# Switching to Proton or similar alternatives is much harder than I thought 2025-04-06 **Proton has come a long way since I first tried it, but…** The last time I was a #Proton subscriber, it was known as #ProtonMail, and the calendar feature was still in beta. They have come a long way since then, but for a while, I have been putting off giving it another try. However, the current situation of the world is an invitation to do exactly that. Based on my early experience, I knew that ProtonMail would work perfectly for me, as I could set up my domain name and the aliases I currently use. That’s why my initial plan was to try the other features first, starting with the calendar. If things go well, I can move away from [Google Workspace](https://vladcampos.com/g), which I have been using since 2015. My first task was to create two calendars: **personal** and **work**. Everything went exactly as expected, including the synchronization with the Android app, which, by the way, also offers a minimalist yet useful widget. #### Import and export I don’t remember this option in the menu before, but as I said, it has been a long time since I’ve been there. Anyway, clicking on “Import from Google” revealed three options: Emails, Contacts, and Calendar. I kept only the Calendar option checked, but I couldn’t go past the Google Authentication page. This issue was probably related to the Obsidian Web View feature (aka, browser) I was using, so it was time to switch to Google Chrome. Problem saved, the connection was established and everything looked fine until… Well, my Google Calendar database was apparently too big for the free account storage, and the process was aborted. Fine, I moved on to trying the import feature on my contacts, which ended up highlighting another problem I now remember having had in the past.  Although it is possible to start a call from a contact inside the ProtonMail app, there’s no Contacts app for Android. And as far as I could understand, the alternative is to import the contacts from the ProtonMail app to the Android address book. But since this will not keep both apps in sync, it will forever be an inconvenience, as new contacts will have to always be added to both apps. If you know of other options, please let me know in the comments below. #### Proton Alternative A friend suggested #Infomaniak, which has a different approach to the above. The kSync app synchronizes Contacts and Appointments with the Google apps we already use on Android. I ran some tests and it works! Although I haven’t tried it yet, I noticed that there’s also a way to synchronize emails, calendars, and contacts with the corresponding Mac apps. Another point in favor of them is the fact that there’s a videoconferencing tool. Not to mention that it is a cheaper option when compared to Proton. At least I thought so. But one detail that I cannot stop thinking about is who came up with the Infomaniak name. Another aesthetic detail to consider is the user interface. It's not intuitive, and even the dark mode has too much color to it. Proton feels much more comfortable to use. ![[vladcampos.com/_files/2025-04-06-infomaniak-vs-proton.png]] #### Too Good to be True? They are also a Swiss-based company and offer a 30-day free trial, which I enrolled in to fully try the service. And that’s when I faced a major roadblock. After spending hours on this, I think I finally got it. To have a custom domain, one has to also pay for the "Custom Brand" service. There’s even a “Custom Brand + kSuite” offer for 6.21€ per user/month.  Anyway, I contacted support to make sure my understanding is correct and will update this post when they reach back to me. After all, there’s a 3.99€ per month Proton offer that covers everything I need. Well, not exactly everything. I need videoconferencing, and I'm still puzzled by the annoying Contacts app problem. PS. Believe it or not, the above is how I spent the majority of this Sunday. ![[vladcampos.com/_embedded/_newsletter|_newsletter]] ![[vladcampos.com/Timeline/Blog/Posts|Posts]]