--- title: "Proton Mail Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Proton Mail the right Email Security solution for you? Explore 122 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/201276/ProtonMail/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Proton Mail 4.5 (122) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/201276/ProtonMail/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated July 21st, 2026 # Reviews of Proton Mail Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews KT Karina T Customer Support SpecialistBiotechnology, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “The application is easy for use and I can write and emails which are protected and will not be shared“ March 8, 2026 GS Gareth S Area Inclusion WorkerEducation Management, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “At a stretch I would say that running Outlook accounts through it is a little cumbersome but that’s more of a Microsoft issue.“ March 11, 2026 NE Nicole E OwnerConsumer Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It’s rare to find a company that combines great privacy features with such responsive support.“ October 27, 2025 DI Dan I CTOInformation Technology and Services, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The custom domains are useless because they do not offer SMTP/IMAP servers and protonmail-bridge does not work on any sort of virtualized webserver setup -> understandable because of the E2E encryption.“ January 8, 2024 NE Nicole E OwnerConsumer Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The file storage has been especially impressive: fast, organized, and reliable.“ October 27, 2025 DI Dan I CTOInformation Technology and Services, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Even my SimpleLogin aliases are going to be disabled because - get this - since Protonmail bought SimpleLogin and bundled it with their product, aliases are disabled when you downgrade (instead of just restricting your ability to create more like SimpleLogin used to to).“ January 8, 2024 Sudarshan P StudentEducation Management, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “ProtonMail is a very secure email service.2.It uses end to end encryption for strong security.3.It also supports two factors authentication for purpose of security of added accounts.“ September 13, 2023 DI Dan I CTOInformation Technology and Services, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “They force you to purchase their Drive, Calendar, VPN and Password Manager which means even the cheapest plan is very expensive compared to competitors.“ January 8, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 122 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Vlad P. CEO Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "10 of 10 email I have tested!" February 11, 2023 5.0 Since they started the beta testing a few years back, it's been fantastic for me. I've been able to do email migrations with both the premium and free versions that I've used. It is, in my opinion, the best email choice, even for businesses.10 out of 10. Pros Pro, with this encrypted email service, user privacy is prioritized. Not all providers offer this crucial service; instead, the majority mine your data and sell it to outside parties. Good luck in finding other one! Cons Cons: Starting to handle it can be a little confusing at first. Reason for choosing Proton Mail Moving from GMAIL since, Google makes money by mining the user data it collects. I was weary of paying for a service with my privacy and a subscription. Switched from [Gmail](https://www.capterra.com/p/202338/Gmail/) Since proton provides encrypted email service and vpn. Review Source GS Gareth S. Area Inclusion Worker Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The epitome of encrypted email that exudes elegant efficiency." March 11, 2026 5.0 Encrypted, elegant, effective email and all in a trusted ecosystem. It is brilliant value for money and gets out of your way; no ads, no add on’s, no hassle. Pros The concise, clarity of the layout, it’s unfussy nature yet powerful encryption, filtering and privacy features are all glorious. The fact that it is independent of the US based tech beasts, means that you can use it safe in the knowledge that you are not being tracked. The snooze function is great, the folders simple to create and the spam folder is intelligent, effective and means you don’t have to go trawling for that email you missed. The ability to generate a mask email address is fabulous and the integration with the brilliant suite of other Proton products is seamless. Cons That’s genuinely difficult to answer. At a stretch I would say that running Outlook accounts through it is a little cumbersome but that’s more of a Microsoft issue. Switched from [iCloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/204717/iCloud/) Privacy, clarity, ethos and frustration with the walled in Apple ecosystem. Review Source Ayushmaan Singh B. Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Experience using Proton Mail" April 2, 2026 3.0 It was decent experience when operating a single account but as soon as I opened more and more accounts the experience turned real annoying, as I needed to keep switching the mail accounts and refresh every single time. It is great for security ( no questions ) but the UI and integrations with other services still needs a lot of work. Pros It has great privacy and does not use your info for advertisements and sells info to other companies. Which cannot be taken lightly as other products like Gmail though have better UI and integrations but sells a lot info to partner companies for targeted advertisements. Cons The UI is not that great, Switch between other mails is annoying when using a lot of emails. You need to refresh every time to see new emails. My experience when using third part email accounts like Gmail accounts or outlook accounts was very bad, because of the terrible loading time and missing a lot of important emails. Review Source KT Karina T. Customer Support Specialist Biotechnology Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Elizabeth Taylor " March 8, 2026 5.0 Pros The application is easy for use and I can write and emails which are protected and will not be shared Cons Miss organization with folders which sometimes is difficult to use. The app need to have some visibility issues Switched from [Gmail](https://www.capterra.com/p/202338/Gmail/) I can have multiply apps from Proton which are connected Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Life Coach Professional Training & Coaching Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "ProtonMail is a wonderful experience! " April 29, 2022 5.0 I really enjoy using ProtonMail. It was easy and intuitive to adopt. All of its features are on par or better than its competitors with the added benefits of encryption. I appreciate the company communications about their mission and sense of corporate advocacy (they support journalists and others who need secure communications). Being a paid member of the Proton world (Mail, Drive, VPN) feels like a very personal experience in the generally faceless, mega-corporate online communications industry. Pros There is so much I love about this product - the encryption, the minimal (not distracting) layout, the ease of use, the fun extras (like alternate addresses) - but what really sets it apart is the customer service. Of course there is a written help guide and it is also clear and, well, helpful. If that doesn't answer my question or solve my problem, I can easily email a real person and expect a thorough and polite response within a day. Coming from past applications where no human could be found, this was breath-taking enough. New to this treatment, I was remiss in replying. Imagine my delight and amazement when I then received a follow-up email asking if this had solved my issue and could they consider the service request closed? This is a civilized way to run a software company. Cons Accessing filter creation and editing requires clicking through more than one screen and I would love a "filter this" button in greater proximity to the actual email. The company regularly requests feedback from users and I have included this, so I am hopeful it is on a work list somewhere in their pipeline. Switched from [Gmail](https://www.capterra.com/p/202338/Gmail/) Increased sense of privacy both from the host and in general in terms of encryption. Review Source DI Dan I. CTO Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Expensive, restrictive, poor support" January 8, 2024 2.0 I have been using Protonmail Business (their highest tier) for about a year. I wanted a reliable e-mail service I could use for my freelance work and a few of my personal websites that did not harvest all of my data. ProtonMail was more expensive than pretty much any other e-mail service, presumably because they force you to buy their password manager, VPN, drive, and calendar solutions. I did not need all of these solutions and never used them, nor did I want super-secure e-mail. Nevertheless, I signed up for a 2-year Business plan because of the good reviews, 15 custom domains, and the unlimited SimpleLogin addresses. The first surprise came when I tried to set up my e-mail client. Turns out that Protonmail does not offer SMTP/IMAP and there is no desktop app either (well, there is but it's in closed beta for ages). Using other clients requires installing and configuring protonmail-bridge (a sort of e-mail proxy). This is an acceptable workaround for PCs, however, it is complicated and often impossible to configure for web servers, in particular virtualized or hosted setups. I tried a few community alternatives to protonmail-bridge but ended up having to restart the services daily because the bridge would randomly crash without any warning or error. Support was next to useless. Taking days or weeks to reply with boilerplate text that had nothing to do with my case. Eventually, I decided to migrate all business-critical mail away from Proton. MXRoute offers unlimited custom domains (and a lot of other cool things Proton does not) for a lifetime price that is equal to a yearly subscription to Proton, so I went with them. I decided to cancel my Proton subscription to avoid being charged for another 2 years. Worst of all was what happened when I tried to cancel: despite having paid for 2 years, as soon as I canceled my subscription, I INSTANTLY and WITHOUT WARNING lost access to all premium features for the remainder of the period (about 1 year). This means that all of the addresses I created for custom domains were deleted (luckily I had already migrated them). It also meant that all of my e-mail clients stopped receiving or sending mail because protonmail-bridge is not available for free-tier... Even Google lets you use the remainder of your subscription when canceling... Even my SimpleLogin aliases are going to be disabled because - get this - since Protonmail bought SimpleLogin and bundled it with their product, aliases are disabled when you downgrade (instead of just restricting your ability to create more like SimpleLogin used to to). I begged support to convert my credit to a SimpleLogin or even a Proton subscription but they refused. My only option is to purchase a significantly more expensive monthly subscription for 5 months (instead of the 9 I had left). Maybe ProtonMail was at some point customer-oriented. But my experience with them has been the opposite: overpriced, restrictive, unfriendly money-grabbers. Which frankly leads me to question their