ProtonMail is the largest secure email service in the world, which was created by scientists at MIT and CERN. They are open source, and Swiss privacy law protects us.
What is Protonmail?
With millions of subscribers worldwide, ProtonMail is the biggest encrypted email provider in the world. It safeguards your communications against current cyberattacks.
Give ownership and control of email data to your organization. The largest supplier of encrypted email in the world is Proton Mail. Our goal is to safeguard the right to privacy by making end-to-end encrypted email simple enough for everyone to use. We were developed in 2014 by physicists and engineers at CERN. We provide free email accounts without adverts or data abuse to further this aim. Geneva, Switzerland, which has some of the world’s strictest privacy laws, is home to ProtonMail’s headquarters.
History
Proton Mail started its public beta on May 16, 2014.
There was such interest that after three days they had to temporarily halt beta signups in order to increase server capacity.
Through a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo two months later, Proton Mail raised US$550,377 from 10,576 contributors while aiming for US$100,000.
Proton Mail’s PayPal account was frozen by PayPal during the campaign, delaying the withdrawal of contributions totaling US$251,721.
PayPal claimed that the account was frozen because there were questions about whether encryption was legal, claims that opponents claimed were unjustified.
The following day, the limitations were lifted.
Proton Mail secured US$2 million on March 18, 2015, from Charles River Ventures and the nonprofit Fondation Genevoise pour l’Innovation Technologique (FONGIT). However, by 2022, the firm had lost all of its venture capital backers.
Proton Mail released major version 2.0 on August 14, 2015, which featured a redesigned codebase for its web interface.
Proton Mail released major version 3.0 on March 17, 2016, marking the end of Proton Mail’s beta phase.
Version 3.0 of Proton Mail came with a redesigned web client interface and saw the public release of its iOS and Android beta clients.
A Tor onion site was announced by Proton Mail on January 19, 2017. A zero-access encrypted contacts manager called Proton Mail Contacts was unveiled on November 21st, 2017 by Proton Mail. Digital signatures are also used by Proton Mail Contacts to confirm the accuracy of contact information. Proton Mail introduced Proton Mail Bridge on December 6 for Windows and MacOS, an application that adds end-to-end email encryption to any desktop client that supports IMAP and SMTP, including Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Apple Mail.
In order to be compatible with other PGP clients, Proton Mail added address verification and Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) compatibility on July 25, 2018.
The back-source end’s code is still locked down.
However, Proton Mail made the web interface’s source code available under an open-source license.
Along with the Proton Mail Bridge software, Proton Mail also made its iOS and Android mobile clients open source. Their entire source code is available on GitHub.
The Coalition for App Fairness, which seeks to improve the terms for the inclusion of their apps in app stores, was founded in September 2020 with assistance from Proton Mail. Additionally, Proton established the Coalition for Competitive Digital Marketplaces, a group of more than 50 European ICT firms that favor open, interoperable, and competitive digital markets.
In order to achieve a uniform design across all of its software, Proton AG redesigned the aesthetics, user interface, and logos of all of its products in May 2022, including Proton Mail. Access to all Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive are now included with Proton Mail subscriptions.
How to Get Started With ProtonMail
ProtonMail accounts are simple to create and require no sharing of personal information; nevertheless, the service reserves the right to record your IP address and geographic location when you sign up.
To create a new Proton Mail account:
1. Launch a browser and navigate to the ProtonMail registration page.
2. Click Join > Free > Choose Free Plan.
To receive extra storage, filters, and other features, or to help ProtonMail development, select a premium ProtonMail account plan.
After registering, you are free to switch your account type at any time.
3. Enter the username you wish to use for your ProtonMail email address in the Username and domain area of the Create Your Account screen.
Your username should preferably be written in lowercase. There are a few more characters you can use, such as underscores, dashes, and dots, but they don’t make your ProtonMail username more distinctive. Ex.ample, for instance, shares the same username as example.
4. Input the password you want to use in the Password field, then type it again to be sure. You must enter this password in order to access your ProtonMail account.
5. Optionally, provide one of your alternative email addresses in the Recovery email (optional) area. This is the address where ProtonMail will contact you if you need assistance remembering your account name or password.
