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A project I recently found that should fit your needs is EteSync. Haven't tested it myselfe but it looks pretty solid to me. I personally use Nextcloud right now, but it's a lot more than just a sync service for contacts and calendars.
I switched to Etesync (https://www.etesync.com/) some days ago. Works great but it will cost you about 2$ per month after the trial.
On Android you can stil use your calendar app of choice after installing the etesync app. For now iOS is not supported.
On your PC/Laptop you can use every client that supports CalDAV (for example Thunderbird) after installing the etesync-dav bridge for Linux MacOS or Windows.
Importing all your Tasks and appointments from your google account is very easy as well (one button to click).
At this point i did not try to sync my contacts but I expect it to work as well as importing appointments
Probably not exactly what you want, but Etesync is a good service to know about. They have a note function that keeps encrypted notes in the cloud. It definitely won't have the functionality of Joplin, but it works very well for small notes.
Lead dev of EteSync here.
As others mentioned in the thread, EteSync works like a Google account. You install the app, login to your account, and that's it. You now have address books and calendars you can save your contacts and calendars too. You can also directly import your data from other accounts on the device or from file.
Here's the Android user guide (it doesn't cover anything, but shows how easy it is to setup): https://www.etesync.com/user-guide/android/
There's a why section in the readme that explains just this. Did you miss it, or was it not clear? How do you think I should improve it?
Anyhow, I can give you the exact use case to why I created it, and there's a whole class of similar websites that would need this:
I run EteSync (https://www.etesync.com), an end-to-end encrypted contact and calendar sync solution for Android, the desktop, and most recently the web. I created a react web app for people who prefer using a web client. However, the problem with this is that the app (javascript/page) is delivered to the user on each access. This means that if the server is hacked, it could serve malicious javascript that could steal users' encryption password, thus breaking the whole model of end-to-end encryption and not having to trust the server. With this extension users can verify the "app" they get is really coming from EteSync while maintaining the seamless experience the web provides. The same applies to every crypto app that is served through the browser. Be it cryptocat (does it still exist?), Signal, password managers or anything else.
Another example would be wikileaks.org, or any other website that could provide announcements that people could benefit from forging (by hacking their servers).
Posteo - Yes, this might be a ProtonMail competitor, but competition is healthy (I pay for ProtonMail.) Posteo has encrypted mail, calendar and contacts. You sync calendar/contacts with Android using DavDroid.. DavDroid is free and available on f-droid. Costs ~$1/month
etesync - a fork of DavDroid mentioned above, but much easier to setup and pretty much invisible. No web interface, but keeps an encrypted sync of your contacts and calendar on their servers. Costs ~$14/year and also available through f-droid.
I've used both so feel free to ask me anything about them. I'm just holding on with my own calendar/contacts/storage solutions until ProtonMail gets theirs ready.
Both the client and the server are open source so you can self-host EteSync too, but even without self-hosting it's better than self-hosting. See the FAQ entry here: https://www.etesync.com/faq/#why-use
I have to admit though, at this point self-hosting is not trivial, but I'm working on the self-hosting guide as we speak, and support for setting a custom server on the Android app will be there in the next few days (next version), which will then make it a breeze.
I hope that clarifies things.
Look at https://www.etesync.com/ "EteSync is fully open source. The client, the server and everything else. The source code is hosted on GitHub and is available for everyone to review, audit and contribute!"
Hey everyone! I'm Shashwat, the student working on implementing native EteSync integration in Kontact. I'm glad to announce that the new resource I have been working on is now ready for beta testing! :D
I hope it's okay to post this here! We would love to have more people interested in testing the project. :)
Gmail and Google Calendar are nicely integrated - kinda like a Exchange/Outlook setup.
When you're calendar provider is different than your email provider, shit can get a little complicated. you either have to put your calendar entries in by hand, Or... you - either on mobile or desktop, need a client or applicaitons that play nice together.
I, too, use ProtonMail for email. And honestly - if you want to maintain exactly how you do things together, you'll need to wait until Protonmail rolls out their calendar too.
