Proton Mail

Overview

Proton Mail is the most established encrypted email provider, founded in 2014 by scientists who met at CERN. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, it benefits from some of the strongest privacy laws in the world. All emails stored on Proton's servers are encrypted with zero-access encryption, meaning even Proton cannot read your messages. End-to-end encryption is automatic between Proton Mail users, and password-protected messages can be sent to external recipients.

The service has grown into a full privacy ecosystem including Proton VPN, Proton Drive, and Proton Calendar, all sharing the same encryption standards and account.

Privacy and Security

Proton Mail's encryption is based on OpenPGP with AES-256 and RSA-2048. All client applications are open source and have undergone independent security audits by Securitum. The company publishes transparency reports detailing government requests and has a strong track record of challenging overreaching demands in Swiss courts. Two-factor authentication is supported via TOTP and hardware security keys.

Who Should Use It

Proton Mail is ideal for anyone wanting to move away from surveillance-based email providers without sacrificing usability. The free tier is suitable for personal use, while paid plans offer enough features for small businesses and professionals. If you already use or plan to use Proton VPN, the bundled plans offer excellent value for a comprehensive privacy setup.