Proton Meet

Overview

Proton Meet is a video-conferencing service for teams, friends, and family who want private calls across web and desktop and mobile apps. It is a strong fit for confidential work meetings where end-to-end encryption matters, though its free plan’s short meeting limit can make it a poor match for longer sessions.

Key features

Meet uses Messaging Layer Security to encrypt audio, video, screen sharing, and chat end to end. That makes privacy a central reason to choose it, not merely an add-on; hosts also get practical controls to lock a meeting, block late arrivals, mute or stop video, remove attendees, blur backgrounds, and reduce noise.

Guests can join from a meeting link without creating Proton accounts, easing access for clients or family members outside a team. Proton Calendar integration can add calls to schedules and supports appointment scheduling. Proton says its apps are fully open source for independent auditing, and that it is ISO 27001 certified, has SOC 2 Type II attestation, and complies with GDPR, HIPAA, CJIS, and PCI.

Proton says it does not retain meeting passwords, audio, video, chat messages, or metadata linking participants after a call ends. Recording is local, which suits users who want a recording option without making cloud recording the default. Setup guides, feature explanations, and troubleshooting articles are available through Proton’s support center.

Pricing

Meet is freemium, with a 14-day trial and paid plans from $7.99/user/mo (annual). The entry-level Meet Free plan costs nothing, billed $0.00 every month. It allows meetings of up to 60 minutes, up to 50 participants, and five meeting links per day. That is enough for shorter calls, but the duration and daily link cap can constrain frequent or extended use.

Meet Professional has custom pricing and raises meeting duration to 24 hours and capacity to 100 participants, with unlimited meetings per day. It also adds screen sharing, built-in chat, appointment scheduling, and meeting recording. For teams that need longer calls or those collaboration tools, it is the more suitable Meet tier; those who only need occasional short calls can stay on Free.

Workspace Standard has custom pricing and includes Meet Professional, 1 TB of storage per user, and 15 custom email domains. Workspace Premium includes Standard, increases storage to 3 TB per user and custom domains to 20, and supports video meetings with 250 participants. These bundles make more sense for organizations that also need the listed storage and email-domain allowances than for users seeking video meetings alone.

Platforms

Meet is available on the web and through apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. That broad device coverage helps mixed-platform groups join without relying on one operating system.

Who it's for

Meet suits security-conscious teams and anyone holding work conversations where confidentiality matters. Guest links make it workable for calls involving people outside a Proton account, while the free tier can serve small groups with meetings that fit within an hour. It is less compelling for regular long meetings or groups above 50 participants unless they move to a paid plan.

Pros and cons

• Pros: End-to-end encryption covers calls, screen shares, and chats, supporting confidential conversations.
• Pros: Guests can join by link without creating an account, reducing friction for external participants.
• Pros: Host controls include locking meetings and removing attendees, useful for managing access during a call.
• Cons: Free meetings stop at 60 minutes and 50 participants, limiting longer sessions and larger groups.
• Cons: The free plan permits only five meeting links per day, a constraint for users scheduling frequent calls.
• Cons: Paid plan prices are custom at the tier level, so the listed starting price alone does not show what a particular team will pay.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Secure Video Conferencing Software.

Microsoft Teams is worth considering if its free plan’s 100 participants, 60-minute group meetings, and 5 GB cloud storage better fit your needs. Choose Webex App if a free plan with unlimited meetings is more important than Meet’s 60-minute free duration; Webex caps those calls at 40 minutes and 100 attendees. TrueConf is another freemium option with a free trial and self-hosted availability. Olivasal offers a free plan and supports Linux, web, API, and self-hosted deployment.

Google Meet may suit readers comparing a $7 a month annual/fixed-term Business Starter plan, which includes 30 GB pooled storage per user and 100 meeting participants. Zoom Meetings is an alternative with a Basic plan for 100 participants and 40-minute meetings, or a Pro plan with meetings up to 30 hours. OpenTalk is an option for those seeking open-source software with auditable code and free community use. Zoho Meeting has a free plan for 100 participants and 60-minute meetings.

Verdict

Choose Proton Meet if end-to-end encryption, guest access, and strong host controls matter more than a generous free meeting allowance. Its Free tier is practical for short calls, while Professional is the better fit for teams needing long sessions and recording. Look elsewhere if you need longer free meetings, or compare custom-priced tiers carefully if your group needs higher capacity or bundled storage and email domains.