Alternatively.. you can use EteSync.
It has a web client. An Android app that will sync your contacts and calender to your native Calendar and contacts apps on Android, and it has a docker image you can run on the desktop.
If you run a mail app on your desktop like Thunderbird or Outlook... you can run the ProtonMail Bridge to get your mail into that client.
You can then run the Etesync docker image (which is essentially a bridge for Etesync as well).
You hook your PM bridge and your Etesync Docker image into your mail client.
Then when you click "accept" on an invite or when you create a calendar entry and invite someone, it'll all be seamless.
On mobile .. Android that is, having protonmail and etesync plays nicely together. It's just on a desktop, it takes a bit of doing if you don't want to do anything manually.
I literally just posted about https://www.etesync.com a moment ago. I think it's exactly what you're looking for. I also use Etar as my calendar application and Birthday adapter as the calendar adapter (though it's planned for EteSync too).
Disclaimer: I created EteSync
Yep. You're right again. If I'm using first party apps, I expect it to be just as functional as the apps it wants to replace. Let me backup my contacts to proton! That's all I need for now. Bridge exists, so why isn't calendar sync available? Don't tell me I need another client for that? What's this hush hush around the roadmap?
Yeah fast mail looks good but doesn't have E2E. But given the nature of email, E2E is hard. I know. But better than a leak disclosing all my emails right bank insurance and other info that's sure to cause identity theft.
If development is painfully slow, then quite a shame. If it's a small team, just tell us what you're focusing on! Email? Yeah sure! Make it amazing! But as it is, the existing email app is still buggy, crashes every now and then.
I'm just planning on giving up on contacts sync with proton and setup my local etesync server. So it'll sync each time I'm home.
I'm on the ultimate plan and am loving simple login. If proton doesn't increase transparency, I'm just going to self host the things I need it and call it a day. It's a hassle sure and that's why I'm paying proton. Maybe I'll downgrade to mail plus.
It used to be nice, I could mix and match the services mail + vpn + drive. I use more email, less VPN and medium drive. But oh well.
I don't know what they're planning. Where proton is going. Oh well. I paid. Maybe I'll eat my words maybe I'll be a fool. Let's see.
RE Option's you've tried #3 - Does the TBSync Add-on for Thunderbird not work for you? If you're worried about battery usage (on Android 12 at least) Settings > Battery > Battery Usage will show you which apps are using battery.
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If not Etesync should do what you want via Etesync-Dav. Etesync is $24/yr, but you can try it for 30 days no cost. I think it's a great service that works seamlessly after very minimal initial setup.
>The only Google service I'm still regularly using is Google Contacts, has anyone else found a way to stop using it on Android?
At this moment you cant use Proton as default contact manager. It is planned though so we might see it someday. As it stands now i see no reason or benefit to use Proton contacts when this function is missing and the fact that contacts names and e-mails are not end to end encrypted... Yeah. No reason what so ever to use their contacts.
For reference, check at the bottom of this page,Under upcoming features:
Etesync might be worth checking out for your use case. Its an opensource project that enables End to End encryption for calendar, contacts and taks syncing. Its free to self-host and has a free trial period for folk who want to manage/store data on their servers.
Its $2 a month (you can also pay with monero). It's backend UI is very simple and clean, but the data sync integrates seamlessly into numerous existing foss apps.
I use it to sync data between tasks.org, simple contacts and ETAR.
Its available on Fdroid too.
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.etesync.syncadapter/
Any questions, just shout.
For this specific case, the ease of use is more important because it would also be used by other family members that are not tech-savvy at all. They would have issues with anything that's more complicated than Gmail + Google Calendar, which play well with Android and iOS.
If I valued privacy more than easy of use, I would probably use EteSync for a end-to-end encrypted solution for contacts + calendar that works well on Android. Or maybe email services like Protonmail and Tutanota, but they still need a better integration with Android and iOS (especially for calendar and contacts).
