GMX Mail 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, though GMX Mail grades higher (3.2 against 3.0) on value for money, the free plan and features.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Proton Mail grades higher on ease of use and platforms.
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 GMX Mail if
- Fits if you want a free second mailbox with lots of storage
- Works for people who want aliases and PGP encryption without paying
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: signup asks for your gender, date of birth and a recovery phone or email, and ends with a captcha
- Skip it if you want a custom domain, as the pages read don't mention one
- Not for you if you want a desktop email app, as only Android, iOS and iPadOS apps are listed
- Watch out: the pages read list no paid plan or support tier
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
| 3.2GPAGMX MailVery good | 3.0GPAProton MailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, with 65GB of storage, 50MB attachments and up to 10 aliases. The pages read list no paid plan. | 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 | AFree outright, with no paid plan on the pages read. | 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 | BMailbox and attachments, aliases, a Mail Collector, filters, spam protection, PGP encryption, an organiser, contacts and office tools. The pages show no gap in the core email work. | 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 sign up with personal details, then set up filters and the Mail Collector yourself. | 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. No desktop email app is mentioned and no API is listed. | 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 | a free mailbox with 65GB | 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: GMX Mail and Proton Mail. How we grade
Price against what you get
GMX Mail has no paid plan and scores 2.7 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 $3.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than GMX Mail 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 is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- GMX Mail also covers inbox filtering.
At a glance
| GMX Mail | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free email account with 65GB of mailbox storage, 50MB attachments and up to 10 alias addresses. | 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 | 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH | Proton AG |
| Price read from | gmx.com | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GMX Mail
- Signup asks for gender, date of birth and a recovery phone or email, and ends with a captcha.
- The pages read list no paid plan, so features such as a custom domain are not mentioned.
- Apps are listed for Android, iOS and iPadOS only; no desktop email app is mentioned.
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
GMX Mail
- Mailbox and attachments
- 65GB of mailbox space, which the site equates to about 500,000 emails, and attachments of up to 50MB.
- Alias addresses
- Create up to 10 alias addresses and manage them from one central mailbox.
- Mail Collector
- Pull mail from accounts at other providers into one GMX inbox.
- Filters and spam protection
- Folders and filter rules, with templates provided, a spam filter and virus scanning.
- PGP encryption
- Emails can be encrypted with PGP so only the people holding the decryption key can read them.
- Organizer, contacts and office
- A calendar with reminders, an address book and an online office for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
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
GMX Mail
Free$0
65GB of email storage, 50MB attachments, up to 10 aliases, spam filter and virus protection.
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
GMX Mail
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, GMX Mail or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, GMX Mail is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $3.99 a month for Proton Mail. GMX Mail is free, and Proton Mail starts at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, GMX Mail or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both GMX Mail and Proton Mail have a free plan.
Which platforms do GMX Mail and Proton Mail run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only GMX Mail 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.