Proton, the Swiss-based privacy-focused company behind end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) webmail ProtonMail and other apps, has acquired Standard Notes, a note-taking app founded in 2017. . The company offers a similarly robust privacy promise. By also applying E2EE, it will reach more than 300,000 users.
In a press release announcing the move, Proton highlighted the companies' “shared values” including the use of E2EE. Commitment to open source technology. And how neither relies on venture capital to fuel growth.
E2EE is considered the gold standard in security technology because the service provider does not hold the encryption keys. This means that they are technically unable to decrypt user data and protect user content behind a so-called “zero knowledge” architecture. In other words, you don't have to trust that your service provider won't snoop.
By adding Standard Notes to its app portfolio, Proton deepens its connection with an active community of privacy-preserving users, stacks additional cross-selling opportunities, and increases the utility of its app ecosystem.
This notes app fills a glaring gap in Proton's current lineup.
Proton applies E2EE's flagship robust security to a suite of products including email, calendar, and cloud storage. Additionally, it also provides VPN services. Last year, the company launched its own privacy and anti-censorship CAPTCHA service to further complement its own services, but until now it didn't have a dedicated notes app.
A key pillar of their “community-focused” approach is a freemium strategy aimed at helping premium (paying) users support access to a wider range of products by effectively subsidizing free users. . And although there is some overlap in usage, a Proton spokesperson said that less than a quarter of his Standard Notes users are already Proton users. Therefore, there is scope for cross-selling and further community building.
Proton said the Standard Notes app, available on both mobile and desktop, will continue to be “open source, freely available, and fully supported.”
He also indicated that there would be no change to the price of standard notes. The press release specified that his existing five-year subscription “will continue to be honored.”
“Standard Note will remain an independent product, and over time both companies will open up access to their products to each other's users,” Proton added.
Commenting in a statement, Standard Note founder and CEO Mo Bitard spoke of their shared mission. “For the past seven years at Standard Notes, we have aimed to create a place where people can think and write freely without worrying that someone is looking over their shoulder. “Such freedoms are incredibly rare and we want to protect them forever,” he wrote.
“We are thrilled to be working with Proton to make this possible. Proton shares our philosophy and is not only mission-driven, but also open source, self-sustaining, and committed to supporting the community. In Proton, we have found a partner who shares our focus on protecting privacy.”
Proton was founded in 2014, and Standard Notes is only the second company it has acquired. Instead, it's primarily focused on building the product in-house to expand its reach and increase usage (it announced it had surpassed 100 million users a year ago). This includes building on its first acquisition in 2022, email alias startup SimpleLogin, as well as developing and releasing full-fledged password management app Proton Pass in June.
In that case, Proton turned to the SimpleLogin team, which it acquired for much of its product development. Therefore, the company is clearly not allergic to user acquisition and other integration-based growth opportunities, where we believe there is sufficient philosophical overlap and an opportunity to further deepen the technology bank.
In incorporating Standard Notes into the deck, Proton aims to repeat the same trick, with the Standard Notes team making “a significant contribution towards building and improving Proton's ecosystem of existing and future products.” He says he is looking forward to it. The broader goal is to advance a shared “mission” to “build a better internet where privacy is the default,” as his PR for the company states.
“This agreement is a strategic decision aimed at benefiting our users by bringing to market a secure, easy-to-use, private product that is accessible to everyone,” Proton wrote. “Standard Notes and Proton engineers will begin working together immediately to combine their skills and experience to bring results to users as quickly as possible.”
Proton founder and CEO Andyyen acknowledged that each app uses different encryption methods. “But this is a separate app, so there's really no problem with the integration,” he told his TechCrunch. and vice versa.”
In response to a question about the sustainability of privacy-focused business models that don't rely on the misuse of user data, Yen said there is a need for long-term thinking, as much of mainstream technology continues to move in the opposite direction of data mining. Emphasized gender. Privacy-related startup. And for screwing courage into a stuck place.
“Competing with big technology companies is perhaps the most difficult business challenge that exists today because of the unfair and abusive tactics that big tech companies use to thwart their competitors,” he said. Stated. “Recent measures such as the EU's Digital Markets Act and the Department of Justice's case against Apple may eventually level the playing field, but that will take years. This is a step in the right direction. It’s an important step, but it won’t have an immediate impact.”
“That means you have to be a little crazy to take on this challenge today, and the only way to achieve it in the long run is to do it for the right reasons. Because it's likely to be difficult to achieve. , goals cannot be short- or medium-term financial outcomes; instead, they must be approached with a strong sense of purpose to survive a brutally difficult long-term battle.”
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.