6. Choose Create Account in step
How To Get To Protonmail Login
- The first step in getting to Protonmail login is to open a web browser and navigate to the Protonmail login page.
- Just as you did with Gmail and Hotmail.
When you go to the signup page, go to the free section and select the free plan.
This allows you to pay nothing for Protonmail’s incredible services.
If you want to use Protonmail’s superior features, filters, and greater storage, upgrading to a premium membership is recommended.
- Now comes the bit you’ve been waiting for.
This is the most appealing aspect of proton mail in modern times.
Aside from that, you may keep up to 5GB of data on Proton mail for free, which I think is a terrific value. Furthermore, the website’s customer care will make it easy for you to work on anything.
The domain and username are your decision, and there are no platform disruptions. They’d even let you get a short email domain, which I think is a brilliant concept in this sector.
Protonmail Pros and Cons
Pros
- No-logs policy
- Encrypted messages to everyone
- CSV contact import
- Self-destructing emails
- More than 20 account languages
Con
- Visionary plan is costly
- POP3 is not supported
Custom Labels
If you value productivity, sorting your mailbox can be time-consuming if the service creators did not prioritize user experience.
Many service providers provide folder choices for grouping emails, however this may not be sufficient.
Proton mail features custom labels that you can apply separately from folders to boost the versatility of their service.
The nicest thing is that you may add emails to labels without interfering with the categorization of your folders.
If you remove a label from an email, it will not modify its folder.
Furthermore, if you no longer require a label, you can erase it without hesitation – it will not delete any emails.
Domain names with short names
If the protonmail.com domain is too long for you, why not shorten it?
By preserving your mailbox name and changing the domain name, you can receive emails to your linked inbox. For example, if your email address is jeff.bezos@protonmail.com, you can replace it with the pm.me domain jeff.bezos@pm.me. All users can receive pm.me emails, but only premium users can respond from pm.me addresses. Furthermore, this address is not counted against the total number of addresses you can register with a single account.
Various Layouts and Themes
Previously, Proton Mail was the sole layout option. Its looks were not its strongest suit. However, they recently revamped their entire user interface. It was a complete redesign that hadn’t been touched since the company’s inception seven years ago.
You can choose a color theme from one of six layouts.
So, whether you favor darker themes or choose to stick to the classics, you will have options.
Second, you can adjust the layout choices.
It is applicable to the inbox, composer, and icon sizes.
They can all be altered independently of one another. If you’re used to Gmail’s inbox, you can totally duplicate it.
Proton Mail is becoming one of the most customizable and convenient encrypted email providers. Quick filters
ProtonMail’s search capabilities have been greatly enhanced.
You may search for certain phrases and email addresses, as well as inboxes, dates, and whether or not the messages were viewed.
This is especially useful because many encrypted email providers do not have the feature.
It’s worth noting that this feature will assist you to some degree.
As you can see, email content cannot be searched.
It’s because the emails are encrypted with zero-knowledge on their servers.
As a result, they cannot be indexed and hence cannot be searched.
Keyboard Shortcuts
If you want to use Proton Mail faster, you should learn how to use their keyboard shortcuts.
You can use them to rapidly save drafts, open earlier messages, see the original message, and so on.
It increases your versatility when using Proton Mail.
Not to mention that if you stick with it long enough, the shortcuts will become second nature.
They are not the same as Outlook keyboard shortcuts.
Nonetheless, they are simple enough for even inexperienced users to grasp.
Tools for Migration
If you’re afraid to try the other service because you’d have to start from scratch, this could be a major disadvantage.
This is especially true for business customers who cannot afford to waste time copy-pasting their contacts into their mailboxes one by one.
As a result, Proton mail has created a proprietary tool that allows you to export and import data from other inboxes such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.
Only Plus, Professional, Visionary, and Lifetime accounts have access to this feature.
Free ProtonVPN
When you sign up for a Proton mail account, you will also receive a free ProtonVPN account.
Through their Virtual Private Network of intermediary servers, this business provides private and secure internet access.
