Proton Mail vs Gmail is the comparison most people make first when they degoogle, because email is the account everything else hangs on. Gmail is one of Google’s seven products with more than 2 billion users. More than 100 million accounts have been created on Proton, according to the company. Both are free to start and both have good apps. The real differences are who can read your mail, how each service pays for itself, and how much you give up by leaving Google’s ecosystem.
Proton Mail and Gmail Side by Side
| Proton Mail | Gmail | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Oct 2026) | Free with up to 1 GB. Mail Plus about $4.99/month, or $3.99/month billed yearly. Unlimited about $12.99/month, or $9.99/month billed yearly | Free with 15 GB, shared with Google Drive and Google Photos. Paid Google storage plans start at 100 GB |
| How it pays for itself | Subscriptions. Proton says it never sells your data | Advertising. Ads in Gmail are based on your activity while you’re signed in to Google |
| Encryption | Zero-access storage. End-to-end between Proton users, and password-protected mail to anyone | Encrypted in transit (TLS). No end-to-end option on personal accounts |
| AI | Optional Scribe writing assistant on some plans, which can run on your own device | Smart features and Gemini tools, on by default in many accounts |
| Company and law | Proton AG, Switzerland, majority-owned by the non-profit Proton Foundation | Google, USA |
| Mail apps | Proton’s own apps. Desktop mail apps need the Bridge app and a paid plan | Any mail app over IMAP, free |
| Platforms | Web, Android, iOS, plus desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux (a trial on the free plan) | Web, Android, iOS |
| Custom domain | 1 on Mail Plus, 3 on Unlimited | Only with a paid Google Workspace plan |
| Import and export | Easy Switch imports Gmail and brings in new Gmail mail. A free export tool saves your mail as EML files | Google Takeout exports all your mail as an MBOX file |
| Open source | The apps are | No |
Who Should Pick Which
- Pick Proton Mail if privacy is why you’re here. Proton can’t read your stored mail, there are no ads, and the same account covers Calendar, Drive and Pass.
- Pick Gmail if years of mail and attachments fill most of your 15 GB and you don’t want to pay, or if you depend on Gmail working with Google Calendar, Drive and Android.
- Run both for a while. Most people keep Gmail alive for months after they move. Proton brings new Gmail mail into your new inbox, and you reply from your new address.
- Look further if neither fits. Tuta encrypts more for less money, and Fastmail feels closest to Gmail. Our Gmail alternatives page compares five providers.
Privacy and Encryption
Gmail encrypts messages while they travel between mail servers, using TLS. Your stored mail isn’t end-to-end encrypted, so Google’s systems can process it. Google’s stronger options, S/MIME and client-side encryption, are only offered on work and school accounts.
Proton stores your mail with zero-access encryption, so Proton can’t read it once it’s in your mailbox. That includes mail that arrives from Gmail users. Messages between Proton addresses are end-to-end encrypted. To send something private to a Gmail user, use a password-protected email, which every plan includes, Free too. The recipient clicks a link, types the password you gave them separately, and reads the message in their browser. These messages expire after 28 days at most.
Proton has limits too. Subject lines aren’t end-to-end encrypted, though Proton says getting them would take a court order approved by a Swiss judge. Ordinary mail you exchange with Gmail users also stays in their Gmail, where Google can process it like any other message.
Where the company sits. Proton AG is Swiss and majority-owned by the non-profit Proton Foundation. In 2025, when Switzerland proposed wider surveillance rules, Proton’s CEO threatened to leave the country, and Proton began investing outside Switzerland. Google is a US company.
Ads and AI in Your Inbox
Gmail is free because of advertising. Google says it won’t scan or read your messages to show you ads. The ads are picked from your activity while you’re signed in to Google instead. In 2025 France’s privacy regulator fined Google €325 million for showing ads inside Gmail and setting ad cookies without valid consent. The ads in question were styled as emails in the Promotions and Social tabs. Proton calls its mail “ad free” and says it’s funded by subscribers.
