ProtonMail Review_ the Safest Email Provider in 2022_ _ Cybernews

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ProtonMail review: have we found the most
secure email provider in 2022?
Mindaugas Jančis
Updated on: 18 July 2022 59
Proton Mail is the world’s largest secure email service. It offers end-to-end encryption and lots of
other great security features to keep your communications private. Even the company hosting
your emails has no way of reading them, so you can rest assured that they can’t be read by third
parties either.
But for all this talk, how secure is Proton Mail? Are there any loopholes? And how much
does it cost to sign up? Luckily we have all this info and more in this ProtonMail review.
LIMITED OFFER: Get up to 33% OFF Protonmail!
Rating:
Price:
Free version:
Storage:
4.9 ★★★★★
from $3.49/month
Yes
1–500 GB

Visit ProtonMail
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
Proton Mail features, pros and cons
Pros
No-logs policy
Encrypted messages to anyone
CSV contact import
Self-destructing emails
Over 20 account languages
Cons
Visionary plan is expensive
POP3 not supported
Visit Protonmail to read more about the features
Custom labels
If you value productivity, organizing your mailbox can be tedious if the service developers didn't
care for user experience. Many service providers have folder options to group emails, but it may
not be enough. To increase their service's flexibility, Protonmail has custom labels that you can
add separately from folders. The best part is that you can add emails to labels, and it will not
interfere with your folders categorization. Should you decide to remove a label from email, it will
not change their folder. Also, if you no longer need a label, you can delete it without second
thoughts – it will not delete any emails.
Short domain addresses
If you find the protonmail.com domain daunting, why not make it shorter? You can receive
emails to your associated inbox by keeping your mailbox name and switching out the domain
name. For example, if your email address is jeff.bezos@protonmail.com, you can swap out
protonmail.com and instead use pm.me domain jeff.bezos@pm.me. All users can receive pm.me
emails, but replying from pm.me addresses is only reserved for premium users. Plus, this address
does not count towards the total limit of addresses you can create with a single account.
Multiple layouts and themes

Previously ProtonMail used to have the only layout option. Looks weren't its particular strength.
Though, recently they have redesigned their whole UI. It was a complete revamp which wasn't
changed since the start seven years ago when they first launched.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
You can select a color theme out of 6 templates. So, whether you prefer darker themes or want
to stay with the classics, you will have options to choose from.

Secondly, there's an option to customize layout options. It applies to inbox, composer, and icon
sizes. All of them can be adjusted independently from one another. You can completely recreate
Gmail feel if you're more used to their inbox.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
All of these additions make ProtonMail one of the most customizable and convenient secure
email providers.
Quick filters
ProtonMail has drastically expanded its search capabilities. You can search for particular
keywords and email addresses, inboxes, dates, and whether the messages were read or not. This
is very convenient since many encrypted email providers don't choose to include the feature.
It's worth mentioning that this feature will help you to some extent. As you can see, you can't
search email content. It's because the emails are stored on their servers with zero-knowledge
encryption. In turn, they can't be indexed, which also means that they can't be searched.
Keyboard shortcuts

Features, Ease of use pros and cons
If you want to use ProtonMail faster, it might be a good idea to tame their keyboard shortcuts.
Using them, you can quickly save drafts, open the previous message, show the original message,
etc.
It gives you more flexibility when using ProtonMail. Not to mention, if you stick with it for a
longer time, the shortcuts become second nature. They are a bit different from Outlook
keyboard shortcuts. Still, they are intuitive enough to pick up even for novice users.
Migration tools
If you're hesitant to jump into the other service because you'd have to start from scratch, this
might be a severe drawback. It's especially true for business users who cannot spend the
valuable resources at copy-pasting their contacts in the mailboxes one by one. For this reason,
Protonmail has developed a proprietary app that allows you to export and import your data from
other inboxes like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo. The feature is only for Plus, Professional, Visionary,
and Lifetime accounts.
Free Proton VPN
When you register for a Protonmail, you also get a free ProtonVPN account. This service enables
private and secure internet access through their Virtual Private Network of intermediary servers.
It means that you're not browsing the web directly but through the guise of an IP address of one
of their servers. Thus, it's one of the best ways to protect your anonymity and privacy when

