addy.io vs Proton Mail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Proton Mail: it is third in our ranking of email apps, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
addy.io grades higher on value for money. Proton Mail grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
addy.io
Email alias forwarding that hides your real address from sites
Proton Mail
End-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland
Which one is for you
Pick addy.io if
- Fits if you want a different address for each website, forwarding to one inbox
- Works for people who want replies sent from an alias without exposing their real address
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a mailbox, as it forwards to an inbox you already have and stores nothing
- Tight if you stay free: 10MB of bandwidth a month
- Watch out: replying or sending from an alias needs a paid plan
- Watch out: Duo and Family aren't sold through the App Store or Play Store, according to the FAQ
Pick Proton Mail if
- Fits if you want email that the company running it can't read
- Works for leaving Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo, as Easy Switch imports old mail on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Free: 1 address, up to 1 GB (500 MB until setup is done) and 150 sent messages a day
- Not for you if you want Apple Mail, Outlook or the desktop apps without paying, as Bridge and the apps are paid
- Pricey if you subscribe inside the iPhone app, where Mail Plus is $5.99 a month against $4.99 on Proton's site
- Skip it if you forget passwords and won't write down a recovery phrase, as old mail can stay locked
- Watch out: some banks and shops refuse Proton addresses, the Linux app is beta, and there were outages in mid-2026
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAaddy.ioGood | 3.0GPAProton MailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ALite is $1 a month billed yearly and Pro is $3, against a category whose cheaper quarter starts at $3.99. Lite is under 60% of that. | BMail Plus is $3.99 a month on the yearly plan, inside the lowest-priced quarter of a category whose middle is $8, for 15 GB, 10 addresses and your own domain. Gmail and Outlook do give you 15 GB for nothing, mind, and in the iPhone app it's $5.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for unlimited standard aliases, 10 shared-domain aliases and 1 recipient, but only 10MB of bandwidth a month. Replying from an alias is paid. | CFree for good with no ads. The caps are ones you'll meet, though: one address, up to 1 GB of mail and 150 sent messages a day, and the desktop apps are for paying customers after a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CUsername and random aliases, replies, your own domain, tracking-pixel blocking, OpenPGP and an API. It does the alias job fully, but that's a smaller job than a mailbox: it forwards mail and stores none. | CThe basics, with encryption that runs without any setup: tracker blocking, throwaway aliases, a calendar, snooze, send later and Easy Switch to import your old mail. The gap Proton names itself: there's no IMAP or SMTP at all without Bridge, and Bridge needs a paid plan. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You point aliases at an inbox you already have, and custom domains need DNS records. | A4.8 from about 48,500 App Store ratings, a touch above Gmail's own app. It works like any inbox, and Easy Switch brings your old mail over for you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS, Android and browser extensions, with Bitwarden and Raycast connections and an API. No desktop app. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail through Bridge and the rest of Proton's suite. The desktop apps do need a paid plan, and the Linux one is still beta. |
| Best for | email aliases that forward to your inbox | email your provider can't read |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: addy.io and Proton Mail. How we grade
Price against what you get
addy.io starts at $1 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Proton Mail starts at $3.99 a month and scores 3.3.
Proton Mail scores higher, and starts $2.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, 4 score higher than addy.io for less, and 1 scores higher than Proton Mail for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- addy.io is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Proton Mail is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Proton Mail also covers calendar and email client.
At a glance
| addy.io | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $1 per month, billed yearly (Lite) | $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Unlimited standard aliases, 10 active shared domain aliases, 1 recipient, 2 alias domains and 10MB of bandwidth a month. | Proton Free: 1 email address, up to 1 GB of mail storage (500 MB until the setup steps are completed), a limit of 150 sent messages a day and 3 personal calendars. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | addy.io | Proton AG |
| Price read from | addy.io | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
addy.io
- It forwards to an inbox you already have; it is not a mailbox and does not store your mail.
- The free plan allows 10MB of bandwidth a month, and replying or sending from an alias needs a paid plan.
- Duo and Family are not sold through the App Store or Play Store, according to the FAQ.
