Proton Mail vs. Fastmail
We compare Proton Mail and Fastmail, two easy-to-use Gmail alternatives. If you want a truly private email provider with your favorite email features, try Proton Mail.
About Proton Mail and Fastmail
Unlike Gmail or Outlook, neither Proton Mail nor Fastmail tracks you to target you with ads or sell your personal data. But while both services are easy to use, they’re by no means equally private or secure.
Proton Mail is end-to-end encrypted and protected by Swiss privacy laws, so if you’re looking for genuine privacy and security, it’s an obvious choice.
| Inbox features |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free Pay for more storage and products, starting at $3.49/month | Paid 30 day free trial available |
| Your favorite email features | ||
| Works on all your devices | ||
| No ads | ||
| End-to-end encryption | ||
| Zero-access encryption | ||
| Advanced spy pixel tracking protection | ||
| Encrypted calendar & file storage included | ||
| Free VPN included | ||
| Open-source apps | ||
| Protected by strong Swiss privacy laws | ||
| Password-protected emails and expiration |
Proton Mail vs. Fastmail: What’s the difference?
Both services are easy to use but offer different levels of privacy and advanced security features.
Privacy
In contrast, Fastmail encrypts your emails but retains the encryption keys so they can access them if requested, like Gmail or Outlook.
Proton Mail and Fastmail both offer email aliases to protect your personal email address, but Proton Mail also has enhanced tracking protection and Password-protected Emails so you can send end-to-end encrypted emails to anyone.
Based in Switzerland and protected by strict Swiss privacy laws, Proton Mail is beyond the reach of intelligence alliances.
Fastmail is based in Australia, where surveillance laws like the Assistance and Access Act allow the government to monitor your emails.
Australia is also part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance(new window), which means it shares this intelligence with other countries such as the US.
Advanced security
But Proton Mail goes one step further with advanced security features like zero-access encryption, meaning they cannot decrypt your emails, or PhishGuard phishing protection, link confirmation, and encrypted and digitally signed Proton Contacts.
Proton Mail provides strong physical security. Proton owns and operates all its servers in privacy-friendly countries (Switzerland and Germany) and doesn’t use third-party cloud providers.
Proton Mail is also open-source and independently audited, so security experts can verify its encryption and apps are secure.
Fastmail is based in Australia, but its main servers are located in third-party data centers in the US.
While Fastmail’s service is built on open-source standards, its web and mobile apps aren’t open source and so can’t be inspected.
Calendar, storage, VPN
Like Proton Mail, Proton Calendar and Proton Drive are zero-access encrypted, no one but you and those you authorize can access them.
With Proton Drive, you can upload files of any size to your private cloud storage, and Proton VPN(new window) lets you check your mail and surf the web privately wherever you go.
Fastmail holds the encryption keys to your encrypted calendar and file storage, so it can share your data with third parties.
The maximum size of files you can upload to Fastmail storage is 250 MB.
Ease of use
But Proton Mail is more flexible, allowing you to use labels and folders together.
With Proton Mail, you can combine labels and folders to organize your emails the way you like.
Proton Mail also makes migrating from providers like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo! simple with Proton Easy Switch — transfer your emails, contacts, and calendars with one click.
Fastmail makes you choose either labels or folders to organize your emails. You can’t use labels and folders together.
Pricing
Proton Mail or Fastmail?
Proton Mail and Fastmail are both ad-free, more private alternatives to Gmail or Outlook, but they’re not equally private and secure.
Proton Mail gives you ultimate privacy and security with end-to-end and zero-access encryption, advanced security features, and encrypted Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton VPN(new window) at no extra cost. With Proton, your data is your business, and no one but you can decrypt it, not even Proton.
If you’re looking for a genuinely private Gmail alternative, create a free Proton Mail account and get access to all Proton’s privacy services.
Millions of people worldwide trust Proton Mail to keep their communications private
Choose an email that’s secure and private by default.
