Bobby Wilson
Proton Duo and Proton Family are Proton’s shared plans. Duo covers two people and Family covers up to six, and everyone gets their own private account with all of Proton’s main apps.
That means Proton Mail, Calendar, Drive, VPN, Pass and Wallet, plus the Scribe writing assistant. Duo costs from $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99 a month and Family from $23.99 / £18.44 / €23.99 a month, when you pay yearly.
Proton Duo vs Family at a glance
Here are the two plans side by side, at Proton’s standard prices:
| Proton Duo | Proton Family | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Couples and two friends | Households of three to six |
| Users | Up to 2 | Up to 6 |
| Storage | 2 TB, shared | 3 TB, shared |
| Apps | All main Proton apps | All main Proton apps |
| Paying monthly | $19.99 / £15.99 / €19.99 a month | $29.99 / £24.49 / €29.99 a month |
| Paying yearly | $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99 a month | $23.99 / £18.44 / €23.99 a month |
| Billed yearly | $179.88 / £143.88 / €179.88 | $287.88 / £221.22 / €287.88 |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
Prices are for the whole plan, not each person. Shared between a full group, Duo works out at about $7.50 or €7.50 per person a month. Family works out at about $4 or €4 per person a month.
The yearly prices are Proton’s standard prices, not a first-year offer. That means they don’t jump up when you renew, although Proton can change its prices in future, as with any subscription.
What is Proton Duo?
Proton Duo gives two people the same apps as Proton Unlimited, under one subscription. It suits a couple, two friends or anyone who wants to share the cost without sharing an inbox.
One person is the organiser. They pay for the plan, invite the second person and decide how the 2 TB of storage is split. Each of you signs in to your own account, and nobody can see the other person’s emails or files unless they choose to share them.
Proton Duo pricing
| Billing | USD | GBP | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $19.99 a month | £15.99 a month | €19.99 a month |
| Yearly | $14.99 a month | £11.99 a month | €14.99 a month |
| Billed every 12 months | $179.88 | £143.88 | €179.88 |
Proton Duo Discount and Deals
What is the Proton Family plan?
Proton Family works in the same way, but for up to six people with 3 TB of storage between you. You don’t need six people to use it, and it becomes the cheaper option from three people upwards.
If you have been looking for a Proton Mail family plan, Family is the one to choose for a household. Proton’s shared plans are Duo and Family, and both include email alongside the other apps.
Proton Family pricing
| Billing | USD | GBP | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $29.99 a month | £24.49 a month | €29.99 a month |
| Yearly | $23.99 a month | £18.44 a month | €23.99 a month |
| Billed every 12 months | $287.88 | £221.22 | €287.88 |
Proton Family Discount and Deals
What do you get with Proton Duo and Family?
Both plans include all of Proton’s main apps, with their paid features unlocked for everyone in the group:
- Proton Mail: private email, with extra addresses and support for your own domain.
- Proton Calendar: a private calendar you can share with other people in the group.
- Proton Drive: cloud storage for files and photos, with Docs and Sheets built in.
- Proton VPN: protects your internet connection, on up to 10 devices per person at the same time.
- Proton Pass: a password manager that can also create hide-my-email aliases.
- Proton Wallet: a Bitcoin wallet.
- Scribe: a writing assistant inside Proton Mail that helps you draft emails.
I pay for Proton Unlimited myself and use Pass and the VPN every day, along with Drive for my website images. With Duo or Family, everyone in the group gets these same apps on their own account.
Two extras cost more on top. Lumo Plus, Proton’s paid AI assistant, and Meet Professional, its paid video meetings, are separate add-ons.
How Duo and Family compare with Proton Unlimited
| Feature | Proton Unlimited | Proton Duo | Proton Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Users | 1 | Up to 2 | Up to 6 |
| Storage | 500 GB | 2 TB total | 3 TB total |
| Email addresses | 15 | 30 total | 90 total |
| Custom email domains | 3 | 3 total | 3 total |
| Hide-my-email aliases | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| VPN devices at once | 10 per user | 10 per user | 10 per user |
| Calendars | 25 per user | 25 per user | 25 per user |
| Scribe writing assistant | 14-day trial | Included | Included |
“Total” means the allowance is shared across the whole plan. The 30 or 90 addresses are handed out by the organiser and work like email aliases that arrive in your own inbox. Hide-my-email aliases are separate, and everyone can create as many as they like.
