Gmail vs Proton Mail
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gmail
This application provides a secure and efficient email experience with advanced features like spam blocking, smart replies, and multi-account support. It integrates with other Google services for enhanced productivity and collaboration.
- Robust security & spam blocking
- Real-time notifications
- Multiple account support
- Smart Reply & Compose
- Undo send
- Google Chat & Meet integration
- Threaded conversations
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The official Gmail app brings the best of Gmail to your iPhone and iPad with helpful AI features, robust security, real-time notifications, multiple account support, and intelligent search that works across all your mail. With the Gmail app, you can: • Make Gmail your default email app on iOS • Stay up to date on your latest packages, upcoming events, bills, and travel details with helpful summary cards • Declutter your inbox with built-in email subscription management • Use Gemini* in Gmail to summarize lengthy emails, craft or refine responses, or search your inbox to find what you’re looking for • Connect and switch between multiple email accounts from different providers • Automatically block more than 99.9% of spam, phishing, malware from ever reaching your inbox • Quickly add events to Google Calendar based on your emails with Gemini in Gmail • Find top deals faster with a personalized Promotions tab • Respond to emails faster with AI-powered Suggested Replies that understand the context of your emails and match your unique tone and style • Undo send for up to 30 seconds, to prevent embarrassing mistakes • Access Google Meet and Google Chat without leaving Gmail • Organize your mail by labeling, starring, deleting, and reporting spam • Swipe to archive/delete, to quickly clear out your inbox Gmail is part of Google Workspace, allowing you and your team to easily connect, create, and collaborate. You can: • Connect with coworkers via Google Meet or Google Chat, send an invite in Google Calendar, add an action to your task list, and more without leaving Gmail • Use Gemini in Gmail features like Help me write, Suggested Replies, AI Overviews, and Proofread to help you stay on top of work and take care of simple tasks, so you can be more efficient with your time • Stay safe. Our machine learning models block more than 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware from reaching our users *Some Gemini features may require a Google One AI subscription. Internet connection required. Language and country availability may vary. Check responses for accuracy.
Proton Mail
This encrypted email service from Switzerland prioritizes user privacy with end-to-end encryption. It offers robust security features to protect your communications from phishing, spam, and tracking, allowing you to manage your inbox with ease.
- End-to-end encryption
- Password-protected emails
- Multiple account support
- Inbox organization (folders, labels)
- Dark mode
- Phishing and spam protection
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Keep your conversations private. Proton Mail is encrypted email from Switzerland. Used by millions worldwide, our all-new email app protects your communications and has everything you need to easily manage your inbox. The Wall Street Journal says: “Proton Mail offers encrypted email, which makes it virtually impossible for anyone to read it except the sender and the recipient.” With the all-new Proton Mail app, you can: • Create a @proton.me or @protonmail.com email address • Send and receive encrypted emails and attachments with ease • Switch between multiple Proton Mail accounts • Easily manage your email with conversations • Keep your inbox tidy and clean with folders, labels and simple swipe-gestures • Receive new email notifications • Send Password-protected Emails to anyone • Keep important emails in focus with automatic, private categories • Enjoy your inbox in dark mode Why use Proton Mail? • Easy to use — Our all-new app has been redesigned to make it easier to read, organize, and write your emails. • Your inbox is yours — We don’t spy on your communications to show you targeted ads. Your inbox, your rules. • Rigorous encryption — Your entire inbox is secured, on all your devices. No one can read your emails but you. Proton is privacy, guaranteed by end-to-end and zero-access encryption. • Unmatched protection — We offer strong phishing, spam, and spying/tracking protection for all your communications. Industry Leading Security Features Messages are stored on Proton Mail servers using end-to-end encryption at all times and are transmitted securely between Proton servers and user devices. This largely eliminates the risk of message interception. Zero Access to Your Email Content Proton Mail's zero access architecture means that your data is encrypted in a way that makes it inaccessible to us. Data is encrypted on the client side using an encryption key that Proton does not have access to. This means we don't have the technical ability to decrypt your messages. Open-Source Cryptography Proton Mail's open-source software has been thoroughly vetted by security experts from around the world to ensure the highest levels of protection. Proton Mail only uses secure implementations of AES, RSA, along with OpenPGP, while all of the cryptographic libraries used are open source. By using open-source libraries, Proton Mail can guarantee that the encryption algorithms used do not have clandestinely built-in back doors. Proton Mail in the press: “Proton Mail is a Gmail-like email system which uses end-to-end encryption, making it impossible for outside parties to monitor.” Forbes “A new email service being developed by a group who met at MIT and CERN promises to bring secure, encrypted email to the masses and keep sensitive information away from prying eyes.” Huffington Post Follow Proton on social media for all the latest news and offers: Facebook: /proton Twitter: @protonprivacy Reddit: /protonmail Instagram: /protonprivacy Our open-source code base: https://github.com/ProtonMail EULA: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Proton Mail at none against Gmail's shown. Proton Mail also leads on review sentiment (46% vs 29%). Gmail's advantage is ratings volume (2.4M vs 47K) and chart position (#3 vs #67). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Gmail sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Proton Mail sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Gmail against 4.8 for Proton Mail. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gmail has 2.4M ratings behind it against 47K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of Gmail's written reviews are positive against 46% of Proton Mail's.
Gmail ships an update weekly, Proton Mail every 11 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Gmail | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.4M ratings) | 4.8 (47K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 29.3% of reviews | 46.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.4M — better | 47K |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 11 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #3 — better | #67 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 719 MB | 272 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Proton AG | |
Customer experience
Gmail
Proton Mail
User reviews
Gmail
From 2.4M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Efficient email management
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 😊 Positive user experience overall
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💡 Lacking advanced features
- 🔒 Security concerns
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
Proton Mail
From 47K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 🔒 Excellent security and privacy
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 💡 Expanding ecosystem of Proton services
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Slow email loading times
- 📝 Lacking advanced email management features
- 💰 Expensive paid plans
Bugs and requests
Gmail
Reported bugs
4 issues- Notifications not working properly
- Emails disappearing from inbox
- Inability to remove accounts
- Conversation view issues
Requested features
4 requests- Swipe to delete/snooze emails
- Ability to mark all emails as read
- Customizable notification settings
- Improved file attachment functionality
Proton Mail
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login issues and lost email data
- Unreliable push notifications
- Inconsistent user experience between app and web
Requested features
4 requests- Conversation threading and email previews
- Customizable notification sounds
- Offline email access
- Improved syncing across devices
In-app purchases
Gmail
- 100 GB2 variants$1.991 Month
- 100 GB1 Month trial3 variants$1.991 Month
- 200 GB2 variants$2.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 200 GB1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- 2 TB1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Google AI Plus (2 TB)2 variants$9.991 Month
- 100 GB1 Month trial$19.991 Year
Proton Mail
- Mail Plus 1 month1 Month trial$5.991 Month
- Unlimited 1 month$14.991 Month
- Mail Plus 12 months$47.901 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Unlimited 1 year$119.001 Year
- Mail Plus (1 year)$59.99
- Proton Unlimited$149.99








