Comparison

Proton Mail vs Semaphor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Password-protected emails
  • Multiple account support
  • Inbox organization (folders, labels)
  • Dark mode
  • Phishing and spam protection
Read full description

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

About

Semaphor

This app offers secure team communication and collaboration with end-to-end encryption and private blockchain technology. It provides features like direct messaging, file sharing, and project-specific channels for real-time teamwork.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Secure file sharing
  • Private direct messaging
  • Unlimited project channels
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Native offline mode
Features
Read full description

Semaphor combines the best features of collaboration apps and encrypted messaging apps. Your team can work together through team messages, direct messages, and file sharing. Semaphor is secured by the power of private blockchain and end-to-end encryption. Semaphor brings you and your team: › End-to-end encryption to protect every file and conversation › Fast file uploads › Secure file sharing › Private direct messaging › Unlimited, project-specific channels › Real-time communication and collaboration › Password-less account creation › Native offline mode › Mobile and desktop friendly › Enterprise and LDAP ready › Supports bots and integrations › HIPAA/FINRA/FIRPA compliant › Reviewable source code To find out more about Semaphor, visit our website or send us an email. We always welcome your feedback and suggestions. ----- Subscriptions: - Basic: Free 30-day conversation history - Standard: Unlimited conversation history and access to Standard channels. $8.99/month - Pro: Unlimited conversation history and access to Pro channels. Team admin pays for all team members. $8.99/user/month - Payments will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the your Account Settings after purchase. ----- By installing this app you agree to SpiderOak's: Privacy Policy, https://spideroak.com/policy/privacy-policy Term of Use, https://spideroak.com/policy/terms-of-use Service Agreement, https://spideroak.com/policy/service-agreement

Screenshots

Proton Mail4 screens
Semaphor3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Proton Mail at 4.8 against Semaphor's 3.5. Proton Mail also leads on review sentiment (46% vs 15%) and ratings volume (48K vs 15). Semaphor's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.2). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Proton Mail sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Semaphor sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Proton Mail holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Proton Mail has 48K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Proton Mail's written reviews are positive against 15% of Semaphor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Proton Mail ships an update every 11 days, Semaphor every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Proton Mail versus Semaphor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProton MailSemaphor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (48K ratings) — better3.5 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews46.1% of reviews — better15.4% of reviews
Number of ratings48K — better15
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#68 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.210.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size272 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProton AGSpiderOak, Inc.

Customer experience

Proton Mail

All ratings48,021 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews1,623 reviews
Positive46.1%
Neutral13.6%
Negative40.2%

Semaphor

All ratings15 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral38.5%
Negative46.2%

Bugs and requests

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

Semaphor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Proton Mail

Subscriptions4
  • Mail Plus 1 month1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Unlimited 1 month$14.991 Month
  • Mail Plus 12 months$47.901 Year
Show 1 more
  • Unlimited 1 year$119.001 Year
One-time2
  • Mail Plus (1 year)$59.99
  • Proton Unlimited$149.99
1 purchases

Semaphor

Subscriptions1
  • Personal Plan Monthly$8.991 Month

Questions

Is Proton Mail free?
Proton Mail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Semaphor free?
Semaphor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Proton Mail or Semaphor?
Proton Mail is rated higher. Proton Mail averages 4.8 out of 5 from 48K ratings, while Semaphor averages 3.5 from 15 ratings.
Do Proton Mail or Semaphor have ads?
Neither Proton Mail nor Semaphor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Proton Mail or Semaphor?
Proton Mail ships an update every 11 days, and Semaphor every 3 weeks. Most recently, Proton Mail was updated on October 1, 2026 and Semaphor on June 1, 2026.

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