Proton Mail vs Encrypted Email
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
Encrypted Email
This app provides a secure and private email service with integrated cloud storage, calendar, and contacts. It offers end-to-end encryption and password-protected emails for enhanced privacy. Ideal for individuals and businesses seeking a secure communication and collaboration platform.
- OpenPGP encrypted emails
- Password-protected emails
- Integrated cloud storage (Drive)
- Shared calendars and contacts
- Workspaces for collaboration
- No tracking or ads
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Mailfence is an encrypted email service that offers a secure and private Email suite with Drive and Workspaces. Restore Privacy says : "Mailfence is a fully-featured alternative to Gmail. Whether you are a regular privacy-conscious user or managing a business team, Mailfence can cater to your needs." The Mailfence app consists of different tools all integrated in an easy to use interface. Messages: • Create a @mailfence.com or @mf.me email address • Send and receive emails • Send and receive OpenPGP encrypted emails • Send Password-protected Emails to anyone • Switch between multiple mailboxes • Keep your inbox tidy and clean with folders, labels and swipes • Receive new email notifications • Your Mailfence email account can also be accessed in POP, IMAP & SMTP via third party email clients Drive / Cloud Storage: • Access your private and shared documents • Manage them with folders and labels • Share your documents with Mailfence users via workspaces / groups • Share documents by making them accessible publicly • Your Mailfence Drive can also be accessed in WebDAV via third party clients Calendar : • Access your private and shared calendars • Create and accept meetings • Layer different calendars • Share your Calendar publicly • Get reminders by email • Your Calendar can also be accessed through CalDAV or ActiveSync via third party clients Contacts / Address book : • Access your private and shared contacts • Manage your contacts with labels and comments • Search in your private and shared address books • Access your mailing lists • Your Mailfence Contacts can also be accessed through CardDAV or ActiveSync via third party clients Why use Mailfence? • No tracking : No ads, no spams, no trackers, no solicitations, no backdoor, free from government surveillance. • Privacy protection : State of the art security features protect your email privacy at all times. • An integrated suite of tools : Messages, Documents, Groups. • Legal protection : Belgian privacy protection law is strong. Only local judges can request information and they must have a court order. It rarely happens. • Workspaces : Share mailboxes, drives and collaborate in shared workspaces. Advanced sharing rights managed by group administrator. • Interoperable : User decides whether to encrypt emails or not. Interoperable with any other OpenPGP encrypted email. • Standard protocols : Interoperability with standard clients : Outlook, Mac Mail, Thunderbird,…. • Individual or teams : Ideal for individual users or professionals. Mailfence in the press: • In an article Kim Komando of Fox News wrote about Mailfence, "It's a great option for small business owners and ordinary users alike." • Lifehacker wrote, "Mailfence is a solid choice with office apps, it's more email- and calendar-focused compared to the comprehensive app suite of Kolab Now." • The ProPrivacy's Ray Walsh mentions in his article “Mailfence is a solid and easy-to-use email provider that is ideal for beginners." • Restore privacy's Sven Taylor wrote, “Mailfence has all the features and options that you are likely to need, whether you are looking to manage the mail for an entire organization, or just want great service for personal use” • Lifewire writes : “Mailfence is a security-centric email service that features end-to-end encryption to ensure nobody but you and your intended recipient can read your messages." For more information, check : • site : https://mailfence.com • support site : https://kb.mailfence.com • blog: https://blog.mailfence.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Proton Mail at 4.8 against Encrypted Email's 3.8. Proton Mail also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (47K vs 76). Encrypted Email's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 17.2). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. Encrypted Email asks for nothing beyond the download.
Proton Mail holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Proton Mail has 47K ratings behind it against 76, 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 42% of Encrypted Email's.
Proton Mail ships an update every 11 days, Encrypted Email every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Proton Mail | Encrypted Email |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (47K ratings) — better | 3.8 (76 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews — better | 41.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 47K — better | 76 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #67 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.2 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 272 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Proton AG | Contactoffice Group |
Customer experience
Proton Mail
Encrypted Email
User reviews
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
Encrypted Email
From 76 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🔒 Secure and private email
- 👍 Clean and simple interface
- 🚫 No ads, no spam
- 🇪🇺 European-based service
- ✨ Minimalist design
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 🐛 Emails going to spam
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications
- 🐛 Signup blocks privacy-minded users
- 🐛 Poor customer support for free users
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
Encrypted Email
Reported bugs
15 issues- Unable to reach servers on phone app
- App scrolls text off screen while typing
- Emails going to spam folder
- Login failures on iOS
- App doesn't recognize login/password after update
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- Account deactivated too quickly
- Cannot sign up with valid recovery email
- Account hacked
- Cannot delete account
- iPad app glitch: page scrolls up while typing
- Notifications not working
- Cannot send emails with attachments
- Spam notifications even for spam emails
- IMAP connectivity issues
- App logs out from all devices frequently
Requested features
12 requests- Allow account creation with VPNs/privacy tools
- More specific error messages during signup
- Grace period and human review for signup false positives
- Ability to mark emails as 'not spam'
- Folder creation within the app
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Improved dark mode rendering
- Sender icons
- Landscape mode on iOS
- Printing from mobile app
- Calendar and notes integration in mobile app
- Block sender feature
- Ability to add other email providers
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
Encrypted Email
No in-app purchases








