Google Calendar vs Proton Calendar

This comparison pits convenience against confidentiality, forcing a choice between two excellent options. Google Calendar offers world-class integration and smart features for organizational productivity. Proton Calendar provides unmatched encryption and rigorous data protection under Swiss law. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize ecosystem efficiency or absolute data privacy.

Google Calendar
Google Calendar

Essential, integrated scheduling for everyone.

Ciroapp review
4.8
#1 in Calendar

We found Google Calendar to be an extremely accessible scheduling tool, offering powerful features like automatic event creation and deep task integration, even at the individual free tier. Paid access, obtained through a Google Workspace subscription, unlocks powerful collaboration tools and useful analytics (Time Insights) for organizations. Overall, it's the standard-setter for essential personal and team scheduling.

Pros

  • Free for basic personal use and task management.
  • Seamless integration with Gmail, Tasks, and the wider Google ecosystem.
  • Automatically adds events (flights, reservations) from email confirmations.
  • Includes professional Appointment Schedules for booking management.

Cons

  • Premium features require obfuscated pricing via a Google Workspace subscription.
  • The free tier limits users to only one Appointment Schedule booking page.
  • Specific dollar costs for premium tiers are not explicitly detailed.
Pricing
Free to Subscription-Based
Free trial
Money-back
Best for
Teams needing advanced analytics and resource management capabilities., Users who rely on automatic event creation from reservations and flights., Organizations needing professional, client-facing booking pages with payment collection.
Proton Calendar
Proton Calendar

Top-tier privacy meets patchy service.

Ciroapp review
3.2
#2 in Calendar

Proton Calendar offers world-class, end-to-end event encryption protected by strict Swiss privacy laws. We respect the focus on security and the free availability of basic tools for all users. Overall, we rate this product highly for privacy, but urge caution due to widespread user reports of poor customer service and slow responsiveness within the larger Proton ecosystem.

Pros

  • Event details are secured using zero-knowledge, end-to-end encryption.
  • Protected by strict Swiss privacy regulations and neutrality.
  • Free version is available, ensuring privacy tools are accessible to everyone.
  • Seamlessly integrates with the secured Proton Mail service.

Cons

  • Widespread complaints regarding slow and unresponsive customer support.
  • Issues reported with subscription management and refund processing delays.
  • Users report specific performance issues, including sluggishness and slow processing.
  • Lack of support for native Linux desktop clients is cited as a significant drawback.
Pricing
$0/mo
Free trial14 days
Money-back30 days
Best for
Privacy advocates handling extremely sensitive, confidential information., Users who must comply with strict privacy regulations (e.g., journalists, lawyers)., Anyone requiring end-to-end encryption for event titles, locations, and attendee lists.
Quick verdict
Choose Google Calendar if you rely heavily on Gmail, need professional external booking tools, and value team analytics like Time Insights
Choose Proton Calendar if absolute data privacy is your ethical priority, you need end-to-end encryption for sensitive events, and already use the Proton Mail ecosystem

AboutGoogle Calendar

Google Calendar is a shareable online calendar designed to keep your plans right at your fingertips. It brings together personal, professional, and organizational schedules in one centralized view. This tool works seamlessly across your Google Workspace to organize tasks and appointments, ensuring your day flows smoothly. 💡

AboutProton Calendar

Proton Calendar is designed to keep your personal scheduling private and secure. It offers the full functionality you expect from a modern digital calendar combined with robust protections. Proton is incorporated and based in Switzerland.

This means strict Swiss privacy laws protect all user data, backed by Swiss neutrality. 💡 Proton offers an easy-to-use alternative to Big Tech services, ensuring your data is protected, not exploited.

Highlights

Quick winners by category at a glance.
Feature Set
Google Calendar offers advanced team features, resource booking, and time analytics for large organizations. Proton Calendar’s feature set is much simpler.
Ease of Use
Google Calendar excels with automatic event entry and deep integration across the accessible Google ecosystem. Proton Calendar requires more manual effort.
Security & Privacy
Proton Calendar provides true end-to-end encryption and strong legal protection under strict Swiss privacy laws. Google Calendar cannot compete here.
Integration Options
Google Calendar connects seamlessly with Gmail, Tasks, and many critical external business platforms. Proton Calendar is intentionally siloed.
Value for Money (Individual)
Google Calendar's free tier is feature-rich and powerful. Proton Calendar's paid plans are clearer and bundle necessary security tools.
Tie
Team Collaboration
Google Calendar's Workspace features, like Time Insights and shared locations, are essential for modern group logistics. Proton Calendar lacks these.