owsing the web. ProtonVPN is popular among people who value their privacy, and it's a great
pairing to your encrypted email account.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
Two-factor authentication
ProtonMail also adds an additional layer of protection in the form of two-factor authentication.
This means that, if someone manages to steal your password, they won’t be able to get into your
account unless they also have access to your mobile phone.
For this reason, you’ll need to make sure you’ll always have access to your mobile phone
whenever you want to login to your email account before opting to add this in.
In order to enable two-factor authentication, you’ll have to install an authenticator app on your
mobile phone. We’d recommend one of the following:
Google Authenticator
Authy
FreeOTP
Once you’ve got two-factor authentication set up, you’ll use the unique six-digit code from
your authenticator app to login to your mailbox. And you won’t be able to access your account
until you’ve entered that code.
Is Proton Mail safe and secure?
If you’re looking into getting a secure email account, chances are your main priority is security
and privacy.
So here are the central ProtonMail privacy and security features:
End-to-end encryption
Based in Switzerland with some of the strictest privacy laws
Stores your data in secure data centers
With ProtonMail end-to-end encryption, no one except you and the recipient can view your
emails. And you can send encrypted emails to non-ProtonMail users as well. For even more
security, ProtonMail adds two-factor authentication as an additional layer of protection. So, you
can rest assured that no one will be snooping through your inbox or successfully intercepting
your correspondence.

Features, Ease of use pros and cons
That said, in 2021, ProtonMail disclosed the IP address of aFrench climate activist after the Swiss
authorities requested it. The companywent public, stating that they aren't logging their users by
default. It'sdone only in criminal prosecution cases. While ProtonMail didn't cooperateafter
the requests of French authorities, they had to after Europol becameinvolved with the case and
contacted the Swiss government directly. As they have to comply with their local laws, they gave
up the suspect. ProtonMailrevealed the date when the email address was created, the IP
address linked toit, and the device identification number. However, they didn't reveal any
mailbox contents, which are encrypted, and non-decipherable on their end. This amount of
logging is standard in the industry.
To avoid such situations, it could be an optionto use their .onion website version. That way your
IP address would be hidden. Also,make sure that you're not giving away any personal details,
pay incryptocurrencies, and use a VPN provider to keep your information safe.
Proton Mail encryption

Features, Ease of use pros and cons
As we mentioned above, ProtonMail offers end-to-end encryption for a much more secure
service. But how does ProtonMail work? Let’s break it down.
End-to-end encryption is a really secure way of preventing third parties from being able to
access data while it’s being transferred between systems or devices. If your email service uses
end-to-end encryption, it means that your data is encrypted throughout the entire
communication process. So, only you and the person you’re sending the email to will be able to
access the information.
ProtonMail also stores all your emails in an encrypted format, which means that even the
developers in charge of the email service won’t be able to read the messages in your inbox or
outbox.
You can also send end-to-end encrypted emails to non-ProtonMail users. This works by
sending a link to your intended recipient which loads an encrypted message onto their browser.
They’ll then be able to decrypt your email using a passphrase you can share with them.
To do this, you will have to enable the Encrypt for Outside option. When you compose an email,
click the lock icon on the bottom left of the screen and set a password (and password hint, if
necessary).
If you didn’t set a password for your email, it will be encrypted using regular TLS, assuming the
receiver’s server allows it. The same goes for emails sent to you by non-ProtonMail users.
PGP support

Features, Ease of use pros and cons
PGP (or Pretty Good Privacy) is encryption software for email communications. Generally, it's a
secure method to encrypt your emails but it might be too complex to set up manually.
ProtonMail has a built-in PGP encryption that you can use with zero technical expertise.
Between ProtonMail users, PGP has to be enabled. Once you do, PGP will encrypt all the emails
that you exchange. If you want to communicate with the external accounts, you can allow PGP
for outside users.
It works by generating two pairs of public and private keys. When you send an email, the sender
exchanges a public key with the recipient, which they can decrypt with their private keys. That
way you can be sure that only the intended recipient gets the message.
Proton Mail anonymity
Another great thing about ProtonMail is the fact that it allows you to get complete anonymity if
you want it. You don’t even need to input any personal data when you create your account, so
your privacy will be completely protected.
And by default, ProtonMail doesn’t track IP addresses, so there’s no information that an
outsider could use to tie you to that account. That way, you know your emails are completely
private.
Proton Mail’s self-destructing messages

