CTemplar 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 2.2.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Proton Mail grades higher on value for money, 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.
Proton Mail
End-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland
Which one is for you
Pick CTemplar if
- Fits if you want an encrypted mailbox and will pay for a custom domain
- Works for people who want to sign up without handing over personal details
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want open sign-up on the free plan, since it's invitation only
- Tight if you stay free: no aliases, no custom domains and no self-destructing mail
- Pricey if you need more than one domain, as Knight is $12 a month and Marshal $20
- Watch out: encryption runs in the browser with JavaScript, which the site says is required
- Watch out: desktop builds are only in testing
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
| 2.2GPACTemplarFair | 3.0GPAProton MailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPrime is $8 a month, about the middle of what email services charge. Higher tiers run to $50. | 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 | CA free plan with 1 GB, 200 sent a day and 10 MB attachments, but it's by invitation and has no aliases or custom domains. | 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 | CEncrypted subject, body and attachments, self-destructing mail and aliases. The free plan lacks aliases and self-destruct, and the free tier leaves out the headline extras. | 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 set up a mailbox and decide what to encrypt, and the Monero payment goes through support. | 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, iPhone and Android apps. No desktop app is released, with Linux, macOS and Windows builds only in testing. | 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 | encrypted email hosted in Iceland | 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: CTemplar and Proton Mail. How we grade
Price against what you get
CTemplar starts at $8 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 $4.01 a month lower. Of the other email apps on the chart, 27 score higher than CTemplar 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
- Proton Mail also covers calendar.
At a glance
| CTemplar | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per month | $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free plan, by invitation: 1 GB storage, 200 sent emails a day, 10 MB attachments, no aliases and no custom domains. | 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 | ||
| Made by | Templar Software Systems | Proton AG |
| Price read from | ctemplar.com | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CTemplar
- The free plan is by invitation, so it is not open sign-up, and it has no aliases and no self-destructing email.
- Encryption runs in the browser with JavaScript, which the site says is required.
- Monero payments are handled through support rather than automatically; Bitcoin and card payments are automatic.
- The vendor lists Linux, macOS and Windows desktop builds as being tested, not released, so only web, App Store and Google Play access is confirmed.
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
CTemplar
- Encrypted subject, body and attachments
- Messages are encrypted with OpenPGP.js in the browser, and the vendor says it does not hold the password to the private keys.
- Anonymous sign-up and IP stripping
- No phone number or credit card is needed to register, and the vendor says it replaces the sender's IP with its own on outgoing mail.
- Self-destructing and delayed messages
- Self-destruct, dead-man timer, delayed delivery and remote encrypted links are on every paid tier but not the free one.
- Aliases and custom domains
- Paid tiers add aliases and your own domains, with catch-all domains included from Prime.
- Published source code
- The vendor says its code is open on GitHub and that it publishes checksums so users can compare it with what the site serves.
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
CTemplar
Free$0
Invitation only. 1 GB storage, 200 emails a day, 10 MB attachments, no aliases, no custom domains.
Prime$8
per month
5 GB storage, 2,000 emails a day, 50 MB attachments, 10 aliases and 1 custom domain.
Knight$12
per month
10 GB storage, 30 aliases and 5 custom domains.
Marshal$20
per month
20 GB storage, 60 aliases and 10 custom domains.
Champion$50
per month
50 GB storage, unlimited sending, 200 aliases, 100 custom domains and beta access.
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
CTemplar
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, CTemplar or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Proton Mail is cheaper to start with: $3.99 a month, against $8 a month for CTemplar. CTemplar starts at $8 per month, and Proton Mail starts at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, CTemplar or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CTemplar and Proton Mail have a free plan.
Which platforms do CTemplar and Proton Mail run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 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.