Gmail vs Proton Mail

Gmail

• Anyone who wants a free personal address with 15 GB of shared storage
• Organizations that want email on their own domain inside Google Workspace
• People who already rely on Google Calendar, Meet, Chat and Drive

Proton Mail

• People who want an email provider that cannot read their messages
• Anyone moving off Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo who needs to import old mail
• Users who want email, VPN, passwords and storage from one vendor

Gmail

• Business email is only sold as part of Google Workspace, which also includes Calendar, Drive, Meet and Docs.
• The free 15 GB is shared with Drive and Photos. More space is a paid add-on: the US App Store listing shows 100 GB at $1.99 and 200 GB at $2.99, with no billing period given.
• Free accounts may show ads, though Google says it does not use Gmail content to personalize them.
• No desktop app is listed: Gmail runs in a browser and as Android and iOS apps, or through another mail client.

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.

Gmail

Spam, phishing and malware blocking

Google says Gmail automatically blocks 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts and malware, and flags a suspicious message that could still be legitimate.

Gemini in Gmail

Drafts and polishes replies and summarizes long threads. On personal accounts, asking Gemini to search the inbox is a premium feature of Google AI Pro or Ultra plans.

Smart Compose, Smart Reply and Nudges

Suggests replies and sentence completions as you type, and reminds you to answer or follow up on messages you have not dealt with.

Confidential Mode

Set an expiry date on a message, require the recipient to verify by text, and remove the options to forward, copy, download or print it.

Custom domain email and mail merge

Workspace puts addresses on your own domain, with up to 30 aliases per user. Mail merge, from Business Standard, takes up to 1,500 recipients from a linked spreadsheet.

Offline mail and other clients

Gmail offline lets you read, reply to, delete and search messages without a connection. Accounts also work in Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird.

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.

Gmail

• Personal Google Account$0

  Gmail for personal use with 15 GB of storage shared with Drive and Photos. No address at your own domain, and the account may show ads.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with email at your own domain, 30 GB of pooled storage per user and the Gemini assistant in Gmail.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  2 TB of pooled storage per user, plus custom email layouts, mail merge and Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  5 TB of pooled storage per user, with Google Vault for retention and eDiscovery and advanced endpoint management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  No user limit, where the Business editions stop at 300. Adds S/MIME encryption and data loss prevention; priced through Google sales.

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.

Gmail

• Annual discount

  Lower rate with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan versus $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Other savings

  Introductory discount for the first 3 months

  The US pricing page gives new Workspace customers 50% off Starter, 30% off Standard and 20% off Plus for their first 3 months, and describes the offer as valid for a limited time.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available at no charge to qualifying institutions. Education Plus is a paid edition.

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.