Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Secure Email Providers

Proton Mail vs Runbox

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Proton Mail #1 in Secure Email Providers 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Proton Mail
Runbox #7 in Secure Email Providers 8.0/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Runbox

Proton Mail leads on 2 checks, Runbox on 1, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreProton Mail · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly Proton Mail
  • Free trialonly Runbox
  • Most featuresProton Mail · 3 of 3

Proton Mail scores higher on our rubric for secure email providers: 9.4 against 8.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #7.

Proton Mail offers free plan; Runbox doesn't. Proton Mail leads on mailbox storage: 15 GB versus 2 GB. Runbox leads on email aliases: 100 aliases versus 10 aliases. On mail protocol support, Runbox gives you Imap_smtp where Proton Mail offers Bridge.

Proton Mail is the better fit for most users seeking a complete secure email suite. Runbox is the better fit for custom-domain users wanting mature private hosting.

  • Proton Mail fits best

    Most users seeking a complete secure email suite

  • Runbox fits best

    Custom-domain users wanting mature private hosting

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Proton Mail 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Runbox 8.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.0
Ranking #1 in Secure Email Providers #7 in Secure Email Providers
Best for Most users seeking a complete secure email suite Custom-domain users wanting mature private hosting
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price — €1.66/user/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 30 days
Deployment Cloud, Desktop, Mobile Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Web, iOS, Android
Integrations 5 integrations 9 integrations
Features Proton Mail 3/3 · Runbox 2/3
End-to-end encryption ✓ ✓
Custom domain ✓ ✓
Encrypted calendar ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Mailbox storage 15 GB (best) 2 GB
Email aliases 10 aliases 100 aliases (best)
Mail protocol support Bridge Imap_smtp
Our review
Pros
  • End-to-end encryption and zero-access storage protect messages and attachments
  • Free plan includes 1 GB storage and 1 encrypted email address
  • Bridge connects desktop clients including Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail
  • Custom domains with unlimited aliases on your own domain
  • IMAP, POP, SMTP, CalDAV and CardDAV support
  • Filtering, encryption, two-factor authentication and import tools
Cons
  • Custom domains and expanded storage require a paid plan
  • Some desktop-client features depend on Proton Mail Bridge
  • Advanced plans may offer more capacity than light email users need
  • The Micro plan provides only 2 GB of email storage
  • There is no free plan
  • Listed plan prices require annual billing
Our verdict

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 →

Runbox is a Norway-based private email service for individuals, families and teams. It combines webmail with custom-domain hosting, aliases, spam and virus filtering, two-factor authentication, encrypted connections, and access through…

Read the review →
  1. Proton MailSecure Email Providers 9.4Free plan
  2. RunboxSecure Email Providers 8.030-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Proton Mail — where it wins

    • End-to-end encryption and zero-access storage protect messages and attachments
    • Free plan includes 1 GB storage and 1 encrypted email address
    • Bridge connects desktop clients including Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail

    Where it doesn't

    • Custom domains and expanded storage require a paid plan
    • Some desktop-client features depend on Proton Mail Bridge
    • Advanced plans may offer more capacity than light email users need

  • Runbox — where it wins

    • Custom domains with unlimited aliases on your own domain
    • IMAP, POP, SMTP, CalDAV and CardDAV support
    • Filtering, encryption, two-factor authentication and import tools

    Where it doesn't

    • The Micro plan provides only 2 GB of email storage
    • There is no free plan
    • Listed plan prices require annual billing

More comparisons

All secure email providers comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update