AI is the other reason many people leave. Gmail’s “smart features”, which let Google’s systems process your email content, are on by default in many accounts. Google says it does not use Gmail content to train Gemini. If you’re staying on Gmail for now, switch smart features off in Settings, See all settings, General. Our tracking guide covers both switches you need.
Proton’s AI writing assistant, Scribe, is included only with the Duo, Family, Visionary and Lifetime plans, with a 14-day trial on other paid plans. It runs on Proton’s servers or, if you choose local mode, on your own device. Turning it off hides it from the composer.
Features You’ll Notice Every Day
Storage. Gmail gives you 15 GB free, shared with Drive and Photos. Proton Free starts at 500 MB and grows to 1 GB after a setup checklist. Mail Plus has 15 GB.
Search. Gmail searches the full text of every message on every device. Proton’s standard search matches subjects, senders and recipients. On the web you can turn on content search, which downloads and indexes your mail in that browser. Each browser needs its own index.
Mail apps. Gmail works in Apple Mail, Outlook or Thunderbird over IMAP for free. Proton has no direct IMAP. On a computer with a paid plan, the Bridge app connects your mail app. On phones you use Proton’s own app.
Addresses. Gmail gives you one address plus +tag variations. Proton includes at least 10 hide-my-email aliases on every plan, and paid plans add extra addresses and a custom domain. A custom domain means you never repeat this move.
Labels and filters. Proton has labels like Gmail, plus folders. Its filters read headers only, so rules that matched words inside a message need rewriting. The free plan keeps 1 filter active, and paid plans allow up to 250.
Sending. Proton Free caps you at 150 messages a day. Mail Plus and Unlimited have no daily cap.
The rest of the suite. Proton accounts include Calendar, Drive and Pass. Gmail’s links to Google’s apps go deeper, such as flight emails that land in Google Calendar and package-tracking cards.
What Each One Costs
Gmail costs nothing until your Google account runs out of space. Mail, Drive and Photos share the same 15 GB, and Google’s paid storage plans start at 100 GB. Check Google One for current prices.
Proton’s free plan is enough if your Gmail is small or you keep old mail in an offline archive. Mail Plus costs about $4.99/month, or $3.99/month billed yearly ($47.88), for 15 GB, 10 addresses and 1 custom domain (Oct 2026). Proton Unlimited costs about $12.99/month, or $9.99/month billed yearly, for 500 GB and every Proton app. If you also pay Google for Drive and Photos space, Unlimited’s 500 GB can hold mail, files and photos in one plan.
If your Gmail is near 15 GB and you’d rather not pay, import the last year or two into Proton. Keep the rest as an MBOX file from Google Takeout, which opens in Thunderbird.
How to Switch From Gmail to Proton Mail
The mail moves in an afternoon. Updating the accounts that use your Gmail address takes months, and that part works the same whichever provider you pick.
- Check how much space Gmail uses at one.google.com/storage. If it’s more than about 800 MB, start on Mail Plus.
- Create your Proton account, turn on two-factor authentication and save your recovery phrase.
- In Proton Mail on the web, open Settings, then All settings, then Import via Easy Switch. Choose Google, then Connect to Gmail.
- On Google’s permission screen, tick Select all and click Continue. Proton warns that leaving out a permission causes an error later.
- Wait while your newest mail and your contacts arrive. Use More import options for older mail and your calendars.
- Change your address on your accounts, starting with banks, government and anything that can reset other accounts.
While Gmail stays connected, new mail that reaches your Gmail inbox shows up in Proton. Keep it connected for at least 12 months, so yearly senders reach you once, and many people keep it for 2 years. Our Gmail to Proton Mail guide covers plans, labels, filters, aliases and Bridge. The Gmail migration plan covers the order to update accounts in and when it’s safe to let Gmail go.
“Sign in with Google” logins don’t move with your mail. Give each of those accounts a password first (how).
Not sure which accounts use your Gmail address? Our scan builds the list in your browser from files you download from Google.
When Gmail Is Still Better
None of this has to be all or nothing. If you stay on Gmail for now, turning off smart features and personalized ads still cuts what Google learns from your inbox.