Apps

A personal note from the maker

For years, I relied on Google Workspace for my email and calendar. Over time, Google kept adding features I didn't need — and raising the price to match. That alone wasn't a dealbreaker. What really got me thinking was the growing European push for digital independence from US tech giants. I wanted to see if I could do the same.

So I went looking for a European alternative that ticked my boxes: custom domain support, enough storage, a decent interface, and simplicity. That search led me to Proton. Based in Switzerland, end-to-end encrypted, privacy-first — it looked like exactly what I needed. I subscribed and migrated.

— And then reality hit. —

The first time I set up Proton on my Android phone, I discovered that my contacts wouldn't sync with any other app — they were locked inside Proton's own apps. Same story for the calendar: my trusted calendar app was useless, because Proton Calendar only works through Proton's app. On the desktop side, I had been relying heavily on a Firefox extension called Checker Plus for Gmail to manage my inbox — and of course, nothing like that existed for Proton Mail.

I reached out to Proton about these gaps, but there were no immediate plans to address them on Android. Instead of crawling back to Google, I decided to build what was missing myself.

That's how Mail Checker for Proton Mail and Sync Provider for Proton were born — out of my own frustration and my own need. I use both of these apps every single day. The motivation to keep them running, maintained, and improving is deeply personal:

I am my own biggest user.

That said, I genuinely hope Proton will fill these gaps themselves one day — especially on the sync side. They have the team, the resources, and the expertise to do it far better than I ever could. If that day comes and Sync Provider for Proton becomes obsolete, I won't be sad. Quite the opposite — I'll be thrilled.