privacy and security claims as well. Pros zero-access encryption, unlimited SimpleLogin addresses, custom domains Cons \- They force you to purchase their Drive, Calendar, VPN and Password Manager which means even the cheapest plan is very expensive compared to competitors. - There is no desktop app and using other clients requires installing and configuring protonmail-bridge (an e-mail server proxy) - The custom domains are useless because they do not offer SMTP/IMAP servers and protonmail-bridge does not work on any sort of virtualized webserver setup -> understandable because of the E2E encryption. - Their support is slow to reply and usually replies with boilerplate text that is not helpful or relevant. - I deactivated my subscription with 1 year remaining and instantly lost access to \*all\* premium features without any warning. Reason for choosing Proton Mail Good reviews, privacy, SimpleLogin aliases Switched from [Gmail](https://www.capterra.com/p/202338/Gmail/) Wanted a more private business e-mail that I could use also use for my websites. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Aid Worker Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The UI makes it an easy switch from Gmail" October 27, 2022 5.0 An easy switch from other email service providers. The UI offers great user experience and is very appealing to my eyes in comparison to the like of Tutanota Mail. Pros My friend recommended Proton Mail to me sometime back. I have come to like it. Notably they have an Easy Switch feature which I used to move my emails from Gmail and I didn't loose any information whatsoever. The UI in Proton is very user friendly and almost similar to Gmail in my view. I was able to adapt to it easily and haven't regretted the switch. Having been very accustomed to conversation grouping in Gmail, finding this feature in Proton Mail greatly improves my workflow. It is somewhat even better than in Gmail. For example, I am able to keep my emails less cluttered and improve my storage space. This is because in Proton, once you delete the conversation say in the inbox folder, same conversation is deleted in the sent folder. Saves a lot of time for me. This feature lacks in Tutanota and was a deal breaker. Cons Well, the very same cool feature of Conversation grouping / view is also my stress point. I find Proton has very high level of inconsistency across the various platforms. Conversation view is unavailable on the Android platform and just makes my head go wild. Why is it so hard to have similar features across multiple platforms? I hope future updates shall address some of these issues. Switched from [Tuta Mail](https://www.capterra.com/p/234571/Tuta/) The UI in Proton is easy to get used to unlike Tutanota. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Technical Support Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Privacy has a high price" June 30, 2021 4.0 Overall I am quite satisfied with my experience with free ProtonMail plan so far. If I were to purchase and upgrade, I would consider a different provider, though. Pros The web client and mobile apps are easy to use, which is not something every email provider can offer. There is a built-in PGP support and other privacy-oriented features like expiring and password protected emails. Cons No IMAP/SMTP support without upgrading to a paid plan which is quite expensive comparing to other providers. Free users are therefore limited to the official mobile app which is not yet available in F-Droid. Switched from [Gmail](https://www.capterra.com/p/202338/Gmail/) Mostly privacy concerns, free VPN was a nice addition. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Fullstack Developer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Secure Email" January 5, 2022 5.0 I think it's a great email service overall and I plan to continue to be a customer for the long term Pros \- It's easy to create and use several aliases and domains - The Catch-All Email is very useful when someone mistype the email addresses - The folders and tags are handy to better organize the received emails - As advertised, the product DNA is very secure Cons \- The VPN can make the connection a little bit slower - Some emails have ended up in the spam folder of some contacts - I find it somewhat expensive (I'm on the Professional plan) but I'm willing to continue supporting the company Switched from [Gmail](https://www.capterra.com/p/202338/Gmail/) Security and because I didn't want to depend too much on Google Review Source NE Nicole E. Owner Consumer Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy to use and no spam" October 27, 2025 5.0 Overall, my experience with Proton has been excellent. It’s secure, easy to use, and surprisingly reliable. I had one small issue with the app, and their customer support resolved it within hours. It’s rare to find a company that combines great privacy features with such responsive support. Pros We’ve been using Proton for our business email, password manager, and file storage, and it’s been a great experience. The biggest win for us is how easy it is to use. Everything feels intuitive, with no steep learning curve or clunky setup. We don’t get any spam, which is worth its weight in gold. While Proton is known for its encryption and privacy, that wasn’t our main reason for choosing it. We picked it because it just works. The layout is clean, the apps are stable, and switching between Mail, Pass, and Drive feels seamless. The file storage has been especially impressive: fast, organized, and reliable. Cons If you’re considering Proton for its AI, I wouldn’t. It’s basically a token feature. But if you care about usability, security, and a smooth experience across tools, Proton delivers. Review Source RA Rahman A. Marketing Specialist Business Supplies and