Proton Mail vs StartMail

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

StartMail

• People who want a paid, ad-free mailbox hosted in the Netherlands
• Using a separate alias for every sign-up to limit spam
• Sending encrypted mail to people who do not use PGP themselves

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.

StartMail

• There is no free plan, and the 7-day trial asks for a credit card or PayPal account at sign-up.
• The only app is for Android; the iOS app is listed as coming soon. Elsewhere it runs in the browser or in other mail apps over IMAP.
• Personal accounts are limited to one custom domain; unlimited domains and shared aliases need the Business plan.
• The feature list covers email and contacts only and does not mention a calendar or file storage.

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.

StartMail

Unlimited aliases

Extra addresses can be created and deleted at any time, on the StartMail domain or your own, and one-click burner aliases disappear on their own after an hour.

PGP encryption

One click encrypts a message with PGP or adds a PGP signature, and an IMAP mail client can be set up for end-to-end encryption with OpenPGP.

Password-protected email

Encrypted messages can be sent to people who do not use encryption: the recipient reads and answers them with a password you set.

Tracking and phishing protection

External images are hidden by default to block tracking pixels, a warning shows the full address before an external link opens, and your IP address is kept out of sent mail.

Custom domains and group subscriptions

Personal accounts can use one custom domain and Business accounts any number. Extra accounts for family or team members are 25% off, and Business groups can share aliases.

IMAP access and migration

Full IMAP and SMTP access for Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail and similar apps, plus a migration tool that imports email and contacts from other providers.

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.

StartMail

• Personal$4.99

  per month, billed annually ($59.88); $6.99 billed monthly

  An address on the StartMail domain or one custom domain, unlimited aliases and 20 GB of storage. Annual plans can be paid in Bitcoin.

• Business$6.99

  per month, billed annually ($83.88); $8.99 billed monthly

  An address on your own domain, unlimited domains, 30 GB of storage and shared aliases on a custom domain within a group subscription.

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.

StartMail

• Annual discount

  Save $24 a year with annual billing

  Personal costs $59.88 a year ($4.99 a month) against $6.99 a month when billed monthly, and Business $83.88 a year against $8.99 a month. The pricing page puts the saving at $24.

• Other savings

  25% off additional accounts

  Any number of extra accounts for family members or colleagues can be added to a subscription as a group, each at 25% off the regular rate.