Features, Ease of use pros and cons
You can even set an optional expiration time on any emails sent from your ProtonMail account.
This means that your email will be automatically deleted from the recipient’s inbox once it has
expired.
This not only works for emails sent to other ProtonMail users, but also for ones sent to recipients
using other email providers. It works in a similar way to Snapchat by removing messages once
the allotted time has passed.
Proton Mail data centers
When it comes to storing your data, ProtonMail’s security sounds rather like something out of a
James Bond film. ProtonMail controls its server hardware at several secure locations in
Switzerland. Its main data center is under 1,000 meters of granite rock in a heavily guarded
bunker built to survive a nuclear attack.
If you know anything about cybersecurity, you’ll likely have heard that Switzerland is one of the
safest places for data to be hosted. This is because the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act
(DPA) and the Swiss Federal Data Protection Ordinance (DPO) offers some of the strongest
privacy protection in the world for both companies and individuals.
And because ProtonMail is based in Switzerland, this places it outside of US and UK jurisdiction.
This means that nothing short of a court order from the Cantonal Court of Geneva or the Swiss
Federal Supreme Court would lead to ProtonMail releasing the very limited information it will
have stored. So it’s very unlikely anyone will ever be able to read through your emails.
Protection against batch GCD attacks
Since ProtonMail relies on public key infrastructure, individual instances are near impossible to
crack. However, there are cases of acquiring large volumes of public keys and deriving private
keys. It works with the assumption that an algorithm's randomness isn't that random, and with a
large pool of data, it could be possible to reverse engineer a password.

However, ProtonMail checked their measure on their whole database of accounts. Among it, it
identified only 90 public keys belonging to spam accounts. This test goes to show that
ProtonMail remains secure even to advanced measures of encryption cracking.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
ProtonMail plans and pricing
Version
Features
Price
Free
1 GB storage, 1 address, 150 messages per day, 3 folders.
Free
Version
Features
Mail Plus
15 GB storage, 10 addresses, unlimited folders and messages
per day, 1 custom domain, email filters, autoresponder, access
to Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive.
Price
$3.49/month
Version
Features
Proton Unlimited
500 GB storage, 15 email addresses, unlimited folders and
messages per day, 3 custom domains, email filters,
autoresponder, access to Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and
Proton VPN.
Price
$7.99/month
Visit ProtonMail
You might well imagine that storing your emails in a heavily guarded bunker under 1,000 meters
of granite rock would cost you quite a bit of money. But ProtonMail actually offers a free plan
that gives you all these security benefits.
The free plan does limit the number of emails you can receive per day. But the limit is fairly
generous and if it’s not enough for you, there are other very reasonably priced plans that
increase your daily allowance.
So which plan is right for you and how much do they cost? Let’s have a closer look:
Proton Mail Free
ProtonMail’s free account comes with 1GB of storage. This isn’t loads, but it’s enough if you
delete your emails regularly and you don’t receive a lot of large files like hi-res images and

videos. Since you can always see how much space is left, you can easily manage how it's used.
You can only create one email address, and the limit is capped at 150 emails a day, which is a
large Features, Ease of enough use pros and allowance cons to suit most people. 3 folders and labels aren't quite enough if you like
your things neatly organized – but it's still enough for basic things.
Proton Calendar for better productivity and planning is also included: but you can only add
one personal calendar and there are no options to share calendar entries and invitations via a
link. Proton Drive secure file storage is available as well, but having to share the same 1 GB of
storage, your options are very limited.
The only other drawback you may find with the free version of ProtonMail is the limited
customer support. There are, as you might expect, lots of FAQs on the website to help you
resolve basic issues and there’s an online form and a customer support email address if you need
more help. But the paid plans come with more dedicated support, which is much more useful if
you have issues with ProtonMail’s service.
But aside from that, ProtonMail’s free service offers a really secure email service with some extra
features and only a few slight drawbacks. And because you can upgrade at any time, if you’re not
sure what limit you need, it might be worth starting off with the free version and upgrading to a
paid plan if it doesn’t suit your needs.
So, to reiterate, ProtonMail’s free account comes with:
1 GB
150 messages a day
Limited customer support
Limited access to Calendar and Drive tools
Proton Mail Plus
Mail Plus is the company's only true premium email plan, offering premium features and some
additional organization and productivity tools. At a fairly low price of $3.49/month, you get a
solid list of features. 15 GB of total storage on 15 email addresses should be enough for just
about all main personal needs. Support for a custom email domain is also there if you want to
use a personalized email address instead of a protonmail.com one. Also, the Plus plan will
include contact groups, email client support, as well as auto-reply and catch-all email
functions.
Folders, labels, filters, and the number of messages is entirely unlimited. Customer support is
also available, so you can easily reach out to the company's representatives if you have any
questions or issues.

