Tutanota vs Proton Mail: which is the better secure email service?
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Totanota and Proton Mail are two of the most popular and “secure email” industry leaders. Both have an excellent reputation built on guarding user emails from prying eyes – even their own eyes.
So which one is better? Let’s take a side-by-side look at Tutanota vs Proton Mail to see which one is better in general – or better for you.
Tutanota vs Proton Mail: security and privacy
Both services offer excellent security and privacy – it’s their entire selling point. Both offer end-to-end encryption that even they don’t have the keys to decrypt.
Tutanota encrypts more spaces within its ecosystem. On the other hand, Proton Mail has a restrictive spam filter, complete anonymity, and RSA 256-bit encryption compared to Tutanota’s 128-bit protocol. Proton Mail also benefits from Switzerland’s excellent attention to privacy.
| Proton Mail | Tutanota | |
| ⭐ Rating: | ||
| 🥇 Overall rank: | #1 out of #4 | #2 out of #4 |
| 🔒 Encryption: | RSA 2048-bit, AES 256-bit, OpenPGP | RSA 2048-bit, AES 128-bit |
| 👤 Anonymity: | No IP address stored | IP addresses stored, but hidden |
| 🕶 Privacy: | Protected by Swiss law, company commitment | Protected by German law, 14 Eyes, company commitment |
| 🚫 Spam filtering: | Yes | Yes |
| 🔥 Coupons: | Proton Mail coupon 80% OFF! | Get up to 20% OFF Tutanota! |
Encryption
Tutanota offers end-to-end symmetrical encryption – RSA 2048-bit for user-to-user emails, AES 128-bit for user-to-non-user emails. The service uses the same algorithms as PGP, but encrypts subject lines as well as the email body above that.
Even Tutanota can’t decrypt your messages. It also offers perfect forward secrecy, meaning hacking a past session doesn’t give a cybercriminal access to future sessions. Tutanota also encrypts your address book and your calendar.
Proton Mail also uses end-to-end symmetrical encryption – RSA 2048-bit for user-to-user emails, AES 256-bit for user-to-non-user emails. It uses OpenPGP, an industry-standard email encryption algorithm that has several weaknesses mentioned above – no encryption of subject lines, and no perfect forward secrecy.
Like Tutanota, Proton Mail’s encryption prevents even Proton Mail itself from decrypting it and reading your messages.
Anonymity
Tutanota strips IP address information from its messages, making it impossible for anyone to trace the message back to the user, at least using the IP.
Meanwhile, Proton Mail offers complete anonymity to its users, too. In addition to end-to-end encryption, it also strips messages of IP addresses.
However, there was a case when they logged an IP address of their user after the Swiss government request – to avoid that and ensure anonymity on all of your mails, we suggest combining an email service together with a reliable VPN provider.
Privacy
Tutanota is a German company. Germany is one of the “Fourteen Eyes” alliance intelligence-sharing countries, but emails that pass through Tutanota are protected by the German Federal Data Protection Act, which prohibits the use or collection of personal data without express permission or a law that specifically allows it.
Proton Mail is headquartered in Switzerland. Famously neutral and independent, Switzerland has some of the best privacy laws in the world, and Proton Mail’s parent company is very privacy-focused.
Spam filtering
Tutanota offers an intelligent spam filter with parameters users can use to identify spam and filter out unwanted messages. While they are constantly making improvements, user feedback tends to identify Tutanota’s spam filter as too restrictive.
Meanwhile, Proton Mail uses a smart spam detection system that automatically puts your incoming messages in an inbox or spam folder. Sometimes it’s bound to misplace your emails, so you can use a whitelister as a method to bypass the blocks if they seem too strict for you.
Tutanota vs Proton Mail: features
Different features will be valuable to different users. Even though both providers offer encrypted calendars including with the free plans, Proton Mail has the advantage of Proton VPN. Thus, we’re giving this close race to Proton Mail thanks to the availability of both encrypted calendars and VPN services in every plan, even the free plan.
| Feature | Tutanota | Proton Mail |
| AutoResponder | ✅ (paid plan) | ✅ (paid plan) |
| Custom Domains | ✅ (paid plan) | ✅ (paid plan) |
| Secure Form Code | ✅ (pricey add-on) | ❌ |
| VPN Subscription | ❌ | ✅ (free and paid plan) |
| Custom CSS | ❌ | ✅ |
| Secure Calendar | ✅ (free) | ✅ (free and paid plan) |
Features that both secure emails have
For paying users, both Tutanota and ProtonMail offer an autoresponder and custom domain aliases. When it comes to secure calendars, both providers give it for free. Therefore, this micro-battle ends with a draw.
