Alternatives to Proton Mail
E2E encrypted email from Switzerland
Proton Mail ranks #1 of 12 in Email services, with an Alt Score of 96. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, freemium and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Web. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Anyone who wants email privacy, from individual users to journalists and activists concerned about surveillance, as well as businesses that need to meet data protection requirements.
An end-to-end and zero-access encrypted email inbox, so not even Proton can read your messages. It includes tracker and phishing blocking, password-protected emails, hide-my-email aliases, and email scheduling. Proton is funded by paid subscriptions rather than ads or data sales. It's based in Switzerland and available across web and mobile apps.
Sign up for a free account (no phone number required) or a paid plan for more storage and features; encryption is applied automatically in the background with no extra setup. Existing Gmail users can migrate mail and contacts using Proton's built-in Easy Switch import tool.
Where Proton Mail stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Proton Mail
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Email services checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Email services checklist | Proton Mail | Tuta | mailbox.org | Posteo | Zoho Mail | Fastmail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| E2E encryption | ||||||
| Custom domain support | ||||||
| Storage (free tier) | ||||||
| Aliases included | ||||||
| Calendar & contacts | ||||||
| IMAP/SMTP access | ||||||
| Jurisdiction | ||||||
| Independent audit published | ||||||
| Catch-all addresses | ||||||
| Ad-free | ||||||
| Import from competitors | ||||||
| Anonymous signup |
Every fact and feature listed for Proton Mail is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-11
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
https://github.com/ProtonMail/WebClients/blob/main/LICENSE -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-11
Our free email plan comes with 500 MB of Mail storage.
https://proton.me/mail/pricing -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web verified 2026-07-11
Download the Proton Mail App for iOS, Android & Desktop
https://proton.me/mail/download -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
:"© Proton AG. All rights reserved.","copyrightYear":"2026""
copyrightNotice
https://proton.me/mail/security -
E2E encryption Yes verified 2026-07-11
The content of your emails is encrypted on your device before being sent to our servers
https://proton.me/mail/security -
Custom domain support Yes verified 2026-07-11
Support for 1 custom email domain
https://proton.me/mail/pricing -
Storage (free tier) Yes verified 2026-07-11
1 GB storage
https://proton.me/mail/pricing -
Aliases included Yes verified 2026-07-11
10 hide-my-email aliases
https://proton.me/mail/pricing -
Calendar & contacts Yes verified 2026-07-11
When you sign up for any Proton Mail plan, you automatically get access to your own Proton Calendar
https://proton.me/mail/pricing -
IMAP/SMTP access Partial verified 2026-07-11
Proton Mail Bridge is available only with a paid plan that includes Proton Mail.
https://proton.me/mail/bridge -
Jurisdiction Yes verified 2026-07-11
It is therefore governed by the laws and regulations of Switzerland.
https://proton.me/legal/privacy -
Independent audit published Yes verified 2026-07-11
the audit uncovered no major issues or security vulnerabilities
https://proton.me/blog/security-audit -
Catch-all addresses Yes verified 2026-07-11
Catch-all email
https://proton.me/mail/pricing -
Ad-free Yes verified 2026-07-11
Proton Mail lets you read them without letting advertisers watch you, build a profile on you, or serve you ads based on your mail activity
https://proton.me/mail/security -
Import from competitors Yes verified 2026-07-11
Easy Switch is a tool that safely transfers your emails, calendars, and contacts from an external email account to Proton Mail.
https://proton.me/support/easy-switch -
Anonymous signup Yes verified 2026-07-11
Proton Mail lets you easily create a free email account without giving away your phone number.
https://proton.me/blog/create-an-email-account-without-phone-number-verification
FAQ
Yes. Tuta, Zoho Mail and iCloud Mail have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Tuta — every license claim links its source.