It means you’re not viewing the web directly, but rather through an IP address assigned to one of their servers. As a result, it’s one of the greatest ways to maintain your anonymity and privacy while browsing the web. ProtonVPN is popular among people who appreciate their privacy, and it works well in conjunction with your encrypted email account.
Authentication using two factors
Proton Mail also includes two-factor authentication as an extra degree of security.
This means that even if someone steals your password, they won’t be able to access your account unless they also have access to your phone.
As a result, before adding this in, be sure you’ll always have access to your cell phone whenever you wish to connect to your email account.
You must install an authenticator app on your mobile phone in order to enable two-factor authentication.
We’d suggest one of the following:
- Authy
- Google Authenticator
- FreeOTP
Once you’ve enabled two-factor authentication, you’ll log in to your inbox using the unique six-digit number from your authenticator app.
You will also be unable to access your account until you enter that code.
Is ProtonMail safe and secure?
If you’re looking for a secure email account, chances are your primary concern is security and privacy.
So here are the key privacy and security features of ProtonMail:
- End-to-end encryption
- Based in Switzerland, which has some of the strongest privacy rules in the world
- Stores your data in safe data centers
No one can read your emails with ProtonMail end-to-end encryption except you and the receiver. You can also send encrypted emails to non-ProtonMail subscribers. ProtonMail includes two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security for added security. As a result, you can be confident that no one is peeking through your inbox or effectively intercepting your correspondence.
However, after Swiss authorities sought it in 2021, ProtonMail provided the IP address of a French climate activist. The company went public with the announcement that they do not log their users by default. It is only used in criminal prosecutions. While Proton Mail first refused to assist with French police, they were forced to do so after Europol became involved in the investigation and approached the Swiss government directly.
They surrendered the suspect in order to comply with local laws. Proton Mail gave the email address’s creation date, the IP address associated with it, and the device identification number. They did not, however, divulge any mailbox contents, which are encrypted and unreadable on their end. This level of logging is common in the industry.
To prevent such situations, you should use their.onion website version. Your IP address would be masked in this manner. To keep your information safe, avoid disclosing any personal information, pay in cryptocurrency, and utilize a VPN service.
ProtonMail Encryption
As previously stated, Proton Mail provides end-to-end encryption for a far more secure service. But how exactly does Proton Mail work?
Let’s break it down
End-to-end encryption is a highly secure method of preventing third parties from accessing data as it is transported between systems or devices.
End-to-end encryption means that your data is encrypted during the entire transmission process if your email provider uses it. As a result, only you and the person to whom you are sending the email will have access to the information.
Proton Mail also saves all of your emails in encrypted format, which means that even the email service’s creators will be unable to read the contents in your inbox or outbox.
End-to-end encrypted emails can also be sent to non-ProtonMail subscribers. This works by providing your intended recipient a link that opens an encrypted message in their browser.
They’ll be able to decode your email using a passphrase you give them.
To accomplish this, you must enable the Encrypt for Outside option. When you’re finished writing an email, click the lock button in the bottom left corner of the screen and enter a password (and password hint, if necessary).
If you did not specify a password for your email, it will be encrypted using standard TLS, if the receiver’s server supports it.
The same is true for emails sent to you by those who do not use Proton Mail.
PGP support
PGP (pronounced “Pretty Good Privacy”) is email encryption software.
In general, it is a safe way to encrypt your emails, but it may be too complicated to set up manually.
Proton Mail includes PGP encryption, which you may use without any technical knowledge.
PGP must be enabled between Proton Mail users. Once you’ve done that, PGP will encrypt all of your emails. Allow PGP for external users if you want to communicate with the external accounts.
It generates two sets of public and private keys. When you send an email, the sender and the recipient exchange a public key, which they can decode with their private keys. This ensures that only the intended recipient receives the message.
ProtonMail Anonymity
Another excellent feature of ProtonMail is the ability to obtain complete anonymity if desired.
You don’t even have to provide any personal information when you make an account, so your privacy is fully secure.
Furthermore, because ProtonMail does not track IP addresses by default, there is no information that an outsider may use to link you to that account. That way, you can be certain that your emails are absolutely confidential.