If you're not only looking for a one-time data transfer but a solution to sync contacts/calendars/notes between devices (or just have an encrypted cloud backup of this data), check out https://www.etesync.com
>Is there a way of use macOS and iOS's Reminders app with Proton Calender?
No.
>I just saw that there is actually a Proton Calendar beta for iOS, does anyone know where I can get an invitation to join the iOS beta test?
Currently all 10'000 Testflights spots are full.
>I have no intention of logging into iCloud ever again. So far, I managed to move my notes and most other iCloud stuff to other places, but I still haven't figured out what to do with my Reminders.
I think EteSync should work with Reminders:
Got it. Most of my comments still stand. Most of the same tools for encryption can be found on a phone, and those files can oftentimes be transferred to a USB drive via a public computer. Personal privacy is a right and something you have to work to achieve, especially these days. It might require more work without your own computer, but it's easily possible. And there are some tools that do keep things encrypted in the cloud like EyeSync that work out of the box with smart phones. Good luck.
From the EteSync FAQ:
"Exporting your data is easy! Either setup EteSync-DAV and use the web UI for a full export of your data, or use an Android app that supports exporting, such as Google Contacts and Calendar Import - Export. Additionally, you can just download the data as we have it, in raw form (encrypted), by accessing the browsable API explorer and downloading the parts that you'd like exported."
EteSync is a pretty good alternative if you use desktop mail clients with CalDAV/CardDAV support. Integrates natively on Android (possibly iOS) as well. I'm using Thunderbird with Proton Bridge and EteSync DAVBridge and barely think of it. It just works.
Etesync has mobile apps to integrate with system calendars. On desktops, you can use the desktop bridge. Haven't tested it though. They have an user guide on the website.
Not sure about email notifications. Syncing works well. The project is open source so, you can also self-host the server if you wish.
I perused their docs a while back but did not try it myself. It seems like a very cool product, but not a match for my needs. From the docs, it looks like sync on iOS requires either using their app to access your data (not of interest to me) or employing some workarounds in iOS that could stop working any time.
It also seems to require require syncing via their app which wouldn’t have full background privileges on iOS, or running a DAV bridge which sort of defeats the purpose.
Didn’t seem worth the effort vs. storing the data on my trusted server and using SSL for encryption during transit. If I were to lose interest in selfhosting, their hosted service would be a strong contender though.
EteSync is end-to-end encrypted and has no idea what the data contains. This means that even if we wanted (we don't) we can't limit associate accounts this way. There must be something else going on.
Try https://www.etesync.com/community-chat/ for help with debugging.
Not sure how good it works on iOS, but on Android EteSync is an actually working alternative, which integrates fully into Android for calendars, contacts, notes and tasks.
EteSync Notes is an open source, end-to-end encrypted alternative and it's recommended by PrivacyTools.io. You can also sync your contacts, calendar, and reminders with EteSync.
The wiki contains a guide on how to self host: https://github.com/etesync/server/wiki
If you encounter any problems or if you have any questions, we can help you in the chat. https://www.etesync.com/about/#contact
Sorry, that was unclear and silly. I switched to ProtonMail from a different e-mail provider, primarily using ProtonMail Bridge + Thunderbird.
I'm also using EteSync with the etesync-dav "bridge" for synchronising calendars and contacts (even though, that happens outside of ProtonMail; for me it was more important to have the sync working with Thunderbird and Android devices.
It serves as a backup in case the phone dies but unless it’s encrypted (which I doubt), you’re better off storing the data on your device or better yet, in an end-to-end encrypted encrypted cloud service like EteSync for your contacts, notes, calendars, and reminders.
I use /r/etesync for hosting, /r/tasks for task my task app, etar for my calendar app, and simple contacts. All are on fdroid.
With etesync, you can host you own instance or pay for hosting (2 or 4 bucks a month).
I pay for the $4 tier and really like it.
I'm just using EteSync — it’s end-to-end encrypted, open source, you can self-host, and it’s recommended by PrivacyTools.io. It syncs contacts, calendar, reminders, and notes across all OS’. It’s great!