Equipment Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A Private Inbox That Keeps My Work Mine" April 21, 2025 5.0 For anything sensitive, I use ProtonMail especially when I’m negotiating deals with partners outside our region. The peace of mind that the data is only for us is critical, especially when we’re talking about contracts or payment information.” Pros I like that ProtonMail doesn’t track me or read my emails, which is important when I’m dealing with lead lists or supplier conversations. It’s encrypted by default, so I don’t have to flip a switch or check any settings. It’s just private. Cons There’s no real integration with tools like ActiveCampaign (my email solution) or Google Sheets (my data solution), which makes it harder for me to slip it into my broader marketing stack. That’s really good for secure messaging, but not for everyday campaign management. Review Source RW Roger W. Niche Growth Facilitator Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Reliable Privacy Based Email" October 9, 2022 5.0 ProtonMail is an encrypted email service that uses end-to-end encryption to protect your data from prying eyes. It's easy to use, and perfect for anyone who wants to keep their emails private. ProtonMail also has a built-in VPN, so you can be sure your data is always safe and secure. It was reliable, but did have occasional outages. Pros ProtonMail is super easy to use, and it provides a high level of security for your data. ProtonMail also has a built-in VPN, which means you can be sure your data is always safe and secure. I like that I can use a regular email application to download and backup all email. The mobile application is a useful feature. Cons ProtonMail I don't think is as widely used as other email providers, and it can be a bit more expensive than some other options. Often the mobile application notifies you of a new email, when it's already been viewed through their webmail portal. Review Source JS Janeen S. Manager Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent email app" February 14, 2023 5.0 Protonmail is probably the very best email app I have ever used. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a secure email experience. Pros I like that Protonmail gives me an extra sense of security and I feel confident that my email is protected from potential threats. Cons I liked everything about this app. It is easy to use and the support team always answers questions timeously. I can rest assure that my mail is safe from threats. Reason for choosing Proton Mail Because Protonmail is encrypted and much more secure. Review Source SB Skyler B. Content Writer Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "ProtonMail is great for email if privacy and security is your main focus" July 25, 2022 4.0 ProtonMail is ideal for individuals who value privacy and security with emails. It has now expanded to offer a calendar, file storage and VPN. I'd highly recommend it for privacy-conscious users. However, I tried ProtonMail for business use for a few months and switched back to Google WorkSpace. Pros I like that ProtonMail focuses on privacy and uses encrypted services data to help keep your data private and not sell it or monitor and track everything you do. Many companies claim to offer data security, but ProtonMail proves it, and is transparent about its practices with peer-review and independent audits. All data is stored on Swiss servers and protected under Swiss privacy laws for total peace of mind. ProtonMail offers a free version of its email without ads, a refreshing difference from Gmail scanning emails to show you ads. Cons ProtonMail is more focused on individual clients who value privacy above everything else. I used it briefly with my domain to get a custom email address, but it didn't have all of the features that I needed to run my freelancing business. The free option is only limited to 1 GB of storage and is much lower than other email providers. ProtonMail was also developed by scientists, so their advertising and promotion aren't really as good as other companies - and most people I know have never even heard of them. Review Source AM Angelo M. IT Advisor Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "You start for free. Then you want to pay for it." July 1, 2022 5.0 It has helped me a lot in communications with local service providers that will only be contracted once. The interface is simple to use. And you can feel even in the free version, that you have a real quality product. Pros The free version is very powerful, you have everything you need. However, in the pro version you have more storage space, the mail is faster and the technical support works great. Cons In some countries it does not work, you must use a VPN to be able to update the mail. Only in the free version, the delivery time is slower. Other email providers may restrict ProtonMail email delivery Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Junior Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The most secure email service provider out there." November 11, 2022 5.0 The greatest benefit of using ProtonMail is that it is very secure. The UI is not clustered and is easy to view. Overall the experience with ProtonMail was good. Pros Like many people, the most I like most about this product is the secured and encrypted email service. The user interface is very minimal and does not distract you. Cons You cannot search your emails by their content because the emails are encrypted. Many useful features are also locked behind a paywall. And you may not be able to use the email to sign up for other applications as it may not be supported. Review Source KC Kristjon C. Postdoc Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "ProtonMail: My go-to email service" May 8, 2023 5.0 Pros I like