Is Proton Pass Family the same as Proton Family?
No. Proton Pass Family is a separate plan that only covers the password manager, for up to six people. Proton Family already includes Pass for everyone, along with all the other apps.
If your group only needs a password manager, Pass Family costs less than the full bundle. An account that already has Unlimited, Duo or Family can’t join a Pass Family plan.
Is there a Proton VPN family plan?
Not as a separate plan. If you want Proton VPN for several people, Duo and Family are the shared plans that include it. Each person can use the VPN on up to 10 devices at the same time.
How sharing works on Proton Duo and Family
Your inbox stays private
Everyone has their own account, password and inbox. The organiser manages billing and storage, but can’t read anyone else’s email. You can still share calendars, files and password vaults with people in the group when you want to.
Storage and custom domains
The organiser decides how much storage each person gets and can change it later. Duo doesn’t have to be split 1 TB each, so one person can have more if they need it. Both plans let you connect three custom domains in total, so you can use email with your own domain such as yourname@yourfamily.com.
Joining with an existing Proton account
Anyone with a free Proton account can accept an invitation straight away. Someone already paying for Proton needs to contact Proton support first, and any unused time on their plan becomes credit.
If the person joining has their own custom domain on Proton, they need to remove it before joining. Someone new to Proton creates a free account first, then accepts the invitation.
What happens if someone leaves?
Anyone who leaves keeps their account and their data, and gets a 30-day Proton Unlimited trial. After that, they choose their own plan, and their storage needs to fit within it.
On Duo, someone who leaves also loses any addresses on the group’s custom domain. It is worth sorting out where those emails should go before they leave.
Proton Duo vs Family vs Unlimited
Unlimited is for one person, Duo is for two and Family is for three to six. This is how the yearly cost compares with buying everyone their own Unlimited plan, at standard yearly prices:
| People | Separate Unlimited plans, per year | Shared plan, per year | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $239.76 / €239.76 | Duo: $179.88 / €179.88 | $59.88 / €59.88 |
| 3 | $359.64 / €359.64 | Family: $287.88 / €287.88 | $71.76 / €71.76 |
| 4 | $479.52 / €479.52 | Family: $287.88 / €287.88 | $191.64 / €191.64 |
| 5 | $599.40 / €599.40 | Family: $287.88 / €287.88 | $311.52 / €311.52 |
| 6 | $719.28 / €719.28 | Family: $287.88 / €287.88 | $431.40 / €431.40 |
For two people, Duo also gives you more storage. Two Unlimited plans come with 500 GB each, while Duo gives you 2 TB to share.
Family isn’t the cheaper choice for just two people. It costs $48.12 or €48.12 more a year than two Unlimited plans, so Duo is the better pick unless you need the extra storage.
Proton Unlimited deals can make separate accounts cheaper in the first year. Once they renew at the standard price, Duo or Family usually works out cheaper.
Are Proton Duo and Family in the Black Friday sale?
Proton Duo and Family were not part of Proton’s public Black Friday 2026 sale, which covered Mail Plus and Unlimited. Existing Proton customers can sign in to check for any personal offers on their account.
The yearly discount on Duo and Family is available all year round, so you don’t need to wait for a sale. Other current offers across Proton’s plans are on the Proton Mail deals page.
Is Proton Duo or Family worth it?
Yes, if at least two people will use the apps. Duo is the best value for two people, and Family becomes the cheaper choice from three people upwards.
If you mainly want private email, a full bundle may be more than you need. The Proton Mail pricing breakdown covers the email-only plans, and other private email providers are worth comparing too.
I haven’t used Duo or Family myself, so this advice is based on Proton’s published plans and prices. My Proton Unlimited review covers what the apps are like to use day to day.
| Your situation | Best plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Just you | Proton Unlimited | All the apps for one person |
| You and a partner or friend | Proton Duo | Two private accounts and 2 TB of storage |
| A household of three to six | Proton Family | Up to six accounts for one price |
| A group that only needs passwords | Proton Pass Family | Just the password manager, for less |
| Someone who only needs email | An email-only plan | No need to pay for apps you won’t use |