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Eli MacKinnon / 3.29.2023Home / Email Security
Best ProtonMail alternatives for individuals and businesses
ProtonMail is considered one of the leading privacy-first email providers, but are there better options? Find out from our list of top ProtonMail alternatives!
ProtonMail is a Switzerland-based email service that has garnered significant traction over the years among privacy-focused users. Thanks to its comprehensive security practices, it is one of the most popular privacy-oriented email service providers on the market. However, it might not meet all your needs in terms of safety, overall user experience, pricing, or available features, in which case you should look into some of the best ProtonMail alternatives.Our guide will analyze ProtonMail and its most popular competitors. You’ll learn what:
Source: Proton MailUnlike mainstream email service giants such as Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo, ProtonMail is heavily focused on privacy. It’s one of the most secure email options available, as it implements end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to protect your emails. This type of encryption ensures that your messages are secured from the moment they leave your device until they reach the intended recipient, the only person with the decryption key.When signing up for ProtonMail, no personal information is required, so your identity remains fully hidden. Your IP address also stays invisible, which adds an extra layer of protection. If you pair Proton’s security measures with Switzerland’s strict privacy laws, it becomes quite obvious why the platform has gathered such a loyal user base.Despite its progressiveness in the world of online privacy, ProtonMail might not completely meet all users’ needs. Security is one aspect that could use improvement as the platform implements Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an outdated form of encryption displaying numerous vulnerabilities. ProtonMail also doesn’t encrypt the subject line and metadata, which may bother some privacy-focused users.While ProtonMail has significantly improved its user interface, making it more modern and customizable, it is not as intuitive as those from mainstream email providers. ProtonMail offers a free plan, but it includes only 1 GB of free storage (500 MB out of the box) and up to 150 messages a day. This may not even cover an average user’s needs and typically requires them to upgrade to one of the platform’s paid plans.ProtonMail Plus costs $5, and Proton Unlimited costs $13 monthly for a single user. These plans provide more storage and advanced features but might be expensive for average consumers on a budget.
Source: TutanotaTutanota is an email service well-known for its privacy-first approach. It uses advanced end-to-end encryption for securing emails and other user data, such as a combination of AES-128 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) encryption. This means that if both you and the recipient use Tutanota, all emails will be automatically end-to-end encrypted. In case the recipient isn’t a Tutanota user, you’ll need to manually exchange private encryption keys with each other. Tutanota also has the edge over Proton because it encrypts the email’s subject line along with the body and attachments.Like ProtonMail, the platform offers two-factor authentication (2FA), adding another layer of protection to your account should someone get ahold of your password.Unlike most other email services, Tutanota created an encrypted search index, which decrypts items locally and enables you to search for particular keywords. This prevents unauthorized parties from spying on you by analyzing the search index.Users can sign up for the service completely anonymously, as no phone number or any other personal information is required, keeping your online identity private.Tutanota’s interface is clean and straightforward and can be customized according to your needs and preferences.The only aspect where Tutanota doesn’t deliver is the storage size. The free plan includes only 1 GB of storage, which is extremely low and may not cover even an average user’s needs. Even the priciest paid plan provides a maximum of 10 GB, the storage size some other providers offer for free.
Source: PosteoPosteo is a secure email service catering to both individuals and businesses. The platform implements several methods to ensure the security of your emails, such as the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, PGP, 2FA, HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), and Secure Shell (SSH).The issue is that Posteo doesn't provide end-to-end encryption by default. It automatically uses the inferior TLS encryption protocol to safeguard your messages in transit. If you want to upgrade to E2EE, you have to install Mailvelope, a browser extension that supports end-to-end encryption with your preferred email provider.The platform also supports POP3, SMTP, and IMAP—protocols defining the mechanisms for sending and receiving emails over the internet. You can use Posteo on any device and with any email client that supports these protocols.Posteo’s interface isn’t very modern, but it’s clean and easy to navigate. Still, you have to use the browser interface or a third-party email client on desktops or mobile devices since Posteo doesn’t have mobile and desktop apps. This can be inconvenient because some mobile web browsers tend to crop the window, making it difficult to read emails.
