# Proton Mail vs black.com

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.

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 25, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Proton Mail | black.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (47K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/proton-mail-encrypted-email/id979659905/reviews)** | [3.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackcom-encrypted-email/id1576695864/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **47K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#71** | — |
| Size | 272 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.2 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Proton AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/979659484) | [black.com GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1576695866) |

## What reviewers say

### Proton Mail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/proton-mail-encrypted-email/id979659905)

**Currently charting:** #71 Top Free · Productivity, #84 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mail Plus 1 month | $5.99 | per month |
| Unlimited 1 month | $14.99 | per month |
| Mail Plus 12 months | $47.90 | per year |
| Unlimited 1 year | $119.00 | per year |
| Mail Plus (1 year) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Proton Unlimited | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 🔒 Excellent security and privacy
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 💡 Expanding ecosystem of Proton services

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Slow email loading times
- 📝 Lacking advanced email management features
- 💰 Expensive paid plans

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and lost email data
- Unreliable push notifications
- Inconsistent user experience between app and web

**Requested features**

- Conversation threading and email previews
- Customizable notification sounds
- Offline email access
- Improved syncing across devices


### black.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackcom-encrypted-email/id1576695864)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Membership | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Proton Mail free?

Proton Mail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is black.com free?

black.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Proton Mail or black.com?

Proton Mail is rated higher. Proton Mail averages 4.8 out of 5 from 47K ratings, while black.com averages 3.6 from 9 ratings.

### Do Proton Mail or black.com have ads?

Neither Proton Mail nor black.com shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Proton Mail or black.com?

Proton Mail ships an update every 11 days, and black.com every 6 weeks. Most recently, Proton Mail was updated on September 25, 2026 and black.com on September 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*