Proton Mail vs black.com
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
black.com
Secure and encrypted email with a personalized @black.com address. Features AI writing tools for effortless composition, unlimited storage, and alias addresses to manage spam. Protects your data with zero-access encryption and app-based two-factor authentication.
- Personalized @black.com email address
- Zero-access encryption
- AI-powered email composition
- Unlimited storage (25GB + annual increase)
- Spam-free alias addresses
- App-based two-factor authentication
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@black.com email address An email address is a reflection of your personal brand. Stand out with your own @black.com address that low-budget alternatives simply can't match. Secure & encrypted email Zero-Access Encryption secures your data with a key derived from your password. This means that not even we can access the contents of your stored emails. Our app-based two-factor authentication protects your account even if your password is compromised. Write emails effortlessly Supercharge your email experience with our integrated AI tools. Let the AI create, correct, optimize, and translate your messages. Unlock a whole new level of productivity and compose polished emails in a few seconds! Completely optional, of course. Unlimited* storage You start with 25 GB and get 2 GB of additional storage every year - forever. With normal usage, you will never run out of space. Alias addresses for a spam-free inbox Memorable and removable alias addresses like redcat42@black.com that you can use for newsletters etc. keep your inbox spam-free - forever. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Proton Mail at 4.8 against black.com's 3.6. Proton Mail also leads on ratings volume (47K vs 9) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 weeks). black.com's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 46%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Proton Mail sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and black.com sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Proton Mail holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Proton Mail has 47K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Proton Mail's written reviews are positive against 67% of black.com's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Proton Mail ships an update every 11 days, black.com every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Proton Mail | black.com |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (47K ratings) — better | 3.6 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 47K — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #73 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.2 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 272 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Proton AG | black.com GmbH |
Customer experience
Proton Mail
black.com
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
black.com
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Proton Mail
- Mail Plus 1 month1 Month trial$5.991 Month
- Unlimited 1 month$14.991 Month
- Mail Plus 12 months$47.901 Year
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- Unlimited 1 year$119.001 Year
- Mail Plus (1 year)$59.99
- Proton Unlimited$149.99
black.com
- Membership$4.991 Month








