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Posteo vs Proton Mail

PosteoIndie

8.5/ 10

Higher score

Proton MailIndie

9.0/ 10

Across 4 measured dimensions: Posteo wins 1, Proton Mail wins 1 (2 tie / n/a)

[01]

Side by side.

8 dimensions

Metric	Posteo	Proton Mail
Score Winner: right	8.5	9.0
Δ 90 days	— flat	— flat
Parent & badge	IndependentIndie	IndependentIndie
Founded	2009	2014
Best for	Users on a @posteo.* address who don't need a custom domain	Privacy-first users who want zero-access encryption by default
Price per mo Winner: left	$1.10/ mo	$3.99/ mo
Renewal multiplier	—	—
Tagline	€1/month ethical mail — no custom domain, ever	Swiss end-to-end encrypted mail, free tier is real

[02]

What works, what doesn't.

Per provider

Posteo4 pros · 4 cons

+ Pros

✓Flat €1/month, includes 2GB and full IMAP/SMTP
✓Accepts anonymous cash payment
✓100% renewable energy and transparent reporting
✓PGP-in-browser and full encryption at rest available

– Cons

✗No custom domain support, ever
✗Address must be @posteo.* only
✗Storage upgrades cost extra per GB
✗No mobile app — relies on standard IMAP clients

Proton Mail4 pros · 4 cons

+ Pros

✓Genuine end-to-end encryption, Swiss jurisdiction
✓Free tier with 1GB is actually usable
✓Custom domain support on Mail Plus
✓Independent ownership, non-profit foundation backed

– Cons

✗IMAP requires the Bridge desktop app
✗E2E only between Proton users
✗Search of encrypted mail is slow
✗Pricier than Migadu/Posteo for similar storage

Make the call

Pick one and go.

Both links are affiliate. Score doesn't move because of it.

VisitPosteo ↗Score 8.5 VisitProton Mail ↗Score 9.0

← Read full Posteo review·Read full Proton Mail review →

[03]

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