Our mission at Proton is to help usher in an internet that protects your privacy by default, secures your data, and gives you the freedom of choice.
Today we’re taking another step in this direction with the launch of our open source password manager Proton Pass on the F-Droid app repository. As an alternative app distribution portal for Android, you can download many popular apps without having to create or use a Google Account or submit to the surveillance-style tracking of Google Play.
F-Droid distribution is a popular request among many members of the Proton community, and we’re excited that Android users can now secure their passwords and digital identity without having to hand over any personal data if they don’t want to. This is our second app to be distributed via F-Droid after the release of the Proton VPN Android APK(new window) a few years ago.
Of course, Proton Pass will continue to be available on the Play Store, as this is where most Android users prefer to get their apps. You can also download any Proton app from our Proton Apps page(new window) if you don’t want to use a third-party app store. Above all, we want to make sure everyone has the freedom to make their own choices rather than be locked into the decisions of a small number of dominant tech companies.
Why F-Droid?
One of the biggest problems on the internet right now is the monopoly held by just a few companies on app distribution. Google and Apple use this stranglehold on software to protect their own products, stifle innovation, and levy high arbitrary fees against independent developers. Unfortunately they are continuing this strategy even with password managers, trying to leverage your login method as another way to trap you inside their walled garden.
F-Droid is quite different. As an app repository maintained by volunteers, they are not motivated by profit but rather promoting online privacy and freedom. F-Droid lets you download privacy-focused, open source apps for Android, many of which they have in fact rebuilt from the source to ensure there are no backdoors or hidden trackers. Open source apps give you confidence that the software is secure and that it does what the developer claims.
All the apps on F-Droid are free, including Proton Pass, which offers unlimited logins. You can also upgrade to a paid subscription to support our mission and to get extra features like vault sharing with up to 10 people, integrated two-factor authenticator, and unlimited hide-my-email aliases.
Whenever possible, we strive to publish our apps on F-Droid to support those who, like us, believe a better, more private and transparent internet is possible.
Learn more about F-Droid(new window)
Continuing the Proton Pass journey
In less than a year since we launched our password manager, we’ve rapidly built out new features and native apps. Proton Pass is now available on our web app, browser extensions, Android, iOS, and Windows. Apps for Mac and Linux are on the way.
Additionally, we’ve introduced important features like passkeys support, which gives you the freedom to choose the most secure authentication method for your accounts. And we also introduced Proton Pass for Business to make it easier for teams to secure their data in the face of rising attacks on businesses. As more people signed up for Pass, we even lowered our pricing to pass our savings from economies of scale on to our community.
Everything we do is a reflection of our values and our mission to increase access to privacy, security, and freedom globally. This is possible not because of venture capital investors or advertisers — we have neither — but because of you, our community of supporters who share our vision. Learn more about Proton and our mission.
