Comparison

Encrypted Email vs Serena

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

Head to head
About

Encrypted Email

This secure email service offers end-to-end encryption and a private inbox, free from ads and AI training. It protects against spam, phishing, and trackers, with features for organizing emails and offline access. Based in Switzerland, it adheres to strict privacy laws.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • No ads, AI training, or inbox scanning
  • Spam, phishing, and tracker protection
  • Offline email access
  • Password-protected emails
  • Hide-my-email aliases
Read full description

Proton Mail is the encrypted email app trusted by over 100 million people. Get a secure, private email address protected by end-to-end encryption, with no ads, no AI training and no inbox scanning. Based in Switzerland and protected by some of the world's strictest privacy laws. Your inbox, your rules. Why choose Proton Mail for secure email • Free encrypted email: create a free @proton.me or @protonmail.com email address • Password-protected emails: send encrypted emails to anyone, even people who don't use Proton • Spam, phishing and tracker protection: with built-in spam filters, phishing alerts and email tracker blocking • Organize your inbox: with folders, labels and simple swipe gestures • Offline mode: read, write and organize emails offline, and everything syncs when you're back online • Private categories: keep important emails in focus with automatic, private categories • Multiple accounts: switch between multiple Proton Mail accounts in one secure email app • Get up to 1 GB of free email storage, or up to 15 GB with Mail Plus Secure email with encryption Everything in your inbox is stored with zero-access and end-to-end encryption, emails between Proton users can only be read by you and your recipient. Proton Mail can't read or scan your messages. Our open-source apps use OpenPGP encryption and are independently audited. A private alternative to temp mail Need a temp mail address for a sign-up? Create up to 10 free hide-my-email aliases on the web. They forward to your inbox, keep your real email address private, and can be disabled or deleted at any time. Switch to secure email Easy Switch moves your email to your new secure inbox with no manual exporting or importing. Connect Gmail to use your Gmail address alongside your Proton email in one secure inbox, or set up auto-forwarding from as many Gmail accounts as you like. The Wall Street Journal: "Proton Mail offers encrypted email, which makes it virtually impossible for anyone to read it except the sender and the recipient." How can Proton Mail be free? We believe everyone deserves private email. Free accounts are funded by our community of paid subscribers. Upgrade for more email storage, more addresses and custom domains. Follow Proton for the latest news and offers: Facebook: /proton X: @protonprivacy Reddit: /protonmail Instagram: /protonprivacy Learn more: https://proton.me/mail Our open-source code: https://github.com/ProtonMail

About

Serena

Features
Read full description

Serena is a task manager you talk to. Tell it what's on your mind in plain language and it creates, organizes and reschedules your tasks for you — so you can stop managing lists and get on with your day. CAPTURE IN SECONDS • Type or dictate: "buy bread tomorrow", "remind me to call the doctor Friday at 10" • Ask Siri from your iPhone, Apple Watch or the Mac menu bar • Anything you capture without a date lands in your Inbox, ready to sort later AN ASSISTANT THAT ACTUALLY DOES THE WORK • Ask "what's on for today?" and get your day sorted by priority • Say "organize my inbox" and Serena walks you through it, one task at a time • Overdue tasks? It offers to reschedule them — no guilt trips, no red badges YOUR TASKS, EVERYWHERE • iPhone, Apple Watch and a native Mac app, synced through your private iCloud • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets with your top 3 for today • Watch complications and one-tap completion from your wrist • Capture from the Mac menu bar without leaving what you're doing BUILT FOR A CLEAR HEAD • Kanban board: Inbox, Today, This week, Later, Waiting, Done • Reminders that actually notify you, repeating tasks, priorities and tags • Search your tasks straight from Spotlight PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Your tasks live on your device and in your own private iCloud — we can't read them • Simple captures are processed on your device with Apple Intelligence, offline • No ads. No analytics. No tracking. FREE AND PRO Everything above is free, including 25 AI chat messages a month and unlimited on-device captures. Serena Pro unlocks unlimited conversation with your assistant. Serena Pro subscription: • Monthly — €4.99/month • Annual — €39.99/year, with a 7-day free trial Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://serena.softwaregirona.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Encrypted Email4 screens
Serena4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: Encrypted Email at #69 against Serena's unranked. 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. Encrypted Email sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Serena sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Encrypted Email ships an update every 10 days, Serena every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
Encrypted Email versus Serena: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEncrypted EmailSerena
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (50K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews46.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings50K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#69 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size288 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProton AGSOFTWARE GIRONA SOCIEDAD LIMITADA

Bugs and requests

Encrypted Email

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

Serena

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Encrypted Email

Subscriptions4
  • Mail Plus 1 month$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
2 purchases

Serena

Subscriptions2
  • Serena Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Serena Pro Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Encrypted Email free?
Encrypted Email is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Serena free?
Serena is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Encrypted Email or Serena have ads?
Neither Encrypted Email nor Serena shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Encrypted Email or Serena?
Encrypted Email ships an update every 10 days, and Serena every 2 weeks. Most recently, Encrypted Email was updated on November 3, 2026 and Serena on October 5, 2026.

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