PrivacyTools.io
Reviewed by Marcus Holmberg
ProtonMail logo

ProtonMail

proton.me/mail
4.4 (36)

Free and paid plans include all security features, including end-to-end encryption, zero-access encryption, anti-phishing, anti-spam and 2FA. Own Android, iOS Apps and web interface. Paid plans enable custom domains. Accessible via Tor Network. Based in Switzerland, founded in 2013.

Threat level
Covered

A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels

Screenshot of the ProtonMail website
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Our take

Proton’s free tier is the honest on-ramp here, because you get the real end-to-end and zero-access encryption without paying first, and Swiss jurisdiction is a genuine plus. The friction is that encryption between Proton users is automatic but reaching outsiders means passwords or PGP, and IMAP needs the Bridge app on paid plans. Choose it if you want a mature, audited provider with apps on every platform and you can work within its walled-garden model.

GPL-3.0 monorepopgpprotoncalendarprotoncontactsprotondriveprotonmailreactwebmailyarn
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5,676
+16 this week
Forks
741
168 watching
Last commit
today
healthy
Star history
Issues
67% closed
132
open
268
closed
+6 / -1
opened / closed, last 4 weeks
Opened vs closed, last 12 weeks
Commits, last 26 weeks
17,248 commits, active 25 of 26 weeks
97 contributors since Jun 2016
Languages
  • TypeScript 94.8%
  • JavaScript 2.1%
  • SCSS 1.6%
  • Other 1.5%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 15, 2026.
Website at a glance
proton.me
B+ score 80
Solid website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 2d ago

Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.

ProtonMail alternatives

ProtonMail license, in plain English
GPL-3.0
Strong copyleft

Free to use and modify, but anything you distribute that is built on it must also be open under the same license.

Permits

  • Commercial use
  • Modification
  • Distribution
  • Patent use
  • Private use

Requires

  • Disclose source
  • Same license
  • State changes
  • License and copyright notice

Does not provide

  • Liability cover
  • Warranty

Why it matters: Strong copyleft keeps every distributed version open. A vendor cannot fold this into a closed product and ship it without releasing their changes.

Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.