Proton Mail
- The free plan is limited to 1 address, up to 1 GB of mail storage and 150 sent messages a day.
- Custom domains and IMAP/SMTP access through Bridge need a paid plan.
- The desktop apps need a paid plan; free accounts get a 14-day trial of them, and the Linux app is labeled beta.
- Buying in the iOS app costs more: the US App Store lists Mail Plus at $5.99 monthly, against $4.99 on Proton's site.
Key features
addy.io
- Username and random aliases
- Make up shop@yourname.anonaddy.com on the spot, or generate a random address. The alias is created when its first email arrives.
- Replies from aliases
- Reply to forwarded mail, or start a new message, without showing your real address. Paid plans only, capped at 50 or 200 a day.
- Your own domain
- Paid plans can use domains you own, with catch-all control and an option to create aliases only when they match a regex.
- Tracking pixel blocking
- Removes 1x1 tracking images from forwarded mail and links each message to a report of what was taken out. Paid plans only.
- OpenPGP encryption
- Forwarded mail can be encrypted with your public key, with the subject line hidden, on every plan.
- Apps, extensions and API
- Open-source iOS and Android apps, extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Safari, a REST API, and a self-hosting guide.
Proton Mail
- End-to-end and zero-access encryption
- Messages are encrypted so that only you can read them. Proton states that not even it can read your email.
- Tracker blocking and aliases
- Blocks the email trackers that report what you open and click. Hide-my-email aliases keep your real address off sign-up forms: 10 on Free and Mail Plus, unlimited on Proton Unlimited.
- Custom domains and extra addresses
- Mail Plus supports 1 custom email domain and up to 10 addresses. Proton Unlimited raises that to 3 domains and 15 addresses.
- Easy Switch import
- Imports existing mail from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or Apple accounts. The import assistant is included on the free plan.
- Proton Mail Bridge
- Paid accounts can use the Bridge app to read and send encrypted mail in Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird or Apple Mail over IMAP and SMTP.
- Calendar and scheduling tools
- Proton Calendar is included, with 3 personal calendars on Free and up to 25 on Mail Plus. Mail also supports scheduled sending, undo send and snooze.
Plans
addy.io
Free$0
Unlimited standard aliases, 10 active shared domain aliases, 1 recipient and 10MB monthly bandwidth.
Lite$1
per month, billed yearly
50 shared domain aliases, 1 custom domain, 5 recipients, 50 replies a day and tracking pixel blocking.
Pro$3
per month, billed yearly ($4 billed monthly)
Unlimited shared domain aliases and bandwidth, 20 custom domains, 30 recipients and 200 replies a day.
Duo$4.50
per month for 2 members, billed yearly ($6 billed monthly)
Pro for two people, each on an independent account, with optional shared custom domains.
Family$7.50
per month for 5 members, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)
Pro for five people, each on an independent account, billed as one subscription.
Proton Mail
Proton Free$0
1 address, up to 1 GB of mail storage, 150 sent messages a day, the Easy Switch import tool and 3 calendars.
Mail Plus$3.99
per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly
1 user with 10 addresses, 15 GB of storage, 1 custom domain, unlimited folders, labels and filters, and Bridge for IMAP/SMTP clients.
Proton Unlimited$9.99
per month, billed every 12 months ($119.88)
500 GB of storage, 15 addresses and 3 custom domains, bundled with Proton's VPN, password manager and cloud storage.
Ways to pay less
addy.io
No public discounts listed.
Proton Mail
- Annual discount
20% off Mail Plus on the 12-month plan
Proton's pricing page lists Mail Plus at $3.99 a month when billed every 12 months ($47.88), against $4.99 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, addy.io or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, addy.io is cheaper to start with: $1 a month, against $3.99 a month for Proton Mail. addy.io starts at $1 per month, billed yearly (Lite), and Proton Mail starts at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, addy.io or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both addy.io and Proton Mail have a free plan.
Which platforms do addy.io and Proton Mail run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only addy.io lists a browser extension and only Proton Mail lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.