ProtonMail’s self-destructing messages
You can even choose an expiration date for emails sent from your Proton Mail account.
This implies that once your email has expired, it will be automatically erased from the recipient’s inbox.
This applies not only to emails sent to other ProtonMail users, but also to emails sent to receivers who use other email providers.
It functions similarly to Snapchat in that it deletes communications when the allocated time has gone.
ProtonMail data centers
When it comes to data storage, ProtonMail’s security seems like something out of a James Bond movie.
Proton Mail manages its server hardware in various safe Swiss locations.
Its main data center is hidden behind 1,000 meters of granite rock in a well fortified bunker designed to withstand a nuclear strike.
If you know anything about cybersecurity, you’ve probably heard that Switzerland is one of the safest countries to hold data.
This is due to the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (DPA) and the Swiss Federal Data Protection Ordinance (DPO) providing some of the world’s greatest privacy protection for both businesses and people.
Furthermore, because ProtonMail is domiciled in Switzerland, it is not subject to US or UK jurisdiction.
This means that only a court order from the Cantonal Court of Geneva or the Swiss Federal Supreme Court would result in ProtonMail disclosing the very limited information it will have saved.
As a result, it’s extremely improbable that anyone will ever be able to read your emails.
Protection against batch GCD attacks
Individual instances of ProtonMail are nearly impossible to crack because they rely on public key infrastructure.
There have been reports of significant numbers of public keys being obtained and used to generate private keys.
It works on the notion that an algorithm’s randomness isn’t all that random, and it may be possible to reverse engineer a password with a large pool of data.
Proton Mail, on the other hand, validated their metric over their whole account database.
It only found 90 public keys that belonged to spam accounts. This test demonstrates that Proton Mail is secure even when powerful encryption cracking techniques are used.
ProtonMail plans and pricing
| Version | Features | Price |
| Free | 1 user, 500 MB storage, 1 address, 150 messages per day, 3 folders | $0 |
| Plus | 1 user, 5 GB storage, 5 addresses, 1000 messages per day, 200 folders, 1 custom domain, email filters, autoresponder | $48/year |
| Professional | 1-5000 users, 5 GB storage/user, 5 addresses/user, unlimited messages per day, unlimited folders, priority customer support, 2 custom domains, email filters, autoresponder, catch-all email, multi-user support | $75/year |
| Visionary | 6 users, 20 GB storage, 50 addresses, unlimited messages per day, unlimited folders, priority customer support, 10 custom domains, email filters, autoresponder, catch-all email, multi-user support, ProtonVPN | $288/year |
You might think that storing your emails in a well secured bunker beneath 1,000 meters of granite rock would be expensive. However, Proton Mail offers a free package that includes all of these security features.
The amount of emails you can get each day is limited on the free plan. However, the limit is very large, and if it isn’t enough for you, there are alternative extremely low-cost programs that will boost your daily amount.
So, which plan is best for you, and how much will it cost?
ProtonMail Plus
Proton Mail prefers to refer to the monthly cost of its paid plans as a “gift” to help the firm continue to provide a secure email service to its clients rather than a membership charge.
However, regardless of how ProtonMail dresses it up, you must pay an annual or monthly fee to use their premium services.
However, its costs are quite affordable.
ProtonMail Plus costs only $4 per month.
And in exchange, you receive a lot more features than the free version.
The greatest difference is that the storage limitations and the quantity of emails allowed increase significantly when you subscribe to ProtonMail Plus.
You’ll now get 5GB of storage and the ability to send up to 1,000 emails per day, opposed than the free version’s daily restriction of 150.
You can also create up to five email aliases and your own domain name. Instead of needing to use @protonmail.com, you may fully personalize your email address.
In addition, the Plus subscription grants you priority access to ProtonMail’s customer assistance.
To summarize, the ProtonMail Plus account provides:
- 5GB storage
- 1,000 messages each day
- Labels, custom filters, and folders
- The ability to send encrypted messages to external recipients
- The possibility to build your own domain (for example, john@smith.com)
- Up to 5 email aliases
ProtonMail Professional
If you’re wanting to improve email security on behalf of a company, the ProtonMail Professional account could be ideal.