On top of that, Proton Mail Plus plan gives you a full version of Proton Calendar, with 20
personal calendars and link sharing options. Proton Drive is also available – but you'll be still
confined within the limits of 15 GB storage.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
So, to sum up, the ProtonMail Plus account offers:
15 GB storage
1,000 messages a day
Support for 1 custom email domain (for example, john@smith.com)
Labels, custom filters, and folders
The option to send encrypted messages to external recipients
Full Proton Calendar access
Limited Proton Drive access
Priority customer support
Proton Unlimited
As the name would suggest, Proton Unlimited comes with unlimited features from the entire
Proton product family – going far beyond basic email. Starting at $7.99/month , the plan allows
for 15 email addresses and 3 custom email domains. Other email features remain unchanged
from the Plus plan.
But the real star here is the additional features – the Proton Calendar stays, and you'll get a
whopping 500 GB of storage. Of course, it's not just for emails. That's plenty of storage to get
the best out of Proton Drive, and use it as one of your main drivers for important files and
media.
Additionally, this plan comes with a premium version of Proton VPN – one of the best VPNs in
business, allowing for 10 simultaneous connections, and including super-fast servers for seamless
streaming, gaming, and secure browsing.
If you're looking for an all-in-one package for emails, productivity, and full online privacy, Proton
Unlimted offers exactly that. It's the most expensive one of the bunch – but there's a good
reason for that.
The full list of ProtonMail Visionary features are as follows:
500 GB storage
Up to 15 email aliases
Support for up to 3 custom domains (for example, john@smith.com)
Labels, custom filters, and folders

The option to send encrypted messages to external recipients
Full Proton Calendar access
Full Proton Drive access
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
Premium Proton VPN
Priority customer support
Is ProtonMail easy to use?
ProtonMail is really easy to set up and very straightforward to use. We’ll walk you through the
features, layout, and mobile app to help you decide if it’s the right service for you.
How to set up a ProtonMail account
It’s really easy to set up a ProtonMail account. All you need to do is visit the ProtonMail sign-up
page, select the plan you want, and follow the instructions.
One of the best things about it is you don’t have to put in any personal information so you can
retain your anonymity. The site does suggest that you add a recovery email in case you forget
your password, but you don’t have to.
Proton Mail design and layout
Unless this is your first ever email account, you’ll find ProtonMail’s layout very familiar and easy
to navigate. The inbox looks very similar to anything you might be used to with Gmail, Outlook
or Yahoo, and it’s really easy to find all the basic functions like creating new messages, adding
contacts, and accessing your draft emails.
New emails are shown in bold and you can choose to allow notifications on your desktop or
mobile phone app so you’ll be alerted as soon as you get a new message.

Features, Ease of use pros and cons
The paid versions also let you create custom folders, filters, and labels to help you organize your
emails.
Meanwhile, the free version still lets you create basic folders and labels that you can colorcode
to help you find things easily.
Proton Mail app
As well as a really user-friendly desktop version, ProtonMail also has a really useful app that’s
available on Apple and Android devices.

We tested out the Android version and found it fast, smooth, and easy to use. At the time of
writing, the ProtonMail app has been downloaded over 1 million times on the Google Play Store
and has received more than 28,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.5 stars. Meanwhile,
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
the ProtonMail app for Apple users has 4.2 stars and has roughly 1,500 reviews. So it’s safe
to say the app is pretty popular with its users.

Features, Ease of use pros and cons

Proton Calendar
Like most mainstream email services, ProtonMail also offers a calendar app. But unlike other
calendar Features, Ease of use pros apps, and ProtonCalendar cons has end-to-end encryption to keep your schedule completely
secure.
Everything from the event title, description, and location to the people you’ve invited are
encrypted on your device. That means that no third party (not even ProtonMail) can see the
details of your events. Only you will know your plans.
ProtonMail performance
Despite all the layers of strict security, we actually found ProtonMail pretty speedy. It sends and
receives emails with hardly any lag. And uploading and downloading documents doesn’t seem to
take any longer than it does on mainstream email services, like Gmail.
While we can’t know for sure whether it starts to lag once you’ve got thousands of emails in your
inbox, early signs are that the extra security doesn’t noticeably slow things down.
ProtonMail customer support
ProtonMail doesn’t offer much in the way of customer support. If you opt for the free version, all
you really have access to is the online FAQs. Or you can email support@protonmail.com if you
need help with a specific problem.
There’s also an online form you can fill in. Apparently the only way you can actually speak to
someone is by filling this in and requesting a call-back. Which isn’t ideal if you just want to speak
to someone about an urgent issue.
ProtonMail alternatives

