Proton Mail/VPN: What it is and Why You Need It
We’ve mentioned Proton Mail before on our blog, but this company has recently made several announcements that lead it to deserve a blog article on its own. Known for their high-end security available at a low cost, there are very few internet products we think of more highly than Proton.
Whether or not you are a current Proton Mail customer, read on as we’ve got some exiting news to share.
What is Proton Mail?
Although the company Proton is most widely known for its email services, this company actually offers a wide variety of products to help individuals stay safe online. Below are all the products they offer to date.
· Email services
· VPN
· Calendar services
· Password Manager
· Drive (comparable to Google Drive)
· Cryptocurrency wallets
· Data protection services (for business customers)
As you can see, Proton is truly rising to be a competitor to larger name services like Gmail, Apple, and more.
All these products differ from their counterparts as Proton never sells your data, and all of their platforms are encrypted. While some of their services require a fee, others are free, truly offering you an opportunity to take back power over your own security without having to sacrifice functionality.
Although it can be a pain to switch to a new platform, we aren’t the only ones who think you should do so, as even the United Nations has begun recommending Proton accounts for a variety of individuals around the world. Keep reading to learn more about the easy import options offered by Proton that make switching a breeze.
Related: CryptoSmarts 1: Best Email Services for Privacy
Who Invented Proton?
Even if you are just hearing about Proton for the first time, the company was actually brought together in 2014. It was created by several scientists at CERN who were working together to create an internet environment that put people instead of money first.
Proton is based in Switzerland and operates under some of the strongest privacy laws in the world. The engineers for Proton have even built privacy into their solutions, ensuring that even if someone from the company wanted to steal your data, they wouldn’t be able to.
To top it all off, Proton is a non-profit foundation, meaning any profit the company makes is reinvested in research, solutions, and expanding its product list. Something which can’t be said of other tech behemoths currently in the email industry.
How to Switch to Proton Email Services
As mentioned above, we know that switching service providers isn’t the easiest, but the inventors at Proton have truly thought of everything as they offer an easy port feature. All you have to do is select what you want imported, log in to your old account, and it’s done.
What’s even cooler is that as Proton moves your mail from one account to the other, it will be encrypted on its way there, ensuring that your data remains your own!
Related: The Best Ways to Increase Your Privacy Online
How Much Does Proton Cost?
The creators of Proton truly believe that internet services should be available to everyone around the world despite their income. As such, they offer a decent, free email and VPN plan to anyone who wants one.
It’s important to know, however, that the free plan is just one email address and one user. If you need more than that, you will need to look at their paid plans, which start at prices of just a few dollars a month.
If you are able to afford a paid plan, even if it's just the lowest tier, we recommend doing so as your payment helps support the free plans of those who can’t afford it, which is something we can get behind. To get full functionality (i.e., the calendar, VPN, and drive), you will need to pay about $15 a month, though there is a large discount for paying yearly.
While Proton is free for individuals, there is a cost for business users. However, the cost is very affordable (we believe) when you compare it to what you get in return.
Additionally, if you would rather not use their email but want to use just their VPN services, that is also an option, though we find that if you’re wanting one service, it is better to just buy their mid-tier package, which includes everything for about $15 a month (as of 2024).
Proton’s Self-Custodial Bitcoin Wallet
Proton has been on our radar for a long time; however, their recent announcement is what spurred this article because, on July 25th, 2024, Proton announced their new self-custodial Bitcoin wallet.
While their Bitcoin wallet was already available to subscribers, the new announcement means it will be even easier to buy and spend Bitcoin, as you will be able to have friends send it to your email address, and it will add directly to your wallet. We aren’t kidding; it’s that easy.
The coolest part about Proton’s wallet is that it is self-custodial, meaning Proton has no say or access to your Bitcoin, and if the company were ever to go under, you would still have access to all of your funds. This sets Proton completely apart from many other software wallets in the industry, allowing users to have the convenience and functionality of a software wallet without having to worry about the company behind the wallet.
That being said, it runs on the seed phrase like many hardware wallets, so if you lose your seed phrase, they cannot help you. So, keep that in mind and keep your seed phrase safe!
Overall, if you can’t tell, we are huge fans of Proton and recommend everyone move their email addresses to the immediately. And, if you’re a business, we highly recommend their business services. Of course, if the free email is all you can afford for now, that’s fine too, at least you’ll be protecting your data and taking it out of the hands of Google or Apple—and to us, that’s a win.
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