Proton Mail vs Tuta (Tutanota)
Both are alternatives to Gmail. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Tuta (Tutanota) vs Proton Mail — same comparison, one verdict.
Proton Mail
TOP PICKEnd-to-end encrypted, open-source, Swiss — the privacy default.
Proton Mail is the most mature encrypted email provider, with over 100 million users and open-source apps on every platform. Mail is end-to-end and zero-access encrypted, it's based in Switzerland under strong privacy law, and it supports OpenPGP so mail with other PGP users is automatically end-to-end encrypted. It has grown into a genuine Gmail replacement with Calendar, Drive, Pass, and VPN in one account, plus a functional free tier.
Tuta (Tutanota)
The cheapest end-to-end encrypted mail — quantum-safe by default.
Tuta (formerly Tutanota) is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted email provider based in Germany under GDPR. It's the budget privacy pick: a free tier with full E2E encryption, and it uniquely encrypts the subject line too. In 2026 it became the first major provider to ship quantum-safe encryption (TutaCrypt, Kyber-1024) to all users by default. The trade-off versus Proton is that it doesn't support OpenPGP, so encrypted mail to outside contacts uses password-protected messages instead.
Side by side
| Proton Mail | Tuta (Tutanota) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 84 | 80 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Local-first | No | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 (apps) | GPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Free (1GB); paid Mail Plus ~$4/mo; bundled Proton Unlimited adds Drive, VPN, and Pass | Free (1GB, E2E encrypted); Revolutionary ~€3/mo; Legend ~€8/mo |
Proton Mail is Macrostack's recommended Gmail alternative, so it's our pick here.
Proton Mail
Strengths
- +End-to-end, zero-access encryption with OpenPGP support
- +Open-source apps, independently audited, Swiss jurisdiction
- +Free tier; custom domains on paid plans
- +Part of a full privacy suite (Calendar, Drive, VPN, Pass)
Trade-offs
- −Encryption to non-Proton, non-PGP contacts needs password-protected mode
- −A hosted service you don't self-host
- −Free-tier storage is modest (1GB)
Tuta (Tutanota)
Strengths
- +Open-source, E2E encrypted — including subject lines
- +Quantum-safe encryption for all users by default
- +Cheapest encrypted-mail paid tiers; German/EU privacy law
- +Free tier includes an encrypted calendar
Trade-offs
- −No OpenPGP or IMAP (uses its own encrypted protocol)
- −Fewer ecosystem extras than Proton
- −Search is client-side by design — an encryption trade-off
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-07-14. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.