Proton Meet

What Is Proton Meet?

Every video call made through Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams passes through servers controlled by American companies subject to US surveillance law. The content of those calls — strategic discussions, legal consultations, medical appointments, board meetings — is accessible to the provider. Zoom's recent pivot to feeding call data into AI training models underscored what privacy advocates have warned about for years: if the platform can access your call content, eventually someone will find a reason to use it.

Proton Meet is the answer to a question that took Proton AG six years to reach after launching Proton Mail: what if video calls worked the same way encrypted email does? Built on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol, an open standard independently audited and peer-reviewed, Proton Meet encrypts all audio, video, screen shares, and in-call chat on each participant's device. The meeting password functions as a pre-shared key in MLS, which means Proton's servers relay encrypted data they cannot decrypt. The company physically cannot record or access your calls.

Launched in March 2026, Proton Meet is the newest addition to Proton's encrypted ecosystem alongside Mail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, VPN, and Pass. The service is available on web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. Free users can host calls with up to 50 participants for 60 minutes. Paid Professional accounts extend that to 100 participants and 24-hour duration. As part of the Proton Workspace bundle, Meet integrates directly with Proton Calendar for one-click meeting scheduling.

Key Features

MLS End-to-End Encryption

The Messaging Layer Security protocol is not a marketing label — it is an IETF standard designed specifically for encrypted group communications. Each Proton Meet call creates an MLS group where the meeting password serves as a pre-shared key for key derivation. Audio, video, screen shares, and chat messages are encrypted on the sender's device and decrypted only on each participant's device. Proton's Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) servers route encrypted packets without ever possessing the keys to decrypt them.

This architecture has a concrete consequence: even if law enforcement compels Proton to provide call data, the company can hand over only encrypted ciphertext. Without the meeting password, it is mathematically unreadable. The MLS protocol itself has been independently audited and is the same standard being adopted by major messaging platforms — but Proton Meet applies it to video conferencing.

Guest Access Without Accounts

One of the fastest ways to kill adoption of a new video tool is requiring every participant to create an account. Proton Meet avoids this entirely. The host shares a meeting link and optional password. Guests join from any web browser without downloading an app or registering for Proton. Every participant receives the same end-to-end encryption regardless of whether they have a Proton account.

This is a meaningful product decision. Enterprise alternatives like Wire require all participants to be on the platform. Proton Meet's guest model means a legal team can host encrypted calls with external counsel, or a healthcare provider can run telehealth sessions with patients, without imposing registration requirements.

Persistent Meeting Rooms

Scheduled meetings solve one use case, but many teams need the equivalent of an always-open office door. Proton Meet's persistent Meeting Rooms remain available at a fixed URL and can be used at any time without prior scheduling. Team leads, project managers, or support staff can keep a room open for drop-in conversations throughout the workday.

Calendar Integration

Proton Meet plugs directly into Proton Calendar — creating a meeting inserts an encrypted link with a single click. For teams not yet fully on the Proton ecosystem, Meet also supports adding meetings to Google Calendar and Microsoft Calendar. The scheduling workflow is clean and requires no copy-pasting of URLs.

Pricing

Proton Meet's free tier matches Zoom's: 50 participants for 60 minutes per call, with full end-to-end encryption. For many small teams, this is sufficient.

Meet Professional at EUR 7.99/user/month raises the ceiling to 100 participants and 24-hour call duration. Persistent Meeting Rooms are included. This tier targets teams that need reliable encrypted conferencing without the full Proton Workspace.

Workspace Standard at EUR 12.99/user/month bundles Meet with Proton Mail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, VPN, and Pass. Meet supports up to 50 participants in this tier. For organisations replacing Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, this is the comprehensive option.

Workspace Premium at EUR 19.99/user/month extends Meet to 250 participants, adds expanded storage, and includes the Lumo AI assistant. This tier competes directly with enterprise Google Workspace pricing.

The value proposition is straightforward. For the same price as a standard Zoom Business licence, Proton Meet provides encrypted video conferencing inside a full productivity suite — with the critical difference that the provider cannot access any of your data.

EU Compliance & Privacy

Proton AG is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, which holds an EU adequacy decision from the European Commission. Switzerland's Federal Data Protection Act, revised in 2023, is stricter than GDPR on several dimensions, particularly government access to data.

Proton Meet's MLS encryption architecture provides a privacy guarantee that surpasses regulatory requirements. GDPR mandates protection of personal data; Proton's architecture ensures the company never has access to call content in the first place. This is not a data processing agreement — it is a mathematical constraint enforced by cryptography.

All Proton infrastructure is located in Switzerland. No call data is processed outside Swiss jurisdiction. The MLS protocol is an open standard whose implementation can be independently verified. For European organisations evaluating video conferencing under GDPR, NIS2, or sector-specific regulations, Proton Meet's architecture eliminates the data processor risk entirely.

Who It's Best For

Legal and consulting firms conducting privileged conversations with clients who cannot be required to install proprietary software — Proton Meet's guest access and encryption solve both problems simultaneously.

Healthcare providers running telehealth appointments where patient privacy is non-negotiable and encryption must be genuine, not checkbox compliance.

European companies under strict data sovereignty requirements that need video conferencing where no US entity can access call content, even under subpoena.

Privacy-conscious teams under 100 people that want Zoom-quality simplicity with fundamentally different security architecture.

The Verdict

Proton Meet is not trying to replace Zoom's feature depth. There are no breakout rooms, no polling, no webinar mode, no 1,000-person events. Measured against Zoom's decade of engineering, the feature set is narrow. But Proton Meet does the one thing Zoom cannot: it guarantees that your video calls are private — not by policy but by protocol. For organisations where call confidentiality is a legal or ethical requirement, that distinction is not a feature. It is the entire product. The early-stage limitations are real, and large enterprises will need patience. For teams under 100 that value encryption above everything else, Proton Meet is already the most credible option on the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Proton Meet truly end-to-end encrypted?

Yes. Proton Meet uses the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol, an IETF open standard, to encrypt all audio, video, screen shares, and chat on each participant's device. The meeting password serves as a pre-shared key for MLS key derivation. Proton's servers relay only encrypted data they cannot decrypt.

Do guests need a Proton account to join?

No. Anyone can join an encrypted Proton Meet call through a web browser without creating an account. The host shares a link and optional password. All participants receive the same end-to-end encryption regardless of account status.

How does Proton Meet compare to Zoom?

Zoom offers breakout rooms, polling, webinar mode, and up to 1,000 participants. Proton Meet offers genuine MLS-based end-to-end encryption that Zoom cannot match — Zoom's optional E2EE mode disables many features. For privacy-focused teams under 100, Proton Meet is stronger on security. For large events, Zoom remains ahead on features.

Is Proton Meet GDPR compliant?

Yes. Proton AG is in Geneva, Switzerland, which has an EU adequacy decision. The MLS encryption architecture exceeds GDPR requirements because Proton never processes call content in plaintext. All infrastructure is in Switzerland under Swiss data protection law.

Can I schedule meetings from Proton Calendar?

Yes. Creating a meeting in Proton Calendar inserts an encrypted Meet link with one click. Meet also supports adding events to Google Calendar and Microsoft Calendar. Persistent Meeting Rooms can be used anytime without scheduling.