Unique features
The most interesting feature is Tutanota's SecureConnect. It allows you to implant Tutanota code into your website to create a contact form with the same security and privacy as Tutanota itself. This is a niche feature, and an expensive add-on not included in any plan. Companies that want to receive secure messages from their website visitors, however, may find SecureConnect invaluable.
To learn more about all of Tutanota’s features, check out our in-depth Tutanota review.
On the other hand, Proton Main has a very clear distinction from its competitor, and it’s Proton VPN subscription.
It's becoming more common to see secure email providers offer other online security solutions, such as password managers or file encryptors. In this case, all Proton Mail plans include a subscription to ProtonVPN, which privacy-minded users should consider anyway.
Proton Mail paid plans also include Proton Mail Bridge, an app that runs in the background and automatically encrypts or decrypts messages in applications that support IMAP or SMTP. This is probably of limited use to most users, just like the CSS customization functionality.
To learn more, head over to our Proton Mail review.
Tutanota vs Proton Mail: pricing
Totanota is the cheaper option overall. While you do need to pay extra for certain features, the overall price is lower than Proton Mail. However, both providers offer quality features for their subscription prices.
| Version | Tutanota | Proton Mail |
| Free | €0.00 | $0.00 |
| Revolutionary/Mail Plus | €3.00/month (~$3.49/month) | $3.99/month |
| Legend/Unlimited | €8.00/month (~$9.30/month) | $9.99/month |
| Check pricing | Check pricing |
Value for the price
Tutanota offers a free plan with 1GB of storage. If you need more storage and more extras, there are two premium plans targeted at individuals. First, there's the Revolutionary plan for €3.00/month (~$3.49/month), which offers 20GB of storage, unlimited calendars, 3 custom domains, and 15 additional email addresses.
If you go for the Legend plan, which costs €8.00/month (~$9.30/month), you can increase these extras to 500GB of storage, 10 domains, and 30 email addresses. Tutanota also offers 3 business plans: Essential, Advanced, and Unlimited.
Proton Mail offers a free plan with 1GB of storage. It limits daily emails to 150 emails, but offers access to Proton VPN (1 connection and servers in 10 countries). If you want to opt for premium plans, Proton Mail offers a 1-month deal for just $1.00/month.
The Mail Plus plan costs $3.99/month and offers 15GB of storage, 10 email addresses, 1 custom email domain, and priority customer support. Proton Mail Unlimited is $9.99/month and increases the limits to 500GB storage, 15 addresses, 3 custom email domains, and full access to the premium version of Proton VPN – 20,300+ servers in 148 countries and 10 simultaneous connections. Proton Mail also offers separate Family and Business plans: Proton Duo, Proton Family, Workspace Standard, Workspace Premium, and Enterprise.
Tutanota vs Proton Mail: storage and attachments
Both Tutanota and Proton Mail are equal when it comes to free storage, paid storage, and attachment limits for individual users.
| Tutanota | Proton Mail | |
| Free Storage | 1GB | 1GB |
| Paid Storage | Up to 500GB | Up to 500GB |
| Attachment Limit | 25MB | 25MB |
Data allowances
Tutanota offers 1GB of storage for the Free plan users. It increases the storage to 20GB for Revolutionary plan users and then to 500GB for Legend plan users. Tutanota limits attachments to 25MB. If you need more space, your best option is to upgrade to a plan that offers more storage. If 500GB is not enough, you can go for the Unlimited Business plan – it offers 1TB of storage and costs €12.00/month (~$14.00/month).
Proton Mail offers 1GB of storage for the Free plan, 15GB of storage for the Plus plan, and 500GB of storage for the Unlimited plan. Just like Tutanota, Proton Mail also limits attachments to 25MB. As for additional storage, Proton Mail is more generous on Family and Business plans. If you go for the Proton Duo ($14.99/month), you can get 2TB of storage, and Proton Family ($23.00/month) offers 3TB. Interestingly, if you go for the Workspace Premium plan (targeted at Business users), you can get 3TB for $19.99/month.
Tutanota vs Proton Mail: ease-of-use
Both Tutanota and Proton Mail are reasonably easy to use. The winner, however, is Proton Mail. We were impressed by its ease of setup, useful settings, and third-party integrations.
| Tutanota | Proton Mail | |
| Setup | Three steps, TOS acceptance, 64-digit recovery code | Two steps, verification |
| Interface | Responsive | Feature-rich |
| Performance and speed | Fast and strong | Fast and strong |
| App integrations | Native desktop app, no integrations | Many popular integrations |
Setup
Setting up a Tutanota account starts by clicking the “Sign Up” button in the upper right-hand corner of every page. You will be presented with an assortment of plans to choose from. If you select the “Free” plan, a window pops up notifying you that Tutanota limits users to one free plan each.