I'd recommend looking into etesync which is an open-source e2ee contact syncing service. I've been using it for my contacts for around a year and a half and it's been pretty good so far. It supports self-hosting if that's something you're interested in, and otherwise there's a paid version as well.
The best way to support EteSync is by help us spread the word about privacy and EteSync! To support developer financially you can either become a paid subscriber or donate!
You can now donate using Github Sponsors in addition to all of the previously supported methods listed in: https://www.etesync.com/contribute/#donate
Thank you very much to everyone for your support! We have big plans for the future, EteSync 2.0 and Etebase are just the first step towards a more privacy friend world.
With the partner tier, the users just have EteSync accounts, so whatever is required for that. At the moment it's a 14 days trial, after which they need to provide payment information.
You will also be able to add billing on-top as a requirement to using your app (something like in-app billing on mobile), though that's not implemented yet.
You can turn iCloud off just for contacts, calendars and tasks, and then you'll have local accounts you can use with EteSync.
See https://www.etesync.com/user-guide/ios/ for more information.
I don't think they will support these protocols at all. They are not suited for end to end encryption. This sync will probably work depending on ProtonMail's app on mobile, and ProtonMail's bridge on desktop (I'm guessing).
There are changes over these protocols to support e2ee, but they are not standard. You maybe want to give a try with https://www.etesync.com/. It is opensource, you can run your own server, or paying mr. Tom Hacohen (owner of etesync.com) its anual fee and you will not worry with running it yourself. I don't know how it handles invitations and RSVPs with its calendar, and that's the only reason why I'm still using non-e2ee for this sole purpose.
Developer of EteSync here.
If you need any help setting things up, please come to our chat at https://www.etesync.com/community-chat/ (also accessible through IRC and Matrix). There's a great community there that would be happy to help.
If it's calendar sync you're after you should take a look at EteSync. It provides end-to-end encrypted synchronization of calendar, tasks, and contacts. It's fully journaled, so any changes can be rolled back. All based on open source technology.
It works on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows, and they offer a web client too. It's fully transparent, no need for special apps. You keep using your existing address book and calendar apps. The EteSync app merely installs a sync framework on your device, similar to the preinstalled ones for Apple/Google, and provides a management interface for the account. In daily use you don't access the EteSync app.
You can either use the hosted service ($24 a year) or self-host it (free).
To share your calendar with your wife you create a free associate account. I've been using it for about 2½ years now, and it's been brilliant.
I'm with ProtonMail too, but I have no intention of using ProtonCalendar as EteSync just does the job so extremely well.
They offer a 2-week free trial, no payment info required. PM me if you want a referral code that gives you an additional 2 weeks free (starts once you sign up for a paid account).
Hey, EteSync developer here!
Unfortunately macOS (not EteSync, macOS!) has a few bugs when it comes to SSL. We have some workarounds for them that should work but slightly more annoying to set up.
Either way, it shouldn't be hard. Please come and join our chat at https://www.etesync.com/community-chat/ and we would love to help you figure out what went wrong.
Creator of EteSync here.
EteSync behaves exactly like a Google account on Android, so it's definitely a seamless switch there. On the desktop you can either use the web client (admittedly not as good as the Google one), or just use any DAV client, e.g. Thunderbird, Evolution, Outlook and etc by using etesync-dav https://github.com/etesync/etesync-dav
Hm... I don't think there is unfortunately, no. :|
Maybe the easiest way is to export to file, remove the unwanted contacts and then re-import. The app's UI only support reverting single items at the moment.
I'll take a look into adding a notice about import importing everything so no one else gets bitten by this.
If you can, maybe come to the chat at https://www.etesync.com/community-chat/ and ask there. Maybe someone else will have an idea, or maybe we can brainstorm together.
I don't personally use microg, so I can't comment on that but hopefully someone else can chime in. As for your other questions, I can recommend EteSync (https://www.etesync.com/) for client side encrypted contact/calendar sync (they support phone/web/desktop) if you don't mind paying $2/month for a service, although you can also self host if you want. I generally prefer to not self host as I don't want to deal with ongoing security/maintenance in my personal time and instead prefer paid services with client side encryption.