You may set up a domain name for your business and create accounts for each of your employees. It’s all quite simple to set up, and Proton Mail can assist you with migrating your current email system to Proton Mail. For additional information and support, please contact enterprise@protonmail.com.
A ProtonMail Professional account includes the following features:
- 5GB of storage per user
- 5 email accounts per user
- Daily message limit of unlimited
- Multi-user compatibility (up to 5000 in total)
- Support for two custom domains
- Priority customer service
- Labels, custom filters, and an unlimited number of folders
ProtonMail Visionary
ProtonMail Visionary, as the name and price suggest, comes with a lot of storage and several useful extra features that will no sure come in handy for anyone who needs to send a lot of encrypted emails.
Proton Mail Visionary comes with 20GB of storage and allows you to create up to 50 email aliases with up to 10 domain names.
It also has no daily limit on the number of emails you can send.
However, you cannot send mass emails using Proton Mail.
This is to prevent you from sending unsolicited emails or spam.
Which, to be honest, seems reasonable.
The following is a complete list of Proton Mail Visionary features:
- Up to 20GB of storage
- Up to 50 email aliases
- Up to ten domains are supported.
- Multi-user compatibility (6 total)
- There are no sending limits, except for bulk, spam, or unsolicited emails.
- Labels, custom filters, and folders are available.
- The ability to send encrypted messages to recipients outside the organization
- Priority access to new features
- ProtonVPN access
ProtonMail Free
ProtonMail’s free account includes 500MB of storage space.
This isn’t a lot, but it should be enough if you delete your emails frequently and don’t receive a lot of large things like high-resolution photographs and videos.
It also displays you how much memory you’re using, so you’ll always know when you need to start eliminating stuff to make room.
It limits you to 150 emails each day, which is more than plenty for most individuals.
If you feel that this isn’t quite enough for you, you can always upgrade to one of the paid options.
The only other disadvantage of the free edition of Proton Mail is the poor customer assistance.
There are, as you might assume, a plethora of FAQs on the website to assist you in resolving simple concerns, as well as an online form and a customer support email address if you require additional assistance.
However, the pricier plans include more dedicated support, which is considerably more valuable if you are having problems with ProtonMail’s service.
Apart from that, ProtonMail’s free service provides an extremely secure email service with only a few minor limitations.
And, because you may upgrade at any moment, if you’re not sure what limit you need, it can be worth starting with the free version and then upgrading if it doesn’t meet your needs.
To summarize, ProtonMail’s free account includes:
- 500MB of storage
- 150 messages per day
- Limited customer service
Is ProtonMail easy to use?
ProtonMail is extremely simple to set up and use.
We’ll walk you through the features, layout, and mobile app to help you determine if this service is perfect for you.
How to set up a ProtonMail account
All you have to do is go to the ProtonMail sign-up website, choose your plan, and follow the instructions.
A ProtonMail account is really simple to set up.
One of the best parts is that you don’t have to enter any personal information, so you may remain anonymous. The site suggests adding a recovery email in case you forget your password, but you are not required to do so.
ProtonMail design and layout
Unless this is your first email account, you’ll find ProtonMail’s style to be very familiar and simple to use.
The inbox appears pretty similar to Gmail,
Outlook, or Yahoo, and it’s really easy to discover all of the essential tasks like generating new messages, adding contacts, and accessing your draft emails.
New emails are highlighted in bold, and you can enable alerts on your desktop or mobile phone app to be notified whenever you receive a new message.
You can also build custom folders, filters, and labels in the premium editions to help you organize your emails.
Meanwhile, the free edition still allows you to create basic folders and labels that you can color-code to make it easier to find items.
ProtonMail App
ProtonMail is a very user-friendly desktop version as well as a very helpful app that is available on Apple and Android devices.
We tested the Android version and found it to be quick, smooth, and simple to use.
At the time of writing, the ProtonMail app had been downloaded over 1 million times and had gotten over 28,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.5 stars on the Google Play Store.
Meanwhile, the ProtonMail app for iOS has 4.2 stars and about 1,500 ratings.
So it’s reasonable to conclude the software is well-liked by its users.
