Kolab Now 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
Kolab Now grades higher on features. Proton Mail grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
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 Kolab Now if
- Fits if you want hosted email and calendars for a group, kept in Switzerland
- Works for people who'd rather not run a server for a small team
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a single-user plan, as only Group Account appeared in the signup data
- Pricey if you count in dollars, since it's billed in Swiss francs and depends on user count
- Skip it if you want apps of its own, as none are listed
- Watch out: the pricing page would not render, so the price comes from the signup page data
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
| 2.2GPAKolab NowFair | 3.0GPAProton MailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CCHF 9.90 a month is near the middle of what email services charge, and it's for a group account. We found no cheaper single 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 | CFree for the first 30 days, per the signup page. Whether it wants a card isn't on record. | 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 | BEmail, calendar, tasks, sharing, documents and a video room, with sync over standard protocols. The listing shows no gap in the job. | 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 your own domain and add users, and phones and desktops sync through clients you pick. | 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 | CA hosted web service, with sync to Thunderbird, Outlook, eM Client and Apple apps. No apps of its own. | 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 | hosted Swiss email with calendars | 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: Kolab Now and Proton Mail. How we grade
Where they differ
- Proton Mail is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Kolab Now also covers tasks and video calls.
At a glance
| Kolab Now | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | CHF 9.90 per month (Group Account) | $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 | Free for the first 30 days, per the signup page. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Apheleia IT AG | Proton AG |
| Price read from | kolabnow.com | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Kolab Now
- The pricing page did not render readable text; the price comes from the plan data the signup page loads.
- Pricing is in Swiss francs, and the page says it depends on user count; other price steps were not found.
- It is a hosted service only, with no apps of its own listed beyond sync to phones and desktop clients.
- Only the Group Account plan appeared in the signup data, so no cheaper individual plan was found.
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
Kolab Now
- Email with security features
- Aliases and identities, full-text search and tagging, spam and virus filtering, and PGP for end-to-end encryption.
- Calendar and tasks
- Schedule meetings with internal and external users, create recurring series, assign tasks and track their progress.
- Standard-protocol sync
- Uses IMAP, SMTP, Sieve, CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync, so Thunderbird, Outlook, eM Client and Apple apps can connect.
- Sharing within an account
- Share mail folders, calendars and task lists with other users in your account, with granular access control.
- Documents and video room
- Attach files from online storage, edit office documents together and use a personal video conferencing room.
- Swiss hosting
- Data is hosted in Switzerland on dedicated hardware, and the company says it is not used for machine learning.
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
Kolab Now
Group AccountCHF 9.90
per month; the page says pricing is flexible by user count
Recommended for 1 to 100 users, with your own domains and an admin area to add users. Billed in Swiss francs.
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
Kolab Now
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, Kolab Now or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kolab Now starts at CHF 9.90 per month (Group Account), and Proton Mail starts at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Kolab Now or Proton Mail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Proton Mail has a free plan. Kolab Now does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Kolab Now and Proton Mail run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Proton Mail lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web 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.