Proton Pass Beta: To Smash or Not to Pass?

Preface

I should mention that I went with [Pass Plus](https://account.proton.me/pass/signup?product=pass&language=en, which currently has a special offer of $1/month and a 30-day money back guarantee. It's a great way to try out the service without any risk.

Introduction

I'm trying Proton Pass ↗ and I'm torn between committing to this new open-source ↗ alternative to proprietary password managers or sticking with my current solution. There are some unknowns with Proton Pass ↗ for me, but I don't want to miss out on supporting a new open-source project.

First Impressions

My first impression of Proton Pass ↗ is that it has a solid UI but the UX could use some polish. There are some issues like not updating the entry after editing passwords, which can be frustrating. I also miss the 2FA page scan feature, which I prefer over manual entry.

Future Plans and Roadmap

I understand that Proton Pass ↗ is still in beta and the initial version was released with bare bones features to collect feedback. However, I would like to see more communication about future plans and a roadmap. Having a general direction outlined for future improvements and features would help me decide whether to stick with Proton Pass ↗ or not.

One prominent example for me is the lack of entry and vault sharing options. While there's a Proton Family subscription ↗ that grants access to the entire Proton ecosystem ↗, I don't want to buy into it just for password sharing. I would like a more granular approach where I can share a single entry or vault with specific individuals or groups. Clarity on the future vision for Proton Pass ↗ in this regard would be helpful.

Email Alias Feature

I personally find the email alias feature interesting, but I'm a bit skeptical about it being a big part of Proton Pass ↗. I currently rely on Firefox Relay ↗ for that. I feel that initial efforts could have been focused on other password manager-related features, especially considering Proton has their own email service that could easily integrate with Proton Pass ↗.

Conclusion

Despite these concerns, I appreciate Proton Pass ↗ and their approach to building this software. I like that they decided to open-source it and the attention to detail they put into the UI. For example, running the iPad app version on M1 Macs displays onboarding and tips for MacOS rather than the mobile version. However, I would love to see more transparency and communication from Proton about the future of Proton Pass ↗ to confidently commit to using it long-term.