Source: Zoho MailZoho Mail is often listed as one of the best secure private email services. Although it can be used by both individuals and businesses, it’s mostly aimed at business clients.The platform uses end-to-end encryption to protect your online communication and 2FA to enable additional account security. While you get E2EE with a popular S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) protocol, the decryption keys are stored on Zoho’s servers.To add more safety layers, Zoho uses OneAuth–an multi-factor authenticator app developed by the platform that lets you choose among the four authentication methods available—Touch ID (or Face ID), QR code, Push notification, and Time-based OTP.In addition, Zoho supports OAuth 2.0, a protocol that allows you to access your email from other third-party apps without entering a password.The interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate, with functionalities intuitively displayed in the left and right pane.The free plan offers 5 GB of storage and a 25 MB attachment limit—ten times less than in the cheapest paid plan, up to five users, and email hosting for a single domain. This plan suits individuals or small businesses with fewer than six employees.Premium plans provide 50 GB of storage per user, attachments up to 1 GB, domain aliases, IMAP/POP access in email clients, and many other features. You get a 15-day free trial and a money-back guarantee in case you don’t like the services.
Source: SkiffSkiff Mail is an open-source platform that uses advanced end-to-end encryption to safeguard your online communications. It ensures your messages can’t be accessed by anyone other than the intended recipient. The platform implements two separate keys to secure your emails:
- ProtonMail’s advantages and disadvantages are
- Makes for a suitable ProtonMail alternative
- Other privacy-first services you should consider
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ProtonMail overview—strengths and weaknesses
What to look for in a suitable alternative
A suitable ProtonMail alternative should deliver in all aspects that influence the overall user experience. There are four crucial factors to consider:| Security | An alternative email service provider should use E2EE, as it’s the only type of encryption that allows you to have full control over your data. You should preferably look for one featuring an advanced and more modern E2EE protocol |
| Features | ProtonMail’s worthy substitute should provide features that improve efficiency, enable effortless organization, and allow better time management. Choose a service that has the potential to meet your needs should they grow over time |
| User interface | You should look for an email service that features a modern, clean, and easy-to-navigate interface that can rival those provided by Big Tech solutions |
| Price | ProtonMail’s alternative should offer a generous free plan that includes sizeable free storage, email aliases, and custom signatures to accommodate users on a budget. Advanced features should be available for an affordable price |
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The top 4 ProtonMail alternatives
Various email providers are well-known for their superb security measures and comprehensive sets of features, but the following four are the best alternatives to consider:- Tutanota
- Posteo
- Zoho Mail
- Skiff
Tutanota
Pricing
The email service offers an upgrade to the following premium plans:- Private
- Private Premium—$1.29/month
- Private Teams—$5/month
- Business
- Business Premium—$2.60/month
- Business Teams—$6.40/month
- Business Pro—$8.60/month
| Pros | Cons |
| No PGP encryption | Low free storage |
| Encrypted search index | Most advanced features have to be purchased as add-ons |
| No personal information needed when signing up | . |
Posteo
Pricing
There isn’t a free plan, only an extremely affordable paid plan that costs $1/month. It includes various features, such as customized filters, email aliases, signatures, and fast search. This plan provides only 2 GB of storage, which can be increased up to 20 GB by paying $0.27/month for each additional gigabyte.| Pros | Cons |
| Supports POP, SMTP, and IMAP protocols | Lack of E2E encryption by default |
| Affordable paid plan | No free plan |
| Various features | Low storage |
Zoho Mail
Pricing
Zoho offers a free plan and three affordable premium plans:- Mail Lite—$1/month
- Mail Premium—$3.90/month
- Workplace—starts from $3/month
| Pros | Cons |
| End-to-end encryption | Low storage, even within the priciest plan |
| 2FA | Insufficient protection due to the decryption keys being stored on Zoho’s servers |
| User-friendly interface | . |
Skiff
- Public key—used for encryption and distributed among the users
- Private key—used for decryption and stored safely on the user’s device
- 10GB of storage—Skiff’s offer is well above the industry standard. You can optionally store your files on the world’s largest decentralized storage system (IPFS)
- 4 free email aliases—You can have multiple Skiff email addresses all going to the same inbox
- Unlimited search—Find your files and conversations in a few seconds
- Crypto wallet integrations—Skiff enables you to sign up using one of the following crypto wallets as login credentials:
Pricing
If you want to unlock up to 1 TB of storage space, get custom domains, and create up to 15 aliases, Skiff offers three affordable paid plans:- Essential—$3
- Pro—$8
- Business—$12
| Pros | Cons |
| Advanced E2EE | No guaranteed security if the device is compromised by malware |
| Zero-knowledge login | . |
| Generous free plan | . |
| Crypto integrations | . |
Sign up for Skiff Mail and take control of your online privacySigning up for Skiff Mail takes three simple steps:
- Visit the signup page
- Create your free account
- Start using Skiff Mail
- Skiff Pages—Collaboration platform for creating documents and editing in real-time
- Skiff Drive—Storage space allowing you to upload, sort, preview, download, and share all types of files in a safe environment
- Skiff Calendar—Private calendar for scheduling and storing events
