Proton Mail vs Shortwave
We give Proton Mail a 3.2 GPA and Shortwave a 3.4, out of 4.0. Proton Mail grades higher on value for money. Shortwave grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
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
Shortwave
AI email client for Gmail with an assistant, filters and split inbox
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAProton MailVery good | 3.4GPAShortwaveVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BMail Plus is $3.99 a month on the yearly plan, for 15 GB, 10 addresses and your own domain. Fair for private email, but Gmail and Outlook give you 15 GB for nothing. | CPro is $18 a seat a month, roughly double what paid email apps usually start at, and the business plans run $30, $45 and $120. You're paying for the AI, and even then every plan caps it with a daily quota. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for good with no ads, which is rare. But it's tight: one address, up to 1 GB and 150 sent messages a day. The desktop app is for paying customers. | BThere's a free plan, but it's a taster: basic AI with a limited usage quota, 90 days of search history, up to 15 threads per AI search, and a "Sent with Shortwave" signature on your emails. The paid plans come with a 14-day free trial. |
| Features | BEncryption you never have to think about, tracker blocking, throwaway aliases, a calendar and snooze. But other mail apps only connect through Bridge, on a paid plan. | AAn assistant that organizes, drafts, searches and schedules from a prompt, AI filters you write in plain English, a split inbox, and bundles for clearing newsletters in bulk. Teams get shared threads, private comments and assignments. Snooze and no-reply reminders are in there too. |
| Ease of use | 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. | A4.7 from about 740 App Store ratings. It sits on the Gmail account you already have, and telling an assistant what you want in plain English is easier than building filters by hand. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, so every device is covered. But the desktop apps need a paid plan, and the Linux one is still a beta. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and it connects to Slack, Notion, Asana and HubSpot. The big catch is the mailbox: Gmail and Google Workspace only. Microsoft 365 and Exchange aren't supported. |
| Best for | email your provider can't read | Gmail users who want AI to run the inbox |
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: Proton Mail and Shortwave. How we grade
Where they differ
- Proton Mail starts at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly. Shortwave starts at $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan).
- Only Proton Mail lists a Linux app.
- Proton Mail is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Proton Mail also covers calendar.
- Shortwave also covers chat assistant, AI search and templates.
At a glance
| Proton Mail | Shortwave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly | $18 per seat / month (Pro, the individual plan) |
| Free plan | 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. | Basic AI with a limited usage quota, 90 days of search history, up to 15 threads per AI search and a "Sent with Shortwave" email signature. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of the paid plans |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Proton AG | Shortwave Communications, Inc. |
| Price read from | proton.me | shortwave.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Shortwave
- Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to triage and draft email
- Teams that want to comment on and assign email threads internally
- People who want Google Inbox-style bundles on top of Gmail
Worth knowing
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.
Shortwave
- Sign-in requires Gmail or Google Workspace. Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported, and other providers only work by forwarding mail to Gmail.
- Paid plans start at $18 per seat a month for individuals and $30 on the business plans, and AI usage on every plan is capped by a daily quota.
- The Business plan limits AI search to 5 years of history and allows 3 AI filters.
- Native apps cover Mac, Windows, iOS and Android; other platforms rely on the web app.
Key features
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.
Shortwave
- AI assistant
- Prompt the assistant to organize the inbox, write in your own voice, search mail or schedule a meeting. It can also browse the web and analyze attachments.
- AI filters
- Describe a rule in plain English and it labels, stars or archives incoming mail. Business includes 3 AI filters, Premier 10 and Max 50.
- Split inbox and bundles
- Divide the inbox into tabs by sender, label or custom query, and triage promotions, newsletters and updates in bulk as bundles.
- AI search
- Ask questions across your mail instead of keyword searching. Business reaches back 5 years and reads up to 50 threads per search; Premier removes the history limit.
- Team collaboration
- Share a live thread with teammates, discuss it in private comments, assign emails with a done status, and keep shared labels, snippets and saved prompts.
- Scheduling and follow-ups
- The assistant checks availability, creates calendar events and writes scheduling emails. Snooze, delivery schedules and no-reply reminders are also included.
Plans
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.
Shortwave
Free$0
Basic AI with a limited usage quota, 90 days of standard and AI search history, and up to 15 threads per AI search.
Pro$18
per seat / month
For individuals: standard AI, full standard search history, 3 years of AI search history, AI web browsing and personalized AI writing.
Business$30
per seat / month
Standard AI with a daily usage quota, 5 years of AI search history, up to 50 threads per AI search and 3 AI filters.
Premier$45
per seat / month
Advanced AI with twice the Business usage, unlimited AI search history, up to 100 threads per AI search and 10 AI filters.
Max$120
per seat / month
Expert AI with six times the Business usage, up to 150 threads per AI search and 50 AI filters.
Ways to pay less
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.
Shortwave
No public discounts listed.
