Gmail’s inbox scanning powers Google’s ad graph even on paid Workspace tiers. Proton Mail encrypts messages end-to-end where possible, runs from Switzerland, and treats your mail as none of its business.

What you gain

• End-to-end encryption between Proton users, zero-access encryption otherwise
• Swiss jurisdiction, outside both EU and US data-sharing pacts
• Custom domains on Plus, aliases via SimpleLogin integration
• No ads, no inbox parsing, no AI training on your messages

What you give up

To use Apple Mail or Thunderbird you need the Bridge app, which is paid-tier only. Search inside encrypted messages is local-only and slower. Calendar and Drive are catching up but not at Google’s depth.

The math

Free tier gives 1 GB and 150 messages/day. Mail Plus is $48/year for 15 GB and custom domain. Unlimited bundles in Calendar, Drive, and VPN at $120/year. Gmail’s price is your data.

Who should switch

Anyone whose inbox holds tax docs, contracts, or anything you’d rather not have indexed. Migration via Easy Switch pulls from Gmail in one pass. Heavy Google Workspace users with 50 shared docs should pause and audit first.