The next page asks you to create your username (i.e. your email address) and create and confirm your password. Two checkboxes verify your age (16+ per German law) and your acceptance of the terms of service.
The next page takes you to your recovery code, a 64-digit code that authorizes you to change your password and second factor. Save it carefully, or the loss of your credentials could lock you out of your account, permanently! You’re then taken into a login page and can access your new inbox.
The Proton Mail setup process is lightning-quick and easy. Upon clicking the “Sign Up” button, on every page next to the “Sign In” button, you will be taken to a page with dropdown menus from which to select your plan.
Once you select your plan, you will be directed to a simple, one-page setup screen, asking for your new username, password with dual confirmation, and recovery email. Click “Create Account,” and you will be taken to a verification page, where you can choose Captcha, SMS, email, or phone verification. Captcha is probably the quickest. Verify your account, and that’s it! You’re ready to start customizing your inbox.
User-friendliness
Tutanota is remarkably easy to use. It resembles many other email inboxes, making it intuitive and easy to navigate. The interface is also elegant – it’s responsive and fun to use.
Proton Mail doesn't lose out on this front – it's also very user-friendly and intuitive. It loses some points, however, from a home screen that includes a huge prompt to upgrade your account. Proton Mail has a lot more settings, though, including custom CSS import.
Performance and speed
Tutanota sends and delivers mail quickly and reliably. Service was interrupted during a 2020 DDoS attack, but overall performance is excellent.
Proton Mail also exhibits excellent speed and performance, with no noticeable delays or interruptions in service. Proton Mail also offers excellent attachment upload speed and transfer. However, the Preview Panel is a little slow to load, since this is the step at which the message gets decrypted in Proton Mail.
App integrations
Tutanota’s proprietary encryption has the side-effect of negating the ability to integrate it with third-party email clients. This may not matter to many users, since Tutanota includes a native desktop app, but people who love Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail may be disappointed.
Proton Mail integrates with the most popular third-party email clients, including Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and Mozilla Thunderbird.
Tutanota vs Proton Mail: customer support
Both Proton Mail and Tutanota provide reliable customer support options. From a vast knowledge base, to user subreddit, or even email support – you can pick which option is the best for you.
| Tutanota | Proton Mail | |
| Knowledge base | ✅ | ✅ |
| Subreddit | ✅ | ✅ |
| Email support | ✅ (Paid plans only) | ✅(with all plans, escalated service with paid plans) |
Knowledge bases and email support
Tutanota offers a subreddit and a user knowledge base. It also has direct email support, but only for paid users.
Proton Mail offers direct email support, even for free users. Free accounts supposedly have “limited support,” meaning longer wait times can probably be expected, but it’s better than nothing. It also has a large subreddit, as well as a knowledge base that is much easier to search and navigate.
Verdict
| Category | Tutanota | Proton Mail |
| Privacy and Security | ❌ | ✅ |
| Features | ❌ | ✅ |
| Pricing | ✅ | ❌ |
| Storage and Attachments | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ease of Use | ❌ | ✅ |
| Customer Support | ✅ | ✅ |
Both Tutanota and Proton Mail are excellent mail applications, but Proton Mail stood out slightly more, with security, features, and ease or use.
On the other hand, Tutanota is also a great choice and it gave Proton Mail the run for the winner title. It’s versatile, cheaper, and easy to use.
Related secure emails guides from Cybernews
Tutanota review: private email service with a no-nonsense approach
Proton Mail Review: one of the most discrete email providers
Fastmail Review: the private email service that started the trend
FAQ
Is Tutanota better than Proton Mail?
No, Tutanota isn’t better, but the two also concentrate on different features. Tutanota is dead set focused on maintaining your privacy, while Proton Mail is more interested in private email service. It means that they're trying to be easy to use and comfortable services, while Tutanota sacrifices convenience for anonymity.
Can Proton Mail be traced?
For people on the outside, there's no way to track Proton Mail. However, if you get in trouble with law enforcement, they will cooperate. Proton Mail is not a neutral service. The service developers clearly state that they do not want to be a criminal's email provider. Which means that you can potentially become traced.
Is Tutanota open-source?
Yes, Tutanota is open-source. They publish all their codes publicly for all OS versions.
Which service is better supported: Tutanota or Proton Mail?
Tutanota developers used their own encryption, while Proton Mail uses OpenPGP. So, interaction with other clients should be more comfortable with Proton Mail. Meaning that it smoothly works with other non-Proton Mail accounts. With Tutanota, both users will have the easiest time only with other Tutanota users.
