Lark
Proton
| Feature | Lark | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $12/mo | Free / from $3.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, asian-market-teams, small-businesses, cross-functional-teams | privacy-advocates, journalists, activists, security-conscious-users |
| Founded | 2019 | 2014 |
| Messaging | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Conferencing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Documents | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spreadsheets | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Approval Workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encrypted Email | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vpn | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cloud Storage | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Password Manager | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aliases | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Destructing Messages | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Lark Pros
- All-in-one suite (chat, docs, video, tasks)
- Very generous free tier
- Fast and responsive
- Built-in approval workflows
✗ Lark Cons
- ByteDance ownership raises data concerns
- Less popular in Western markets
- Some features feel overwhelming
✓ Proton Pros
- End-to-end encryption for all services
- Swiss-based with strong privacy laws
- Open-source and independently audited
- Comprehensive privacy suite (mail, VPN, drive, calendar)
- Free tier available for all services
✗ Proton Cons
- Free storage is limited (1GB for mail)
- Less feature-rich than mainstream alternatives
- Search functionality limited due to encryption
The Verdict
Lark is built for startups and asian market teams, with a focus on messaging and video-conferencing. Proton targets privacy advocates and journalists and leads with encrypted-email and vpn.
On pricing, Proton is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $3.99/mo compared to $12/mo for Lark. That $8.01/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Proton offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Lark takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.