While ProtonMail might be the most well-known secure email service, it’s certainly not the only
one. In fact, there are quite a few alternatives that are worth considering.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
ProtonMail vs Tutanota
Tutanota is arguably even more secure than ProtonMail as it offers complete end-to-end
encryption on emails, including subject lines. It also offers a more generous free version with up
to 1GB of storage instead of ProtonMail’s 500MB.
However, ProtonMail offers more customization, from setting auto-responses to importing
themes to make your inbox look exactly the way you want it.
Overall, the two are fairly evenly matched, although if we had to choose, we’d probably opt for
ProtonMail for the added customization. It also has better customer support, which is really
useful if you ever have an issue. Check our full comparison between ProtonMail and Tutanota for
the details.
ProtonMail vs Fastmail
Fastmail promises to keep your data safe from third parties and boasts full transparency with its
data practices. However, unlike ProtonMail, it doesn’t deliver end-to-end encryption, so it’s not
as secure.
Also, there’s no free version and the price of a Fastmail account starts at $3 a month. For those
reasons alone, ProtonMail is definitely the better choice. Check out our Fastmail review for more
information.
ProtonMail vs Gmail
Gmail is incredibly popular and offers a reasonable amount of security. But ProtonMail offers a
lot more. With its end-to-end encryption, no one can access your messages except you and your
intended recipient, not even the people who work at ProtonMail.
Gmail, meanwhile, can not only view your data but can actually share it with third party
companies who can then send you targeted ads.
Having said all that, Gmail does have its good points. For one thing, it’s owned by Google, so its
app and desktop version are really easy to use and it offers much more in the way of customer
support. But for us, there’s no contest: if you’re even slightly concerned about your online
privacy, ProtonMail is a much safer choice.
ProtonMail review: the bottom line

If you’ve got an email account with a mainstream provider, chances are it doesn’t use end-to-end
encryption. As you've seen from our ProtonMail review, the big difference between a secure
email service like ProtonMail and a standard email service such as Gmail or Outlook is that it
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
provides a lot more security and privacy for its users.
Visit ProtonMail
ProtonMail is really simple, easy to use and it offers end-to-end encryption, so you’ll have real
peace of mind, knowing that your emails can’t be read by anyone other than you and whoever
you’re emailing. There’s no coincidence that the protagonist from TV series Mr. Robot is seen
using this service in Season 1, and it was also featured in the movie “Knives Out” for sending
ransom notes. Protonmail is just that secure.
Want to know more? Check out our complete guide to secure email providers. The company
behind ProtonMail also offers a one of the best free VPN services out there. Read on our
ProtonVPN review here.
More secure email provider reviews
Zoho Mail review: great security features and more
Tutanota review: why we recommend this secure email provider
Fastmail review: good, but not the best choice
FAQ
Is Protonmail safer than Gmail?
Yes. End-to-end encryption is king when it comes to data protection. All data stored on
ProtonMail is encrypted, so neither hackers nor ProtonMail employees can read the contents of
your messages. Meanwhile, Gmail has logs of your every login and can access every single email
in your mailbox.
Can Protonmail hand over my data to law authorities?
In cases when law enforcement asks ProtonMail for your data, there is little that they can do. First
of all, ProtonMail encrypts the emails, they cannot decrypt them at will. Moreover, they won’t act
on data requests unless approved by the appropriate Swiss authority. Suppose you don’t provide

detailed account information. In that case, there’s not much to go on that would tie your identity
to the email account.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
Can you switch between paid and free ProtonMail versions?
Yes, ProtonMail allows switching between the free and paid versions. Before downgrading, you’ll
have to make sure that you give up previously set up premium functions. This includes custom
domains and addresses. Once you do that, you’ll be able to reset it to the basic free version. If
you want again to set up custom domains, you’ll have to subscribe anew.
What is ProtonMail Bridge?
ProtonMail Bridge is a Premium user’s feature that allows encrypting ingoing and outgoing
emails. The best part is that you can integrate it with your current mailboxes like Outlook or
Thunderbird. The requirement is that it should support IMAP and SMTP protocols. With the
Bridge app, you can also download all offline copies of your emails to your device.
What is ProtonMail Plus?
ProtonMail sees all its paying customers as its Plus customers. Every other plan such as Visionary,
Professional, etc. falls into the same category. This gives more financial support for the
developers who improve the service. Plus, as a user, you get more expanded functionality with
the client.
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05 July 2022
Comments
Todger
5 months ago
Best be careful how I word this !