Proton Mail, like other mainstream email services, includes a calendar tool.
ProtonCalendar
However, unlike other calendar apps, ProtonCalendar uses end-to-end encryption to ensure the security of your schedule.
On your device, everything from the event title, description, and location to the people you’ve invited is encrypted.
That implies that no one else (not even Proton Mail) has access to the details of your events.
Only you will be aware of your plans.
ProtonMail Performance
Despite all of the layers of stringent security, we found ProtonMail to be quite fast.
It transmits and receives emails quickly.
Uploading and downloading documents does not appear to take any longer than it does on popular email systems such as Gmail.
While we can’t say whether it starts to lag after you have thousands of emails in your inbox, early indications indicate that the added protection doesn’t significantly slow things down.
ProtonMail Customer Support
ProtonMail does not provide much in the form of customer service.
If you choose the free version, you will only have access to the online FAQs.
If you require assistance with a specific issue, you can email support@protonmail.com.
You may also fill out an online form.
Filling out this form and requesting a call-back appears to be the only option to speak with someone.
This is inconvenient if you need to communicate with someone regarding an urgent matter.
ProtonMail Alternatives
While ProtonMail is the most well-known secure email service, it is by no means the only one.
In truth, there are other possibilities worth examining.
- Tutanota
- Fastmail
- Gmail
FAQs
What is ProtonMail used for?
Proton Mail is a simple webmail service that delivers end-to-end encryption for message transmission and secures your message archive with zero-access encryption.
A secure calendar and (beta) file storage system are also included in this growing application.
Is ProtonMail safer than Gmail?
Is Proton mail more secure than Gmail? Yes.
When it comes to data security, end-to-end encryption reigns supreme.
Proton Mail stores all data in encrypted form, so neither hackers nor Proton Mail personnel can see the contents of your communications.
Is it legal to use ProtonMail?
“In general, the internet is not anonymous, and if you violate Swiss law, a law-abiding corporation like ProtonMail can be legally compelled to log your IP address.”
Is ProtonMail same as Gmail?
ProtonMail vs Gmail: Using Different Email Providers
Although both providers offer a similar UI, they are very different.
Gmail has more capabilities for more personal use, but Proton Mail is solely a secure email service that sends mail with end-to-end encryption.
Can a ProtonMail be traced?
What is traceable.
Proton Mail does temporarily log some metadata, such as IP addresses, as part of their service.
This could be used to identify you, or at the very least where you live.
Email subject lines and recipient and sender addresses are not encrypted during transmission.
Can I use ProtonMail with Gmail?
Log in to mail.google.com and click on the “Settings” button at the top of the screen, followed by “See all settings” to forward messages from your Gmail account. Click “Add a forwarding address” under the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab and input your new (ProtonMail) address.
Is ProtonMail blocked in China?
The Chinese government has blocked access to Proton VPN as of September 18, 2019, as part of a wider crackdown on Internet freedom.
The Chinese government works hard to limit its citizens’ Internet access.
Is ProtonMail in USA?
Proton Mail is run by Proton Technologies AG, which is headquartered in Plan-les-Ouates (Canton Geneva).
Its servers are located in two locations in Switzerland, outside of the authority of the EU and the US.
As a result, Proton Mail is (allegedly) regarded as a “safe email service and privacy sanctuary.”
Is ProtonMail free?
However, if you simply need to encrypt a few messages that are very critical, there is a free edition of Proton Mail that includes one address and 500 megabytes of storage.
Is ProtonMail better than Outlook?
I like that Outlook offers more functionality and storage space than Proton mail, but I don’t like that it requires a phone number.
Only on mobile does Proton mail appear to stay logged in.
But, of course, proton mail wins in terms of privacy.
I’m also concerned about the future and what might happen to email services.
Conclusion
Proton Mail is really simple and quick to use, and it provides end-to-end encryption, so you’ll have complete peace of mind knowing that your emails can’t be read by anybody other than you and the person to whom you’re emailing. It’s no surprise that the protagonist of the TV show Mr. Robot is depicted utilizing this service in Season 1, and it was also used to send ransom notes in the film “Knives Out.” Protonmail is extremely secure.
