Proton Mail vs Purelymail

On privacy it's Proton Mail. On price it's Purelymail. On features it's Proton Mail. Here's everything side by side, last checked 25 October 2026.

Which should you choose?

Proton Mail is the better pick if you want encryption that means even the provider can't read your mail; your mail kept in Switzerland; and to try it free first.
Purelymail suits you best if you want the lower price ($10 a year, any number of users and domains) and the choice of any mail app over IMAP.

Feature	Proton Mail	Purelymail
Overall	4.5	2.5
Privacy	5.0	0.5
Price	4.0	5.0
Features	4.5	3.5
Cheapest plan	Mail Plus $3.99 a month, yearly ($4.99 monthly)	Simple $10 a year, any number of users and domains
Free plan	Yes, 1 GB, no own domain	No
Storage	15 GB	Not confirmed
Your own domain	✓ 1	✓ Unlimited
End-to-end encryption	✓ Built in	No
Company based in	Switzerland	United States
Your data is kept in	Switzerland	United States
Founded	2014	Unknown
Free trial	Free plan; 30-day refund on paid plans	Free trial with a small amount of credit (about a month of light use)
Funded by advertising	No	No
Works in any mail app	With Proton Bridge on paid plans	✓ IMAP and SMTP
Calendar and contacts	✓ Yes	No
Aliases	10 addresses	Yes
Open-source apps	✓ Yes	No
Sign up without ID	✓ Yes	No
White label	No	Unknown
Reader offer	Offer Proton's current deals	None
Last checked	23 October 2026	25 October 2026

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Where they differ

Proton Mail's cheapest plan is Mail Plus ($3.99 a month, yearly ($4.99 monthly)); Purelymail's is Simple ($10 a year, any number of users and domains).
For free, Proton Mail gives you a free plan (1 GB, no own domain), and Purelymail no free plan.
Proton Mail comes with 15 GB of storage and Purelymail with storage not confirmed.
Proton Mail keeps your mail in Switzerland, while Purelymail keeps it in the United States.
Proton Mail is based in Switzerland and Purelymail in the United States, so different privacy laws apply.
Proton Mail encrypts mail end to end; Purelymail doesn't encrypt mail end to end.
Proton Mail works in other mail apps through Proton Bridge on paid plans, and Purelymail works in any mail app over IMAP.
For extra addresses, Proton Mail has 10 addresses and Purelymail has yes.

Common questions

Which is more private, Proton Mail or Purelymail?

Proton Mail scores 5 out of 5 for privacy and Purelymail 0.5. Proton Mail gives you encryption that means even the provider can't read your mail, your mail kept in Switzerland and apps whose code is public.

Which is cheaper, Proton Mail or Purelymail?

Purelymail is cheaper. Its Simple plan is $10 a year, any number of users and domains, against $3.99 a month, yearly ($4.99 monthly) for Proton Mail's Mail Plus. Proton Mail also has a free plan. Check the renewal price before you pay, as some first-year prices go up.