Gmail vs Proton Mail

Gmail9.4Visit Proton Mail9.0Visit

Higher score Gmail #1 in Personal Email Services 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Gmail

vs

Proton Mail #3 in Personal Email Services 9.0/10 Free plan Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Proton Mail

• Gmail fits best

  People who want free email across web and mobile

• Proton Mail fits best

  Privacy-focused users

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Side by side

Feature	Gmail 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Proton Mail 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.0
Ranking	#1 in Personal Email Services	#3 in Personal Email Services
Best for	People who want free email across web and mobile	Privacy-focused users
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$1.99/mo (best)	$3.99/user/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Integrations	2 integrations	4 integrations
Features Gmail 1/3 · Proton Mail 1/3
Custom domain	—	✓ (best)
Email aliases	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Ad-free inbox	—	Not checked yet
Specs
Mailbox storage	100 GB (best)	15 GB
Attachment limit	25 MB	Not checked yet
Platform access	Web_mobile_desktop	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free plan includes 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos Inbox categories, search, labels, and spam and phishing protection Web and mobile access, plus IMAP and POP for compatible clients	End-to-end encryption between Proton Mail users Tracker blocking, phishing protection, and suspicious-link confirmation Web, desktop, and mobile apps with migration tools
Cons	Free storage is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos Google One Basic adds shared storage, not a standalone Gmail tier Custom-domain email requires Google Workspace	The free plan includes only 1 GB of storage Only one encrypted email address is included on the free plan Custom domains and expanded aliases require paid plans
Our verdict	Gmail is Google's personal email service for people who want an inbox accessible on the web and on iOS and Android. A free account includes a Gmail address and 15 GB of storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Inbox… Read the review →	Proton Mail is an encrypted email service for individuals, organizations, journalists, activists, and businesses. It combines end-to-end encryption for messages between Proton Mail users with zero-access encryption for stored messages and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Gmail — where it wins

  • Free plan includes 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos
  • Inbox categories, search, labels, and spam and phishing protection
  • Web and mobile access, plus IMAP and POP for compatible clients

  Where it doesn't

  • Free storage is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos
  • Google One Basic adds shared storage, not a standalone Gmail tier
  • Custom-domain email requires Google Workspace

• Proton Mail — where it wins

  • End-to-end encryption between Proton Mail users
  • Tracker blocking, phishing protection, and suspicious-link confirmation
  • Web, desktop, and mobile apps with migration tools

  Where it doesn't

  • The free plan includes only 1 GB of storage
  • Only one encrypted email address is included on the free plan
  • Custom domains and expanded aliases require paid plans

• Gmail9.4/10 · Free plan

  A capable free inbox with shared Google storage and a paid path to more space.

  Visit GmailFull verdict →
• Proton Mail9.0/10 · Free plan

  A privacy-focused email service with strong encryption, migration tools, and broad platform coverage.

  Visit Proton MailFull verdict →