Proton Pass

Proton Pass is a privacy-first, open-source password manager from Swiss company Proton AG, the team behind Proton Mail and Proton VPN. It pairs end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption with a generous free tier, built-in 2FA, hide-my-email aliases (powered by SimpleLogin), and dark-web monitoring. We rate it 87/100 — Proton Pass is the strongest privacy-focused alternative to Bitwarden and 1Password, and the best choice if you already live in the Proton ecosystem.

What is Proton Pass?

Proton Pass launched globally on June 28, 2023, after a beta in April 2023, and was developed by Proton AG following its 2022 acquisition of SimpleLogin. SimpleLogin's founder, Son Nguyen, leads the Pass engineering effort, and CEO Andy Yen positioned the product as the missing piece in Proton's privacy suite. The codebase was released under GPLv3 in July 2023, and a third-party security audit by Cure53 was published the same month.

Where 1Password is polished and LastPass is recovering from a string of breaches, Proton Pass leans on what Proton does best: Switzerland-based hosting, end-to-end encryption that even Proton can't decrypt, and integration with the rest of the suite — Mail, VPN, Drive, Calendar and Wallet. If your threat model includes hostile networks, ad-tech, or tracking-heavy advertisers, this is the manager built for you.

Key Features of Proton Pass

• End-to-end encrypted vault: All items — including URLs, usernames, notes and TOTP secrets — are encrypted with the same cryptography (OpenPGP-based) that powers Proton Mail. Proton can't read your data, even with a court order.
• Hide-my-email aliases: Generates unlimited burner aliases (paid) or 10 (free) on the fly, powered by the SimpleLogin backend. Disposable, revocable, and forwarded to your real inbox.
• Built-in 2FA authenticator: Stores TOTP codes alongside passwords and autofills both — replacing Google Authenticator or Authy for most users.
• Dark Web Monitoring & Pass Monitor: Continuously checks emails and aliases against breach databases and flags weak, reused or compromised passwords directly in the vault.
• Cross-platform: Native apps for Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, plus extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Brave. Available on F-Droid as fully open-source builds.
• Secure sharing & vaults: Share individual logins, secure notes or whole vaults with other Proton users with end-to-end encryption preserved.

What Users Say About Proton Pass

Sentiment is broadly positive but pragmatic. On Reddit's r/ProtonMail and r/PasswordManagers, users repeatedly praise the price-to-value ratio, the open-source posture and SimpleLogin integration — but recurring complaints surface around customer support (no live chat, slow ticket replies), missing emergency access, and the fact that offline mode and the dedicated Authenticator are gated behind paid tiers. On Hacker News, the 2023 launch thread (HN id 36508566) was largely supportive of the open-source release, while reviewers at Security.org, Cybernews and Cyberinsider note occasional sync hiccups and a sparser favicon set than 1Password. Trustpilot reviews skew positive, particularly from existing Proton Unlimited subscribers.

Proton Pass Pricing

Proton dropped the headline Pass Plus price in early 2026, making it one of the cheapest premium password managers on the market.

Plan	Price (annual)	Key Limits
Pass Free	$0/month	Unlimited logins & devices, 10 hide-my-email aliases, 2 vaults, no integrated 2FA, no offline mode.
Pass Plus	$1.99/month ($23.88/year)	Unlimited aliases, integrated 2FA, dark-web monitoring, file attachments, secure sharing, offline access.
Pass Family	$3.99/month	Up to 6 users, all Plus features per seat, family vault.
Proton Unlimited	$9.99/month	Pass Plus + Mail, VPN, Drive 500 GB, Calendar & Wallet — the best deal if you use more than two Proton apps.

Monthly billing on Pass Plus is $4.99, but Proton heavily incentivises annual commitments. There is also a Pass for Business tier starting at $1.99 per user/month with admin SSO, group sharing and activity logs.

Who Should Use Proton Pass?

Best for: privacy-conscious individuals, journalists, activists and engineers who already use Proton Mail or VPN; small teams that want auditable open-source security without 1Password's price tag; anyone tired of LastPass after its 2022–2023 breach saga.

Not ideal for: users who need emergency access handoff (still missing as of May 2026), large enterprises that require SCIM provisioning beyond what's available, or teams that rely on advanced shared-form filling found in 1Password's Watchtower.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Genuinely open-source clients across all platforms, audited by Cure53.
• Hide-my-email aliases are best-in-class — no other major password manager bundles a SimpleLogin-grade aliasing service.
• Excellent free tier: unlimited passwords and devices, no upsell wall.
• Strongest jurisdictional privacy story in the category (Swiss data protection).
• Pass Plus at $1.99/month annual is undercutting almost every commercial competitor.

Cons:

• No emergency access — a gap if a family member needs to recover credentials.
• Customer support is email-only with no live chat.
• 2FA authenticator and offline mode locked behind a paid plan.
• Favicons and login icon coverage lag behind 1Password and Dashlane.
• Some users report sync glitches that require a manual force-sync.

Alternatives to Proton Pass

Bitwarden remains the gold standard for self-hostable open-source password management, with a slightly more mature org-management story. 1Password still has the most polished UX and the best Watchtower analytics, but costs more than 3× as much. Dashlane ships richer breach scanning but is closed-source. For diehard privacy fans, KeePassXC is the offline, locally-stored alternative.

Verdict: Is Proton Pass Worth It?

At $1.99/month for Pass Plus, Proton Pass is one of the easiest recommendations we make. It's open source, audited, end-to-end encrypted, and built by a company whose business model — paid privacy — is aligned with users rather than advertisers. If you already pay for Proton Mail or VPN, get Proton Unlimited and use Pass for free. If you're escaping LastPass or evaluating 1Password renewals, Pass deserves a serious look. We rate it 87/100 — the missing point of polish is mostly emergency access, support response times, and a few sync rough edges that Proton has publicly committed to addressing in its 2026 roadmap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Proton Pass free?

Yes — Proton Pass has a free plan with unlimited logins, unlimited devices, 10 hide-my-email aliases and 2 vaults. Paid Pass Plus starts at $1.99/month on annual billing.

Is Proton Pass open source?

Yes. The clients (web, browser extension, Android, iOS, desktop) are GPLv3 on github.com/protonpass, and Cure53 has published a public security audit.

What platforms does Proton Pass support?

Web app, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, plus browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Brave. F-Droid distribution is also available for Android.

How does Proton Pass compare to Bitwarden?

Both are open source and privacy-respecting. Bitwarden wins on self-hosting and team admin maturity; Proton Pass wins on bundled hide-my-email aliases, native dark-web monitoring, and the broader Proton suite (VPN, Mail, Drive) at a comparable price.

Does Proton Pass have built-in 2FA?

Yes, paid plans include an integrated TOTP authenticator that stores codes alongside passwords and can autofill both fields together.