ProtonMail for its security, simplicity, and lack of ads. With end-to-end encryption and servers in Switzerland, I trust that my emails are protected. Plus, the straightforward service doesn't sell my information to third parties. Overall, ProtonMail is my top choice for email. Cons One downside of ProtonMail is that it does not offer IMAP/SMTP service for free accounts. This means that if I want to use a third-party email client to access my ProtonMail account, I need to upgrade to a paid plan. Review Source RE Ralph E. Digital Marketer Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A privacy focused email service" June 16, 2020 5.0 Pros One thing that makes Protonmail unique is that it's privacy and security focused and also encrypted. The security it provides is it's greatest feature. So, if you are concerned about security and privacy of your mails, you might want to look at Protonmail, but otherwise you'd do just fine with any provider. They have an Android app which is the only client that I've ever been able to make use of to access the service, and you can use browsers too, apart from those, nothing else has worked when I tried on mobile phones. I guess it's for security reasons, and probably intentional. Cons The free version is limited in features. If you want to enjoy the complete features of the app, you probably need to upgrade. You can only have 3 folders for organising your mailbox in the free version. Review Source anil I. Student Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Ui friendly mail" September 6, 2023 4.0 The most attractive feature of this product is its user interface which is both attractive and easy to use.The security is also good for this level pricing Pros The most important function of any mail service provide is security and the proton mail provides highest security and military grade encryption. It user interface is a also friendly and easy to use which saves a lot of time. It email filtering system is also good makes spam mails go into bin Cons The storage limit can be increased even though we have to upgrade it. The features of different platforms doesn't needed to change and can be kept same. Review Source LC Laura C. Owner Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Proton Mail Sucks " March 31, 2022 1.0 Proton Mail is Horrible they can ruin your company and business. This has been the worst company ever. There’s no customer service number. They ask for your info to open your account. I answered all of their questions and my account is still closed. I am still paying for the service. Pros Nothing that I can think of. It is cheap Cons Proton customer service is terrible. I can’t get a hold of anyone. There isn’t a phone number for me to call. They shut down my email and I answered their questions. I am going to look at transferring my email provider to someone else. I have sensitive information saved in my email and I told them that. They don’t care! Review Source AG Armin G. Postdoc Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good second/backup email" July 24, 2024 4.0 Pros It is easy to use. Has most features of famous email service providers. Cons The free storage is not enough. The graphical interface is very simple and doesn't have many alternatives. Review Source AJ Adam J. Business Solutions Manager Building Materials Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A Great Option if Privacy is a Value" October 16, 2023 5.0 As privacy online grows more important, I really appreciate the way that ProtonMail has built up a suite of products over time that are good value, feature rich and intuitive to use. Keep it up! Pros The best part of Proton is the privacy an encryption features. I really appreciate that while delivering a mail service that is top of the line for privacy, they've also really paid attention to usability and function as well. Both the mobile and web interfaces are intuitive, full featured, and easy to use. Cons Caring about privacy online takes a bit more effort, and proton mail is no exception. That said, they've done a great job to make it simple and user friendly, accessible to all. Review Source GEY Gizem Erdem Y. Digital Marketing Manager Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Security is everything " October 24, 2022 5.0 Pros The main difference of Proton mail from other email services is its focus on encryption. Sender and receiver cannot open encrypted mails. This is a very safe and beautiful system. Its interface is much better than other mail services. The theme is very beautiful and user-friendly. Cons Unlike other e-mails, it does not have a usual system. Because of this, it may be difficult at first, but after that it will be easy. Review Source Xhovana M. Marketeer Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great customer experience, nice features. " November 20, 2020 4.0 Great overall experience. Pros Very useful features. Great customer experience Cons Ease of use- the platform I do not think it offers the best customer experience; Expensive prices for the upgraded plans. Review Source AT Alan T. Service Director Financial Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Smooth and easy...mostly" February 3, 2022 4.0 Easy and smooth setup (up and running within minutes). Not such a fan of the overall layout (visually, not from an operational or functionality standpoint). Security and encryption features and functionality are great. Pros Very easy to set up and use, with some very nice encryption and security features. Cons I don't like the "forced" connection to their VPN service. A little to much overlap for our comfort. Some issues occasionally with disconnecting and needing to login in. Lack of a clear policy in terms of using email address for marketing. Review Source Similar Products Featured