Look into Etesync https://www.etesync.com/
I've been using it for about 6 months with no issues to sync my Protonmail contacts with my android phone. I don't use Whatsapp though.
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Scott
What url did you pass to "Find calendars"? (feel free to replace your email address with [email protected])
What happens when you try to log into the web management UI by going to http://localhost:37359 ? Can you log in? If you click on your username after, do you also see the list of your collections (e.g. your calendars)? What happens if you click on one of the calendars?
P.S, if you'd like some more real-time help, consider also dropping by the IRC channel (there's also a web chat option in the link).
Hello,
> how safe it is to use caldav? Like is data stored encrypted,
No. However, you can always use external tools to achieve end-to-end encryption for Calendars under CalDAV protocol.
> how does it go through internet (clear or encrypted) to my calendar client on Mac or android?
Encrypted. We mandate all connections over SSL/TLS.
Kind regards,
Mailfence support
Thanks for all the kind words, and great to hear everything is working well for you! Help with documentation is always welcomed, please let me know when you get around to improving the tutorial.
As for the donation, thanks a lot for your support! Unfortunately we don't have a formal way to accept donations at the moment, though you can donate using SEPA transfers, Paypal or crypto (link to payment info) if you would like. With that being said, the best way to support the service (other than getting a subscription) is to help spread the word. :)
Hope to see you at FOSDEM, I'll be the guy walking around with an EteSync t-shirt. :)
Like another user said if you use an email provider like Protonmail that also securely saves contacts then you could use that. You could also take a look at EteSync or something on PrivacytoolsIO. Personally I am using a local hosted CardDAV server like Nextcloud but there are options for you to choose from.
Creator of EteSync here.
We offer adjusted pricing for people who live in low income countries. You can take a look at the relevant FAQ entry here: https://www.etesync.com/faq/#fair-pricing While we do need money to keep the lights on, which is why the service is not free, we don't want money to stand between anyone and protecting their data. This is why we created the fair-pricing initiative.
Please reach out from the link there and we would be happy to give you a discount.
The problem with that is that the CalDAV protocol expects the data coming from the server in an unencrypted format. In order to support encryption the CalDAV protocol (and with it all clients) would need to be changed to support encryption. That is not really feasible, see this issue for example.
Providers that claim encrypted storage of your calendar or contacts will need to decrypt them before sending them to your client using the CalDAV protocol, which means they need access to your encryption key on the server.
One exception to this is EteSync, they use end-to-end-encryption, but you have to use their own client. Normal CalDAV clients won't work.
Edit: The EteSync desktop app is actually a bridge, meaning you run it on your PC and it decrypts the data comming from the server so you can use any CalDAV client with it. I did not know that before...
Both EteSync and OpenSync started out as forks for DAVDroid/DAVx5, that's why the UIs look so similar. However all three use completely different backends for the sync. In addition, EteSync end-to-end encrypts everything in the background before syncing, so your data is much more secure.
See https://www.etesync.com/faq/#why-use for details.
EteSync doesn't sync with Nextcloud. It can't. The reason for that is that NextCloud stores your data unencrypted which means the service providers, hackers or anyone who can access your server can access it. EteSync is more secure than that, and end-to-end encrypts your data so only you can access it. More info on end-to-end encryption in case you're not familiar with it: https://blog.etesync.com/end-to-end-encryption-what-it-is-and-why-it-is-needed/
It is however very easy to use the hosted EteSync service (paid), and quite easy to host your own (free and completely open source). Let me know if you need help with anything.
It's just the UI of the Android version that was originally forked off of DAVx5, though everything else is quite different.
DAVx5 is a DAV client and works with DAV servers. So all your data is only encrypted in transit, and the provider, hackers and anyone with access to the server can access it.
For more information, please check out: https://www.etesync.com/faq/#why-use
I personally like and use etesync. You can use their paid service or you can self-host.