Hope this info helps

S R
7 months ago
False. I log in and out several times a day and have not has this happen to me.
Debbi Features, Ease of use pros 1 year and ago cons
Great article; you have mentioned the most secure email provider. You can even add EasySendy Pro as it is a
hybrid email automation tool for leveraging email campaigns.
Samuel ODell
1 year ago
Please help. I need to set up two separate user accounts – one for me and one for my wife. I know that I can
purchase two Plus Plans but would it be more practical to purchase just a Professional Plan?
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hello, Samuel. Getting two Plus plans is still two times cheaper than one Professional plan. Unless you see
some features that you’d love, I suggest sticking to Plus+Plus.
William Kernow
1 year ago
“The site does suggest that you add a recovery email in case you forget your password, but you don’t have to.”
NOT TRUE!!!
To create an account you have to choose verification by email, SMS or make a Donation. So they get your
email address OR phone number OR card details (I assume, as I never made a donation).
I think they say they do not store these details. Really?? This cannot be true. I used the same email address
MONTHS apart to verify two protonmail accounts – they told me (for my second account) that it had already
been used. So, HOW WOULD THEY KNOW UNLESS THEY STORED IT???
Grace
9 months ago
Hello!
I don't reccomed Protonmail because the abuse system is very flawed and my account was flagged
because you are not allowed to have more than one account! Good luck trying to get back into your
account that they disabled, surport team isn't very good or understanding! But other than this issue I
really love this email platform!
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hello, William. Sorry for not being clear about the recovery email. What I meant is that it’s optional but
you do have to give an email, a phone number, or your credit card for verification that you’re human.
Therefore, you can use a throwaway email for that. Even if you choose your active account, it’s not linked
to your account but they do have to avoid automated account setup. However, ProtonMail stores that
data in hashed format, so if someone manages to break into their servers, they won’t be able to see
anything without a key. To sum up, your ProtonMail account is safe as long as you use a strong master
password and activate 2FA.
George
1 year ago

g y g
Bailed on Gmail earlier this year. Loving proton mail.
Had a couple other friends leave too.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
I sleep better at night knowing google isn’t tracking me.
Love me some proton mail!!
Anne
1 year ago
Also note that with the free ProtonMail account, if you forget your password and have to reset it, due to
encryption keys, all the email in your account received before your password change will become unreadable.
It’s the same with the paid accounts, but they have at least have an export tool that will allow you to export
your email in bulk (rather than one by one) before rendering it all useless.
Oyvey
1 year ago
Is it safe from hacking where hackers steal your customers account and passwords in bulk?
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hello, Oyvey. The only for a hacker to steal this data is learning your master password. Even then, you can
easily protect yourself from unauthorized account access by setting up a 2-factor-authentication.
Ma Aurora
1 year ago
Is there any way for me to make sure that a certain email address related to pronton mail is legitimate
and not mede by any fraudsters?
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Dear Ma Aurora,
ProtonMail has a good spam filter, but in case something suspicious reaches your inbox, you should
check with customer support before opening such email.
Dale
1 year ago
There seem to be some very negative and concerning reviews on TrustPilot, which is such a shame. It’s put me
right off.
MJ
1 year ago
I’m not very tech savvy so I wondered if you could explain how using ProtonMail prevents an intercept of an
incoming email from someone who is not using a secure email service? For example, I read a story the other
day where a firm emailed money transfer instructions to a client. The firm’s email had been hacked, the email
was intercepted and the account number in the transfer instructions was changed. When the email landed in
the client’s mailbox, he had no idea and simply transferred money to the account number shown. Money gone!
So, in this scenario, how would the client having ProtonMail prevent that from happening if the person
sending him the email had been hacked?
Mi d J i 1

Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hello, MJ!
That’s a good question. The problem with regular emails is that they’re not encrypted end-to-end. This
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
makes intercepting and reading them relatively easy. When we’re talking about secure emails, there’s
virtually no way to decipher the content without having a key. I don’t know how exactly the moneytransfer
email from your story has been intercepted, but the chances are that one of the parties simply
used a weak password. I’d recommend checking if your email address hasn’t leaked using our leak
checker – https://cybernews.com/personal-data-leak-check/. Stay safe!
Monero
1 year ago
In my opinion Tutanota is more secure than ProtonMail because Tutanota supports U2F (Security key) and has
better password recovery procedure. Please read my comment below this article for more details:
Tutanota vs. ProtonMail: which is the better secure email service?
https://cybernews.com/secure-email-providers/tutanota-vs-protonmail/
KARTI
1 year ago
NICE ARTICLE CLEARLY SAID
Ross
1 year ago
I’ve had a free mail acct for a few months now. I can’t seem to upgrade to the paid acct w/ the VPN using Visa
here in the US. Anyone else had such problems?
Atty
1 year ago
I created a Protonmail account for work purposes in the fall of 2019 due to the privacy features. No one
anywhere warned of issues if you email people who have settings to refuse emails from foreign countries. I
frequently have to email with a US state government office. When using Protonmail I could receive their emails
but they could not receive mine. Protonmail was prompt about my initial queries as to why this was happening.
I contacted this US state’s IT dept. who said yes, they block all overseas emails because they could not keep up
with all the cyber threats originating from foreign countries. Please include this information in your next
Protonmail review. Ačiū
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hi, Atty. Thanks for your comment, that’s really interesting. I had no idea that the US government could
use such a block.
Dr. Yvonne Athanasaw
1 year ago
Greetings. Did I read correctly that this service is one to one communication and messages cannot be sent to
multiple recipients?
Thanks.
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago

Hello, Yvonne. You can send to multiple recipients just like with any other email service.
None Ur' Biz 11 months ago
Features, Ease of
Hello
use pros
Dr.,
and cons
I use the Basic/Free versions of Protonmail and have always been able to send to multiple recipients. =)
Scott
1 year ago
One of the advantages of the Google services is the ability to share a calendar with family members. Does the
Proton calendar offer this option? And if so at what ‘donation’ level?
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hi, Scott. While ProtonMail does have a calendar, it’s still in beta and available to paid users only.
bcp
1 year ago
The article indicates free VPN with each account as of Dec 7/2020. However there is a fee for the VPN. This
makes sense as I don’t see how they could offer this free. Perhaps you should update the article.
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Thanks for pointing that out! I’ve updated the article ?
Tim
1 year ago
I signed up to ProtonMail this month (Jan 21) and you do get free VPN access with a free ProtonMail
account. It’s a freemium model and you get a wider choice of servers, better performance and more
features with a paid account, but I’ve tested the Netherlands and USA free servers (Japan is the third free
option) and they seem okay. You can check the pricing structure for yourself here:
https://protonvpn.com/pricing.
Also, I agree with the review that the Visionary plan is expensive. I couldn’t justify it for myself, but it
supports 6 users and so for a family or other group who can split the cost it would be more reasonable.
Stephen
1 year ago
The article states “Protonmail also offers a fully integrated calendar app”. This is misleading. On the desktop
Protonmail is accessed through a web browser. There is a production release and a beta release browser
interface to Protonmail. On the phone there is a dedicated App for accessing Protonmail and there is a
production and beta version of the App (I have used the beta version of the phone App and the Web Browser
interface extensively with my paid Protonmail account. The Protonmail Calendar is available on the Beta release
Web Browser interface only. It is not available on the production release Web Browser interface. The Calendar
is not on any phone App, Beta or Production release nor is there a dedicated calendar App. (You can access
Protonmail through the Beta Web browser interface on your phone, but it’s kind of lame compared to using a
dedicated App.)
The Web interface Protonmail 4.0.0 went into Beta in December 2019 (a year ago) and is currently at Beta 32. It
is unclear when the 4 0 0 will go into production release There has not been a similar feature upgrade phone

is unclear when the 4.0.0 will go into production release. There has not been a similar feature upgrade phone
app that has gone into Beta at this point.
Mindaugas Jancis 1 year ago
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
Thanks for the comment, Stepehn. I’ve updated the article accordingly!
Stephen
1 year ago
The Protonmail “Encrypt for Outside” feature described in the article requires a ‘password per message’, which
is fatally flawed from a useability standpoint. To use this feature, you need to manually keep some sort of
journal of agreed upon passwords for your recipients, and then enter the appropriate password (twice) for
each outgoing message. If you have two contacts with different passwords, e.g. a contact Ben with the
password ‘chocolate’ and a contact Jerry with the password ‘vanilla’, you can’t send an Encrypt for Outside
message to Ben and Jerry without agreeing to a new password with at least one of them since the password is
per message. If Ben knows two people with Protonmail and the other sender assigns a password of ‘rockyroad’,
he needs to keep track of the password for each sender, so his password vault will become confusing.
An implementation that would work and allow Protonmail customers to have secure email instead of just
secure Inboxes would be to allow the recipient to choose their password to unlock the link displaying the
email, and to store that password on the Protonmail server.
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
I agree with you, Stephen. I hope ProtonMail finds a solution for this nuisance soon.
GQ
1 year ago
I have migrated from a solid host’s personal mailbox to ProtonMail three months ago under the lure of a safe
and encrypted system. The requirement – that I would be able to easily use Outlook as an interface going
forward – was confirmed clearly, as well as the promise of an easy migration.
It has been an unmitigated DISASTER. The migration itsekf is an interminable process. Entering the parameters
to redirect emails to Proton’s email servers is multi-step and complex process. The outcome has many
weaknesses. I’ll mention a few. You can’t create folders from Outlook, and have to manually create them in a
beta version soft. After three months, I still can’t upload past emails into Proton (so still need to use the old
server’s on a second computer). Right now, Outlook can’t fetch or send emails properly, so I have to rely on a
third system – webmail- to read my emails, with all the weaknesses of this approach.
The magnitude of the problems is way over IT support’s capabilities, despite their goodwill and patience. The
guy sends me to goose chase after goose chase to test and re-test ideas. Every step forward bring another
problem. The IT support second level doesn’t seem to help the first level. Of course, the sales rep is nowhere to
be seen, now that the sale is concluded. The management will not return my request for a conversation (my ref
is 609897, among others, if they read this and change their mind…)
You may find satisfaction in the webmail, but absolutely stay away from ProtonMail for any other approach. It
is literally a business-killer.
Jeffersonian
1 year ago

