Proton Mail

ProtonMail is a Swiss-based email service that prioritizes user privacy through client-side encryption and optional password protection. Users can create a free account without providing any personal details, ensuring anonymity from the start. However, the free plan has limitations, including a single email address and a small 500MB inbox (which can be increased to 1GB by providing an email address or phone number), and no IMAP or SMTP support. There are also organizational tool restrictions and a 150 message per day sending limit.

Despite these limitations, ProtonMail offers an intuitive interface with useful tools like an Importer for quick setup and support for two-factor authentication via apps or physical keys. The service integrates smoothly with other Proton services like ProtonVPN, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive, which provides secure cloud storage, although it also uses the same 500MB limit as the Inbox.

While critics point out that ProtonMail doesn't encrypt subject lines and offers limited storage compared to other services, its open-source platform allows skeptics to examine its source code for privacy assurance. Moreover, users can set emails to self-destruct after a specified time. Overall, ProtonMail's privacy features make it an excellent option for users who prioritize security over convenience.

Developer/Owner: Proton AG
Launch date: May 16, 2014
Website: mail.proton.me

Users: ~70 million users as of 2023