Limited recent checks passed
Secure email that protects your privacy.
Proton Mail is an email service that accepts Bitcoin, Fiat, and Cash. It has no mention of KYC policies and has a score of 8/10. There are 7 user ratings averaging 4.7/5.
Scores
- No KYC mention
- No mention of current or future KYC requirements.
Registration does not require personal information, and anonymous Bitcoin or cash payments are accepted. You may be asked to provide a phone number or email for anti-spam verification, but these are cryptographically hashed and not permanently stored in raw form.
- May suspend your account 0 -4
The service reserves the right to suspend or limit access to your account. For example, if you have overdue payments or you violated the service's ToS.
The service reserves the right to suspend or limit access to your account. For example, if you have overdue payments or you violated the service's ToS.
0 Privacy-4 Trust - Third-Party payment processor -2 +1
Payments are handled through a third-party processor, such as Coinbase, CoinPayments, NOWPayments...
Payments are handled through a third-party processor, such as Coinbase, CoinPayments, NOWPayments...
-2 Privacy+1 Trust - Account required -1 0
Users require creating an account with the service in order to access and use its features.
Users require creating an account with the service in order to access and use its features.
-1 Privacy0 Trust - Identity-Free registration +10 0
Users can create accounts without giving personal information (such as full name, address or phone number). Note that some services might initially allow this, but they may subsequently request personal information (i.e. Automated flagging systems, Shotgun KYC...).
Users can create accounts without giving personal information (such as full name, address or phone number). Note that some services might initially allow this, but they may subsequently request personal information (i.e. Automated flagging systems, Shotgun KYC...).
+10 Privacy0 Trust - No KYC mention +10 0
No mention of current or future KYC requirements.
- Personal info is not verified +9 0
These services do not conduct checks on personal information, meaning that you could use temporary emails, disposable phone numbers, or fake name / addresses.
These services do not conduct checks on personal information, meaning that you could use temporary emails, disposable phone numbers, or fake name / addresses.
+9 Privacy0 Trust - Has Onion or I2P URLs +5 0
Onion (Tor) and I2P URLs enhance privacy and anonymity.
- Audited 0 +5
The service has been audited by an independent 3rd party.
- Mature service 0 +5
This service has been operational for 10 years. While this indicates stability, it is not a future-proof guarantee.
This service has been operational for 10 years. While this indicates stability, it is not a future-proof guarantee.
0 Privacy+5 Trust - Approved 0 +5
Passed limited recent checks and met our approval threshold. Read more about the listing statuses.
Passed limited recent checks and met our approval threshold. Read more about the listing statuses.
0 Privacy+5 Trust - Own infrastructure +1 +2
The service owns and operates its own physical servers. No cloud or datacenter provider sits between the service and its hardware.
The service owns and operates its own physical servers. No cloud or datacenter provider sits between the service and its hardware.
+1 Privacy+2 Trust - Defends against takedown requests 0 +2
The provider publicly documents that they evaluate takedown and abuse complaints (DMCA, hosting complaints, third-party requests) rather than automatically suspending affected accounts. Response varies by service: some investigate before acting, some ignore outright.
The provider publicly documents that they evaluate takedown and abuse complaints (DMCA, hosting complaints, third-party requests) rather than automatically suspending affected accounts. Response varies by service: some investigate before acting, some ignore outright.
0 Privacy+2 Trust - Legally registered 0 +2
Legally registered as Proton AG in Switzerland 🇨🇭.
Legally registered as Proton AG in Switzerland 🇨🇭.
0 Privacy+2 Trust - Partially open source code 0 +2
This service has some open-source code components. However, certain elements remain proprietary.
This service has some open-source code components. However, certain elements remain proprietary.
0 Privacy+2 Trust - JavaScript needed 0 0
The service requires the user to enable JavaScript in order to access and use its features.0 Privacy0 Trust - Mobile app available 0 0
The service has a mobile app available for download.
- Some countries are restricted 0 0
Offered services may not be available in some countries due to logistics, regulations or arbitrary decisions. Please check for any restrictions before use.
Offered services may not be available in some countries due to logistics, regulations or arbitrary decisions. Please check for any restrictions before use.
0 Privacy0 Trust - Base score +50 +50
Terms of Service Review
These terms govern the use of Proton Mail. The service does not require personal data to register, utilizes end-to-end encryption for message content, and complies only with Swiss legal requests.
Email metadata retention
Due to SMTP limitations, the service has access to email metadata: sender/recipient addresses, incoming IPs, attachment names, subjects, and timestamps.
Inactive account deletion
Free accounts that remain inactive for a consecutive period of 12 months may have their data and contents permanently deleted.
Delinquent accounts
Failing to pay for a subscription will downgrade the account. Over-quota accounts are put in a restricted state that prevents receiving new emails.
Class action waiver
Users residing in the United States must resolve disputes through binding individual arbitration and strictly waive the right to participate in class actions.
Anonymous use
Account creation does not require personal information. For paid subscription tiers, the service accepts anonymous payments via cash or Bitcoin.
Message content encryption
Unencrypted messages are scanned for spam in memory, then encrypted to disk. The operator has no technical ability to access encrypted message content.
IP logging policy
Permanent IP logs are disabled by default. However, IPs are logged temporarily to combat abuse, and permanently retained if an account breaches the terms.
Data disclosure
The operator will only disclose the limited user data it possesses if legally obligated by a binding request from competent Swiss authorities.
Reviewed from proton.me/legal/terms proton.me/legal/privacy
ToS reviews are AI-generated and should be used as a reference only.
Events
View all-
Verification update
Verification status changed from COMMUNITY_CONTRIBUTED to APPROVED
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Attribute added
Attribute "Own infrastructure" was added to Proton Mail
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Attribute removed
Attribute "Soft KYC" was removed from Proton Mail
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Attribute added
Attribute "Soft KYC" was added to Proton Mail
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Attribute added
Attribute "Defends against takedown requests" was added to Proton Mail
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Attribute added
Attribute "Identity-Free registration" was added to Proton Mail
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Attribute added
Attribute "Personal info is not verified" was added to Proton Mail
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Service updated
Service URLs updated from https://proton.me, https://proton.me/mail to https://proton.me/mail. Description was updated
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Attribute change
An attribute was removed (details unavailable)
Evidence and Review History
Passed limited recent checks and met our approval threshold.
- No review checks have been published yet
- Last review May 8
- Approved May 8
- Operating since May 16, 2016
Comments
Been using it for about 5 years now and I'm happy with it. A lot of its goodies are behind subscription, but I've never hit the wall with their free offering. One thing I'm not a fan of is their constant reminder to get a subscription.
Really good, allows anon registration on tor and better deliverability than tuta and other competitors.
It provides a great service even without email verification, but overall the service is good, and during registration it feels like you’re being forced to make a purchase.
I've been using Proton Mail's free plan for a while now and it's been great so far. The interface is simple, and the focus on privacy is a big plus.
Fast with good integrations with other Proton Workspace apps. Built-in aliasing is good, but can be substituted with email-forwarders for more control & compartmentalization
it's one of the best mail providers, I've used it for many years and I still use it. Free plan of Proton mail is enough for most users. I personally use free email plan of the platform and it works like charm. It works on clearnet and it's Tor version Onion domain also works like charm.
good service, might be glowing a bit more than some other alternatives, but works very nicely+good ecosystem of other useful things like docs, sheets, drive, email aliases, and a pw manager that honestly works really well.