Proton Docs
Ranked 14 of 14 word processors by recommenders
People recommend it because it handles most document needs and they say it doesn't spy on users. The most common caveat is that it is far less feature-rich and more minimal than Google Docs.
People recommend it because it handles most document needs and they say it doesn't spy on users. The most common caveat is that it is far less feature-rich and more minimal than Google Docs.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 45%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Doesn't spy on users
“they don't spy on their users”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Office.eu launches as Europe's sovereign office platform” Meets most document needs
“handily meets the majority of needs”
Comment from 1 Dec 2025 in “People keep flocking to Linux, not just to escape Windows”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Minimal, far fewer features than Google Docs
“It's far less feature full than google doc”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “Euro firms must ditch Uncle Sam's clouds and go EU-native” “It's all decent but very minimal.”
Comment from 13 Jan 2026 in “Proton Lumo 1.3: Introducing Projects, a better way to organize and create” “their docs and sheets apps are extremely minimal and basic”
Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “Migrating to the EU” Slow to load
“it takes way too long to load”
Comment from 6 May 2026 in “Proton Meet” “even if Proton remains slow”
Comment from 7 May 2026 in “Proton Meet” No public API, trust concerns
“the API isn't open source and recently with Proton meet and its controversy, my trust on proton has shifted”
Comment from 6 May 2026 in “Proton Meet” “Proton is really doing some great disservice to not having a public api for their docs.”
Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Sheet Ninja – Google Sheets as a CRUD Back End for Vibe Coders”
Other word processors people recommend
The four most recommended other word processors, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Docs | 144 | 137 | 51% | 13 | 11 yrs4 owners | — |
| Microsoft Word | 129 | 234 | 36% | 12 | 20 yrs5 owners | — |
| Apple Pages | 39 | 27 | 59% | 11 | — | — |
| WordPerfect | 36 | 7 | 84% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Proton DocsThis page | 5 | 6 | 45% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“there's a fairly large amount of bugs which need working on”
“even if Proton remains slow”
“the API isn't open source and recently with Proton meet and its controversy, my trust on proton has shifted”
“it takes way too long to load”
“Proton is really doing some great disservice to not having a public api for their docs.”
“their docs and sheets apps are extremely minimal and basic”
“I thought Proton did spy on their users.”
“they don't spy on their users”
“It's far less feature full than google doc”
“It's all decent but very minimal.”
“handily meets the majority of needs”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.