Hushmail 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 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 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.
Hushmail
Encrypted email and e-signable forms for healthcare practices
Proton Mail
End-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland
Which one is for you
Pick Hushmail if
- Fits if you're a clinic or practice that needs a signed BAA and encrypted forms
- Works for a small office that wants email and forms in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need forms, as Basic has none and Essentials includes 3
- Watch out: the figures are for the Healthcare plans, and Small Business, Law and Personal plans have their own prices
- Watch out: done-for-you form building costs $25 per form
- Watch out: the page offers monthly, yearly and 2-year terms, and the listing's billing term isn't shown
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
| 2.2GPAHushmailFair | 3.0GPAProton MailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CHealthcare Basic is $11.99 an account a month, between the category's middle of $7 and its dearer quarter at $14. Forms sit on dearer plans at $14.99 and $17.99. | 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 14-day free trial on each plan, and no free plan. The listing doesn't say whether a card is needed. | 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 email, secure forms, e-signatures, your own domain and aliases, and done-for-you forms. Gaps: forms aren't in Healthcare Basic and Essentials has only 3. | 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. A web service where you set up your domain, forms and templates. | 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 and an iOS app, with Outlook and Squarespace connections. No desktop app 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 | encrypted email for healthcare and law offices | 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: Hushmail and Proton Mail. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hushmail starts at $11.99 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 $8 a month lower. Of the other email apps on the chart, 25 score higher than Hushmail 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.
- Hushmail also covers templates and forms.
- Proton Mail also covers calendar.
At a glance
| Hushmail | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11.99 per account / month | $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 14-day free trial on each plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hushmail | Proton AG |
| Price read from | hushmail.com | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hushmail
- The plans shown are the Healthcare ones; Small Business, Law and Personal plans have their own prices on the same page.
- The page offers monthly, yearly (1 month free) and 2-year (3 months free) terms; the figures read above were the default view.
- Forms are not in Healthcare Basic, and Essentials includes only 3.
- Done-for-you form building costs $25 per form.
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
Hushmail
- Encrypted email
- A toggle encrypts a message, and recipients can open it with a Google, Apple or Microsoft account and send secure replies.
- Secure forms and e-signatures
- Essentials and Growth include encrypted web forms, questionnaires such as the PHQ-9, and single-party e-signatures.
- Compliance claims
- The vendor says every healthcare plan covers HIPAA with a signed Business Associate Agreement, and lists Canadian and GDPR terms.
- Own domain and aliases
- Accounts can use a @hushmail.com address or your own domain, with unlimited aliases and use in mail apps like Outlook.
- Done-for-you forms
- Customer care builds a secure web form on request for $25 per form.
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
Hushmail
Healthcare Basic$11.99
per account / month, billing term not shown
HIPAA-compliant encrypted email, a signed BAA and email archive. Does not include forms.
Healthcare Essentials$14.99
per account / month, billing term not shown
Adds 3 forms, e-signatures, email templates and scheduling.
Healthcare Growth$17.99
per account / month, billing term not shown
25 forms, custom branding, an additional security package and priority email support.
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
Hushmail
- Annual discount
1 month free on yearly billing
The pricing page tags yearly billing with 1 month free and billing every 2 years with 3 months free.
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, Hushmail or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Proton Mail is cheaper to start with: $3.99 a month, against $11.99 a month for Hushmail. Hushmail starts at $11.99 per account / 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, Hushmail or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Proton Mail has a free plan. Hushmail does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Hushmail and Proton Mail run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Proton Mail lists macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps. Both list a web app and an iOS app. 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.