Feature Comparison

Compare key features side by side
Basic Free Plan Available
Google Calendar:
Proton Calendar:
Tie
End-to-End Encryption (E2E)
Google Calendar:
Proton Calendar:
Proton Calendar
Zero-Knowledge Encryption
Google Calendar:
Proton Calendar:
Proton Calendar
Automatic Event Input from Email
Google Calendar:True (Flights, Reservations)
Proton Calendar:False
Google Calendar
Professional Booking Pages
Google Calendar:True (Appointment Schedules)
Proton Calendar:False
Google Calendar
Team Time Analytics
Google Calendar:True (Time Insights - Premium)
Proton Calendar:False
Google Calendar
Max Personal Calendars (Paid)
Google Calendar:Unlimited (via Workspace)
Proton Calendar:25
Google Calendar
Task Management Integration
Google Calendar:Excellent (Google Tasks)
Proton Calendar:Less direct
Tie
Governing Privacy Law
Google Calendar:US Law/Corporate Policy
Proton Calendar:Strict Swiss Privacy Law
Tie
Dedicated Team/User Plans
Google Calendar:Yes (Google Workspace)
Proton Calendar:Yes (Proton Duo for 2 users)
Tie
Resource Booking (Rooms/Equipment)
Google Calendar:True (Workspace Feature)
Proton Calendar:False
Google Calendar
Share Working Location
Google Calendar:True (Workspace Feature)
Proton Calendar:False
Google Calendar
Payment Collection for Bookings
Google Calendar:True (Via Stripe, Premium)
Proton Calendar:False
Google Calendar
Money-Back Guarantee
Google Calendar:No explicit detail
Proton Calendar:True (30-day for annual paid)
Proton Calendar
Customer Support Rating
Google Calendar:Reliable live support (Workspace)
Proton Calendar:Users report slow/unresponsive
Tie
External Migration Tool
Google Calendar:True (Calendar Interop)
Proton Calendar:True (Easy Switch)
Tie
Feature Comparison Summary
7
Google Calendar
6
Ties
3
Proton Calendar

Features Overview

We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.

Core Security & Encryption

Proton Calendar uses end-to-end encryption for true data confidentiality. Google Calendar uses standard server security.

Proton Calendar

Google Calendar protects data using robust security features in world-class data centers. It automatically blocks common threats like phishing and malware attempts. Proton Calendar secures every event using mandatory end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge principles. This ensures event titles and contents are completely hidden, even from Proton staff. The crucial difference is confidentiality protection versus basic system security provided by Google Calendar built into its platform. Proton Calendar is designed to keep event details totally private from everyone. If you schedule highly sensitive or confidential events, the superior encryption of Proton Calendar ensures essential peace of mind.

Ecosystem Integration

Google Calendar is deeply embedded in its vast platform. Proton Calendar integrates only within the Proton ecosystem.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar unifies scheduling with Gmail, Tasks, Drive, and Meet for a streamlined workflow experience. It acts as the central hub of the entire Google environment. Proton Calendar integrates strongly with Proton Mail, allowing users to efficiently convert secure emails into secured calendar events. Integration with third-party applications is intentionally very limited. Google Calendar provides superior, expansive connection to third-party apps and business services needed by large organizations. Proton Calendar limits external integration for improved data security. For users seeking one platform to handle email, tasks, storage, and scheduling, Google Calendar offers unparalleled convenience and connectivity.

Advanced Team Features

Google Calendar dominates team collaboration with analytics and resource booking. Proton Calendar lacks dedicated organizational tools.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar (via Workspace) provides Time Insights to analyze how individuals and teams spend their time. It also supports sharing specific working locations and hours with colleagues. Proton Calendar focuses mainly on individual and duo user security, lacking features like time analytics or resource booking management. Its operational features are rudimentary. Teams needing centralized calendar layering, resource booking, and team efficiency metrics should choose Google Calendar. Proton Calendar is not designed for large-scale team logistics. Large organizations utilize Google Calendar’s resource management to book meeting rooms and specialized equipment directly from event invitations.

Professional Booking Tools

Google Calendar offers Appointment Schedules for client-facing booking pages. Proton Calendar relies on manual sharing only.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar offers robust Appointment Schedules, giving external parties a shareable, customizable link to book time easily. Workspace users get unlimited booking pages. Proton Calendar does not include any native feature for creating professional booking pages. Users must share availability manually or rely on inconvenient external scheduling services. Premium Google Calendar users can even collect payments through Stripe integration during the booking process. This professionalizes the entire client scheduling experience. If you frequently manage external client consultations or meetings, the professional booking feature in Google Calendar is absolutely essential for your workflow.

