this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2026
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Anyone else get annoyed with the pop up ads in proton products? (lemmy.zip)
submitted 4 days ago by favoredponcho@lemmy.zip to c/protonprivacy@lemmy.world
42 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Banner ads and pop ups are built into proton apps. I wouldn’t have expected it from them.

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[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yes, all the time. But then I realise they are making good products and trying to change the world and that isn't free.

Proton makes a freemium product, which means the paid users need to subsidise the free users. For every 10 (or however many) free users join, a paid user needs to join as well to keep making it work.

Proton has sales all the time. They are hoping that with all the shit in the news about Apple, Google, and Microslop, you will eventually pay Proton because you realise Proton isn't one of the bad guys.

If the ratio of free to paid users keeps going up, they have to do something and no one wants them to shut down. They also don't want to raise the prices for premium users. So what's left? Encourage the free users some more.

[–] favoredponcho@lemmy.zip 18 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Even paying customers get pop up ads

[–] mrnobody@reddthat.com 16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm a paid customer, never seen an ad.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago

I'm a paid plan, ads all the time. It sucks.

[–] rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social 4 points 3 days ago

Never have I ever seen an ad on any proton product.
Paying user.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I might have had one (1) popup on my vpn once IIRC. Paid subscription.

[–] mrnobody@reddthat.com 2 points 3 days ago

Make sure to sign into the account. I realized once one of the apps hadn't been signed into so it thought free tier

[–] Canadian_Cabinet@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago

I pay and have never seen an ad ever. Only the occasional promo email

[–] RickyRigatoni@piefed.zip 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm gonna be honest, as much as I hate ads, I give a free pass for someone advertising their own product that's relevant to the product of theirs I'm using. If I'm already using one of their products then it's not a farfetched conclusion that I'd like their other products.

[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 4 points 3 days ago

I think that's fine too, but only once. If I click to close the ad and don't show any interest, I obviously don't want to see it again later.

[–] Steve@communick.news 22 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

A couple times a year when they run sales, you see no more than one popup per app. It's a fraction of what you see on any other ad driven service, and quite reasonable.

[–] AntEater@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 3 days ago

The ads in the app windows can be dismissed and the don’t come back. I deeply hate ads but can tolerate Proton’s approach.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

When i saw the first one I unchecked the setting and havent seen any since

[–] xnx@piefed.social 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Where’s the setting? I can’t find it anywhere

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Its under All Settings > subscriptions > notifications and you can disable proton offers and promotions.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Are you sure? I don't have that option.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

are you on the free tier or paid? Im on paid

[–] favoredponcho@lemmy.zip -3 points 3 days ago

Yea, it’s a dark pattern with ads on by default and good luck finding the off button buried in their settings

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago

Yep, I'm already a paid plan and I keep getting ads to sign up. It actually makes me want to switch to tuta.

[–] Luminous5481@anarchist.nexus 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Can't say I've ever seen an ad. But I also use ublock so maybe that's why.

[–] EnsignWashout@startrek.website 2 points 3 days ago

Yeah. I'm not sure if that's a free tier thing, or I'm just blockig ads so hard I never noticed...

[–] melroy@kbin.melroy.org 2 points 3 days ago

It's indeed getting ridiculous. Every week now.

[–] nocturne@slrpnk.net 2 points 3 days ago

I think I recall seeing an ad to let me know there was a 50% off sale, other than that I do not recall any ads.

[–] akilou@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

Nah, I love it. It helps me evangelize. Whenever I have friends that are getting interested in privacy this make it easier for me to onboard them

[–] DahGangalang 2 points 4 days ago

I went premium some years ago and used to thing it was ridiculous for them to be showing banners and popup ads to paying customers.

They appear to have fixed that. Nonetheless, seems like something ublock could handle.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca -1 points 3 days ago (4 children)

What ads? Am paid user.

[–] ohshit604@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Even paid users get them. Advertisements for their own products.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago

Oh I see. I might have seen some but I don't register those as ads I guess.

[–] skaffi 6 points 3 days ago

As am I, but little difference does that make. They used to never show any ads to paying customers, but that seems to have changed a while ago, and its been ramping up ever since. I think most of their products have been patched to show them by now. They're always ads like AMAZING DEAL! GET BROTON ULTRA POLY DELUXE TRIO FOR BIGAMISTS AND SAVE UP TO ¥3,50 WHEN PURCHASING A SUBSCRIPTION FOR 3 OR MORE YEARS AT A TIIIME - FOR A LIMITED.TIME ONLY (UNTIL WE REPEAT THE EXACT SAME DEAL AT THE NEXT UPCOMING HOLIDAY)!

Only a little bit of hyperbole, but you know what I mean. Fuck, I hate ads so much. I've spent considerable efforts to make my life as free of ads as about possible, and then Proton serves me this shit, completely unprompted, and with no way of turning them off. And they're (in-app) pop-up ads, literally getting in my way and having to be dismissed. The nerve! I don't care if they're ads for Proton services, for scuba diving lessons, or messages from a Nigerian prince - they're all equally unwelcome and in my way.

[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 3 points 3 days ago

I am too. Still get ads to upgrade to higher plans in the mail app.

[–] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

What ads? I use ublock origin.

[–] atropa@piefed.social 0 points 3 days ago

Nah ,prefer Posteo and Mullvad

[–] lIlIlIlIlIlIl@lemmy.world -5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Absolutely unacceptable. Fuck off you money grubbing shitbags, I’m already paying you FUCK

[–] mrnobody@reddthat.com 2 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Take a deep breath first off. If you haven't seen any, don't worry. You can also disable stuff too I believe, from others comments.

[–] melroy@kbin.melroy.org 5 points 3 days ago

No this is unacceptable. You don't show ads to paid people like that. I understand his frustration.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That comment is wrong, you can't turn it off. Being patronizing to upset customers while spreading misinformation is not contributing anything positive to this discussion.

[–] mrnobody@reddthat.com 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm an "unlimited" customer, don't see ads previously or recently in any of the apps, unless I open the browser and saw some promo towards a higher tier.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Same, except I get ads popping up a few times a year. Every time it pisses me off and I go looking for a way to turn them off, and then when I can't I tell Proton about my experience. I've gone through this a number of times now. Besides their CEO being an idiot it's my least favorite thing about Proton.

[–] mrnobody@reddthat.com 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Is the ad a self-promotion about a sale, like the spring sale?

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I believe so, I closed the popup immediately so I don't remember exactly what it was advertising.