There is also this solution which lets you simply use dropbox or syncthing or whatever rather than having a DAV server. Quite a simple, clever idea.
I just found out about https://www.etesync.com/ I'm considering it, you might want to check it out too.
> Secure, end-to-end encrypted, and privacy respecting sync for your contacts, calendars and tasks.
I've been using fastmail for mail service for a while. I like it, but it fails a lot of privacy concerns for many.
You might not want to self-host Nextcloud, in case which EteSync might be your next best option. Encrypted client side, completely open-source and recommended on privacytools.io.
Congratulations on the release, though you're not first, by a margin of a few years. :)
EteSync (https://www.etesync.com) has been around since the beginning of 2017 and end-to-end encrypts your contacts, calendars and tasks.
Hope you correct the post.
Don't forget about EteSync: a secure, end-to-end encrypted, and privacy respecting sync for your contacts, calendars and tasks. It's fully open source, is essentially an end-to-end encrypted NextCloud/DAV/Google account replacement that is end-to-end encrypted. More information: https://www.etesync.com
Disclaimer: I created it. :)
I use icloud for calendar, but I'm not a power user. I only use it because my significant other uses it to keep our appointments/commitments sync'd up. If I was a power user and needed a calendar I would probably still use icloud or might use FastMail. FastMail is reliable and they provide excellent support. The obvious disadvantage is they are located in Australia, which has terrible privacy laws.
I came across EteSync that appears to have an encrypted calendar, but I know nothing about the service. Might be worth looking into.
if you need a service, i cannot recommend Etesync strongly enough.
End-to-End encrypted, the developer to this is really transparent, it's top-to-bottom open source.
You can browse and edit your calender and contacts both on your phone, on the web, or if you install it locally on your machine - with a mail client like Thunderbird (this part takes a little work)
Yes you can. In iOS you can go to Add Account, Other, and you’ll see options for CalDAV and CardDAV. What provider you use is up to you, but most email providers have CalDAV and CardDAV support (except for ones like Protonmail.) Nextcloud has that option as well. etesync isn’t bad either, but not sure if it’s still active.
EteSync. No web interface, but does have a tool to connect to a desktop calendar. Open source (and on F-droid), $14/year with 2 week trial. Syncs your calendars and contacts encrypted on their server with the ability to host on your own server if you desire.
I use EteSync: https://www.etesync.com/
Everything is open source, including an Android app, a server impl (Python/Django), python API, and a Cal/CardDAV proxy for desktop applications.
All the info is available on the website.
Hey,
Author of EteSync here. You can either self-host etesync, or if you use our hosted solution (aforementioned $14/y) the installation is trivial and everything just works.
We have a (beta) desktop caldav proxy, which essentially means you can use whatever calendar/contact software you want on your desktop as long as it supports Cal/CardDAV.
I literally just added a FAQ question regarding the lack of web client following a question from a user, I hope it clarifies our position: https://www.etesync.com/faq/#web-client
Hey,
Original author here.
If you are inquiring about me, I have a long history of open source contributions and a significant amount of downloads on Google Play, so I'm not dodgy, and can be trusted. :) Personal website: https://stosb.com.
With that being said, the beauty of EteSync is that you don't need to trust me. That's why I've always (others too) advocated for end to end encryption, and why I consider hosted etesync as much better for your privacy (and other things!) than even self-hosting your own carddav server. You can also host your own, but unfortunately at the moment that would mean compiling your own app, as I have not gotten around to writing the "advanced" choose your own server dialog. PRs welcomed! Though the UI would need to be non-confusing to noobs, so probably hidden behind an "advance settings" tick box (though I'll add it to the user guide on the website).
More info on the EteSync security on our FAQ: https://www.etesync.com/faq/
As for the soundness of the encryption: I use a pretty simple encryption scheme (simple is better!) and I use battle-tested, industry standard libraries for the encryption implementations so while not professionally audit (that's too expensive for me), it should be sound.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions.
-- Tom.