Automatic Event Detection

Google Calendar auto-imports events like flights from email. Proton Calendar requires manual entry steps.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar automatically reads confirmations for flights, restaurant reservations, and tickets from your Gmail account. Events are inserted instantly onto your schedule without any effort. Proton Calendar, prioritizing confidentiality, does not feature automatic event parsing and insertion from email contents. Manual event entry or conversion is consistently required. This is a key convenience trade-off: Google Calendar removes friction for managing dynamic travel and personal plans. Proton Calendar requires more user attention. For frequent travelers or those who easily forget things, Google Calendar saves substantial time and prevents missed reservations automatically.

Privacy Protection

Proton Calendar is protected by concrete Swiss privacy law. Google Calendar is secured by US law and corporate policy.

Proton Calendar

Proton Calendar is protected by strict Swiss privacy laws, offering a strong legal shield for user data compliance. This provides one of the strongest frameworks globally. Google Calendar is governed by US laws and corporate policies, meaning data may be subject to legal subpoenas and requests. Security is technical but legally different. Proton Calendar is built specifically to protect user data from the company itself or external governments. Google Calendar uses your data to enhance integration performance. For users handling highly sensitive political or commercial information, Proton Calendar's legal location offers significant peace of mind.

Customer Support Quality

Google Calendar supports Workspace users with expert teams. Proton Calendar receives low marks for responsiveness.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar offers robust support channels, including reliable help guides and expert teams for Google Workspace subscribers. Support is standard corporate quality. Proton Calendar reviews frequently cite slow, unresponsive, and sometimes useless customer support when issues arise. Billing and subscription problems are often mentioned. If business continuity depends on swift issue resolution, Google Calendar is the safer choice due to reported service reliability for paid users. The low reported customer support quality for Proton Calendar is a serious risk factor despite its otherwise strong security foundations.

Our Verdict

Objective guidance based on features, pricing, and user fit.

Your decision hinges on whether you value seamless integration or absolute encryption. Google Calendar is the productivity powerhouse that works for most teams and individuals. Proton Calendar is the superior choice if data sovereignty and encrypted event confidentiality are your driving concerns. Google Calendar’s superpower is its deep integration and automated convenience across the Google ecosystem. It effortlessly imports flight details, hotel reservations, and calendar events directly from your Gmail inbox. For large teams, Google Calendar allows advanced features like resource booking and Time Insights analytics. Proton Calendar’s immense strength is its commitment to absolute user privacy backed by strict Swiss law. Every event is protected by end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption, secured from external viewing. Proton Calendar is specifically designed to keep your schedule private, not exploit it for marketing or internal processes. Ultimately, the choice is between maximum friction-free connection and maximum security assurance. If you run a fast-paced business requiring client booking, choose Google Calendar for its robust tools. If you frequently schedule sensitive, confidential events, the encryption provided by Proton Calendar is the necessary safeguard. Choose Google Calendar if you operate in a high-volume team environment and prioritize efficiency. Select Proton Calendar if anonymity and digital security are paramount to you, especially if you already use Proton Mail services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for small teams: Google Calendar or Proton Calendar?

Google Calendar is better for small teams requiring collaboration and resource management solutions. Premium Google Calendar access includes features like Time Insights and shared working locations. Proton Calendar is only built for up to two users with its specific Proton Duo plan.

Can Proton Calendar automatically add events like flight reservations?

No, Proton Calendar prioritizes user privacy and requires manual event entry or conversion from Proton Mail. Google Calendar automatically extracts travel and reservation details from your emails. This is a significant difference in daily user convenience and time savings.

Is Proton Calendar's encryption stronger than Google Calendar's security?

Yes, technically. Proton Calendar uses end-to-end encryption for event details, meaning the data is hidden even from Proton staff. Google Calendar uses standard security layers but does not encrypt data from its own staff or servers.

Does Google Calendar offer professional client booking pages?

Yes, Google Calendar offers Appointment Schedules for professional client booking and availability sharing. Even the free tier grants you one booking page to share with external parties. Proton Calendar does not include this native booking feature.

Which service has better user-reported customer support?

Google Calendar offers reliable live customer support for Google Workspace users and teams. Users frequently report that Proton Calendar support is slow, unresponsive, and sometimes challenging to resolve billing issues.

Can I create multiple separate calendars in Google Calendar like I can in Proton Calendar?

Yes. Google Calendar allows for the creation of unlimited shared and personal calendars within your account. Proton Calendar limits users to 1 calendar on the free plan, but up to 25 highly organized calendars on paid plans.

Ready to Choose?

Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.