Proton Mail
End-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland
Our verdict
Third of our top three email apps
For: People who want email their provider cannot read
Proton Mail is an email provider that encrypts messages so that Proton itself cannot read them, and it blocks email trackers. It runs on the web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, and its Easy Switch tool imports existing mail from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or Apple accounts. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 from about 48,000 ratings. It is third because its free plan is much smaller than the two above: 1 address, up to 1 GB of mail storage and 150 sent messages a day. The desktop apps, custom domains and access from other mail apps need a paid plan; Mail Plus is $3.99 a month, billed every 12 months.
See all three and how we rankProton Mail review
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 9, 2026
Best for email your provider can't read
Don't love the idea that your email provider could read your inbox? Proton Mail is built so it can't. No ads either, and it works like normal email. The free plan is small, though, at 1 GB and one address. And if you forget your password and have no recovery phrase, your old mail can stay locked.
Who Proton Mail is for
- Great if you want email that not even the company running it can read
- Handy when you're leaving Gmail and want your old mail moved across for you
- Good for signing up to shops with a throwaway alias, not your real address
- A treat if you want email, VPN, passwords and storage on one bill, with Proton Unlimited
Who Proton Mail is not for
- Skip it if you need lots of free space, since the free plan stops at 1 GB
- Not for you if you want Apple Mail or Outlook without paying, as Bridge needs a paid plan
- Tight if you send a lot on the free plan, which caps you at 150 messages a day
- Pricey if you subscribe inside the iPhone app, where Mail Plus is $5.99 a month
- Not for you if you forget passwords and won't write down a recovery phrase
Why Proton Mail gets a 3.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyMail 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.
- BFree plan and trialFree 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.
- BFeaturesEncryption 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.
- AEase of use4.8 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
The good
So what's the point of Proton Mail? Your email is locked so that even Proton can't read it. Not for ads, not for anything.
And you don't have to do anything clever to get that. You sign up and write emails like normal.
It also blocks the hidden trackers that tell senders when you opened their email.
Moving in is easy. A tool called Easy Switch brings your old mail over from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or Apple, and it's on the free plan.
Then there are aliases. Signing up to a shop you'll use once? Give them a made-up address that forwards to you, and kill it when the spam starts. You get 10, even on Free.
The everyday stuff is here too: a calendar, snooze, undo send and send later.
The stuff that'll bug you
Forget your password and it gets serious. Proton can't read your mail, so it can't hand it back either.
Reset by email or text and its help page says your old messages may stay locked, unless you kept your recovery phrase. One App Store reviewer lost their whole inbox this way. Write that phrase down on day one.
Want it in Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail? You need Bridge, a helper app for your computer, and it's for paid plans only. The desktop apps are paid too, after a 14-day trial.
Not everyone likes a Proton address. One reviewer's bank wouldn't accept theirs, and a Hacker News commenter had alias sign-ups refused by Etsy.
And it does go down now and then. Hacker News had outage threads in July and August 2026.
Money
Start on Free. It costs nothing, shows no ads and doesn't run out. You get one address, up to 1 GB and 3 calendars.
Mail Plus is $3.99 a month if you pay for 12 months, or $4.99 month to month. That's 15 GB, 10 addresses, your own domain and Bridge.
Proton Unlimited is $9.99 a month on the 12-month plan. It's 500 GB plus Proton's VPN, password manager and cloud storage. For email alone, we'd stop at Mail Plus.
Don't subscribe inside the iPhone app. The US App Store lists Mail Plus at $5.99 a month, a dollar more than Proton's own site.
Their pricing page also shows a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What actual users say
Proton Mail has 4.8 on the App Store from about 48,500 ratings. That's a touch higher than Gmail's own app.
What do the fans say? That free really means free. No ads, no nagging. One reckons 1 GB is plenty if you clear out your inbox now and then.
The four-star crowd want small things. Jump to the next email after deleting one. Filter by address when you have several.
A redesign in late 2025 annoyed at least one long-timer, who kept losing the compose button after it moved.
On Hacker News it's a regular suggestion when someone wants out of Gmail. It's not all praise, though. One commenter left because search was poor.
What this review rests on. Based on Proton Mail's home, pricing, download, Bridge and help pages as of 9 October 2026, its App Store reviews and Hacker News threads about it. Not based on using the product: this is a read of everything that's public, not a test. How we review and grade.
Make Proton Mail? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/proton-mail#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/proton-mail.svg" alt="Proton Mail: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>What is Proton Mail?
Proton Mail is an email provider built around end-to-end and zero-access encryption, so that Proton itself cannot read stored messages. It comes with its own web, desktop and mobile apps, Proton Calendar, tracker blocking, hide-my-email aliases and an import tool for moving from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or Apple. The free plan covers one address, and paid plans add storage, more addresses, custom domains and access from other email clients through Proton Mail Bridge.
Proton Mail has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly. See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Proton Mail pricing
- Starts at
- $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly
- 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $3.99per 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 | $9.99per 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. |
Read from proton.me on Oct 4, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Proton Mail before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discount20% 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.
Stated on proton.me
How people rate the Proton Mail app
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
48,305 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
- Proton Calendar
- Proton Drive
- Proton Pass
- Proton VPN
- Microsoft Outlook
- Mozilla Thunderbird
- Apple Mail
Proton Mail alternatives
- Proton Mail vs HEY
Free trial · from $99/yr
- Proton Mail vs Spark Mail
Free plan · from $8.25/mo
- Proton Mail vs Superhuman Mail
From $25/mo
- Proton Mail vs Shortwave
Free plan · from $18/mo
Featured in
Common questions
Is Proton Mail free?
Proton Mail has a 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. Paid plans start at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
How much does Proton Mail cost?
Proton Mail lists 3 plans. Proton Free: $0. Mail Plus: $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly. Proton Unlimited: $9.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($119.88). Prices were read from proton.me on Oct 4, 2026.
What platforms does Proton Mail work on?
Proton Mail is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Proton Mail offer any discounts?
Proton Mail publicly lists the following: 20% off Mail Plus on the 12-month plan.
How is Proton Mail rated?
Proton Mail's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 48,305 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Is Proton Mail open source?
Yes. Proton Mail is open source, according to its own site.
Is Proton Mail end-to-end encrypted?
Proton Mail describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.
What does Proton Mail integrate with?
Proton Mail's listing names Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, Proton Pass, Proton VPN, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird and Apple Mail. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Proton Mail?
Proton Mail is made by Proton AG. It dates from 2014.
What are the alternatives to Proton Mail?
The closest alternatives to Proton Mail in our directory are HEY, Spark Mail, Superhuman Mail and Shortwave. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Proton Mail.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 4, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.