults; only the user can decrypt, Proton cannot |
| Custom domains | Not confirmed | Yes |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | IDrive Inc. | Proton | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free storage | 10above the median | 5at the median | 5 |
| Price per TB per year | $12 to $23.98lowest quarter | $95.88above the median | $89.25 |
Median across 36 listed providers.
Pros and cons
IDrive Inc.
Pros
- Compliance statements list SOC 2 Type 2, SSAE 18 and ISO 27001, so a business buyer has named standards to check rather than a claim to take on trust.
- Support runs on chat, email and phone, giving a reader both a live route and a written one when a restore stalls.
- Encryption only the password holder can unlock: the terms answer yes, so the strongest privacy setting in this group is written into the contract rather than into a pitch.
Cons
- The free allowance of 10 is smaller than MEGA at 20 and Degoo at 20.
- Free storage ranks position 8 of 36, so the free tier sits mid table while the paid rate leads the group.
- The terms place IDrive Inc. under US jurisdiction at US, which counts against anyone who wants a non US legal home.
Proton
Pros
- A single account covers a password manager, a VPN and end-to-end encrypted storage, with a free plan to start.
- Passkeys, custom domains and a Family plan with an admin panel suit single-user and shared use.
- Vaults use AES-GCM encryption with OpenPGP and ECC keys, and only the account holder can decrypt.
Cons
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre with no phone line.
- Free plan limits leave out the authenticator app, password sharing, attachments and dark web monitoring.
- Extra storage costs $95.88 per TB per year beyond 5 GB free.
Who each suits
IDrive Inc.
Who it suits
- Households backing up a growing photo library who will pay by the terabyte rather than watch a monthly bill.
- Small teams that need audit paperwork on file: the compliance statement lists SOC 2 Type 2, SSAE 18 and ISO 27001.
- Readers who want a free start of 10 and a cheap step up once files grow past it.
Who should look elsewhere
- Shoppers choosing on the free box alone: MEGA at 20 and Degoo at 20 both start higher than IDrive Inc.
- Readers who want the smallest free box or a bundled ecosystem option: Apple Inc. gives 5.
Proton
Who it suits
- Readers who want a password manager, a VPN and private files under a single subscription rather than separate products.
- Households and small teams that need shared accounts, since the Family plan bundles several Pass Plus accounts and an admin panel.
- Buyers who care about open source under a copyleft licence, outside security audits and a public bug bounty.
Who should look elsewhere
- Apple Hide My Email at $0.99 if email aliasing is the whole job, since Proton adds a VPN, storage and a password manager.
- Apple Inc. at $0.99 when aliasing is the priority; Proton's $4.99 entry brings a VPN, storage and password manager in the same account.
- EasyOptOuts at $19.99 for a single higher priced subscription, against Proton's $4.99 entry and a free plan.
Current offers
IDrive Inc.
Current offer
First period offer
Save 30% off your first year (up to 50% off with a 2 year plan): 30% off first year, up to 50% off first year on 2-year plans
New signups only, limited time only; 50% applies to a 2-year plan; discounted price applies to the first year, standard pricing from the second year; discounts not available for signup from IDrive mobile apps
Source, checked September 26, 2026
First period offer
Switch Today 95% OFF: $4.98 for the first year (95% off $99.50/year)
Switch offer shown on the IDrive homepage; struck price $99.50/year
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Free trial
Cloud Applications Backup free trial: 7-day free trial
Add-on service, not part of the Personal cloud backup plan
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Proton
Current offer
Discount code
40% off Pass Plus: 40% off
Shown on the Proton Pass pricing page alongside a 30-day money-back guarantee; applies to the Pass Plus paid plan
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Questions about each
IDrive Inc.
How much does IDrive Inc. cost?+
IDrive Inc. prices by capacity, with fees of $12 to $23.98 per terabyte a year. The service is listed under free and budget, so there is a free option and a budget tier rather than one flat subscription. The free tier holds 10, so the practical question for most readers is how quickly a household outgrows that box.
Is there a free plan, and how much space is on it?+
Yes, the free and budget model listed under free and budget comes with 10 of free storage. That sits above Apple Inc. at 5 and below MEGA at 20 and Degoo at 20. A reader who only needs somewhere to park documents and a few photos will not fill it quickly.
Proton
How much is Proton Pass at the entry price?+
Proton Pass starts at $4.99, and there is a free plan beside it. The paid tiers widen the set of features, so the entry price only pays off if you want more hide my email aliases, passkeys and password health alerts.
What does the free plan leave out?+
The free plan covers as many logins, notes, cards and devices as you like, but it leaves out the authenticator app, sharing with other people, file attachments and dark web monitoring. Those sit on paid Pass plans, where entry starts at $4.99.
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