Outlook has been an unmitigated corporate disaster !
If you wish to be free from corporate spying on emails, you should rather use an open source email client.
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
None of them is 100% satisfactory (but neither is Outlook).
But some of theme are quite good.
On Linux, Evolution is quite good, features rich.
Thunderbird is very popular
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hi, GQ. I’m sorry to hear that. While importing contacts from Outlook is easy, but moving all emails can
be difficult. However, if you simply want to start a new account, ProtonMail apps should work just fine.
Ramlianmro
1 year ago
Nice
Karla Förstner
1 year ago
Do you know how to get more storage on protonmail? My inbox is full and I don’t know what to do. Am I
missing out on incoming emails now? Do I need to do some cleanup? Please help!
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Dear Karla,
No worries, this problem can be solved easily. You can either delete the emails that you no longer need or
upgrade your ProtonMail plan.
Quizzaean
1 year ago
If you’re using the free version then does it come with limitations on how large of a file can you send with
protonmail? I need to relocate some sensitive batches of files and I’d rather not have the likes of Google and
their friends snooping around.
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hello, Quizzaean! The maximum attachment size is 25 MB. Good luck with the migration!
JJ
1 year ago
Does Protonmail block logs and IP addresses via their app? I mainly use the web version because I’m not sure
if that’s the case. Do I lose a level of security by using the app versus the web version?
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Hey JJ! ProtonMail doesn’t track your IP and doesn’t log personal data. Here’s an excerpt from their
privacy policy: “None of the software on our apps will ever access or track any location-based information
from your device at any time. Any personal data acquired during this process is anonymized.”
Blaine Beumer
1 year ago

Blaine Beumer
1 year ago
Hello. I’m considering a switch of email providers. At the moment I’m using Outlook because I’m in the
Microsoft ecosystem. But this review made me want to change things up a bit. If I decide to do that, how does
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
protonmail protect microsoft window users? Thank you and have a great day!
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Dear Blaine,
The good news is that ProtonMail supports Outlook, so you could still use the app that you know well but
get the benefits of a secure email. Alternatively, you can transfer your Outlook contacts to ProtonMail.
The most important thing is that your messages will be fully encrypted, and you’ll be able to send them
even to regular email users. Last but not least – ProtonMail doesn’t track your IP ?
Lydia Nuremberg
1 year ago
Man, you sure can depend on the Swiss to deliver quality products and I’m glad that email is no exception. I
may have to switch to them as my provider from now on. But there’s on key element that I seem to have
missed on. How long does protonmail save your emails? Because I’ve had mailboxes that kind of disappeared
on me. I get it, unexpected things happen, but I need some guarantees.
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
I hear you, Lydia! They should pack ProtonMail with cheese! As to your emails, they are stored indefinitely
unless you delete your account. Also, you might run out of space someday because the free account is
500 MB only ?
BongoTiger
1 year ago
hey so i’m not very tech savvy, im using a mac which is super easy to use for me but i don’t understand how do
i add protonmail to mac mail app. i would really appreciate if you could make a detailed tutorial about that
without skipping any details or else i’ll get lost. and does it make a difference if i’m using the paid version of
protonmail?
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Howdy, Bongo Tiger! To install ProtonMail on the macOS Mail app, just follow the instructions on the
https://protonmail.com/bridge/applemail webpage. There are screenshots as well, so it should go
smoothly. Good luck!
HolyBeach13
1 year ago
If the inbox is encrypted then how to download your protonmail keys? I mean does it even work like that? I
hope so, I’d feel safer having the encryption keys always nearby. You might think that that’s a bit extreme, but I
don’t care about your judgement, I want to be certain that my sensitive information is secure.
4n0nym0u53
1 year ago
When you create your account, your keypair is created locally in your browser, and the private key is
encrypted with your password before it’s sent to ProtonMail’s servers. Your password is the only thing
that can decrypt your private key, which always happens locally. Of course, the stronger the password is,

that can decrypt your private key, which always happens locally. Of course, the stronger the password is,
the more secure your mailbox is, which is why I always recommend using a password manager and use it
to create a long, randomized password for your ProtonMail account, or any account really (of course with
a strong master password for the password manager as well).
Features, Ease of use pros and cons
Mindaugas Jancis
1 year ago
Dear HolyBeach13,
Thank you for your comment. I’m not here to judge you. I’m here to help you. First, log in using the web
app. Then, choose Settings > Keys. From here, you’ll be able to download both private and public keys.
Have a good one!
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