ProtonMail vs Gmail: Which Email Hosting Provider is Better?

If you’re reading this, you’re probably on the fence between ProtonMail vs Gmail. Both email services offer powerful features at reasonable prices, but you might be wondering which option would be the better fit for your business.

To help you, we’ve put together a comparison guide of these two email clients. Although both Gmail and Proton Mail offer free plans, you’re probably more interested in their premium features. By looking at the key differences in these paid services, you should be able to make a more informed decision.

In this article, we’ll talk more about what email hosting is and what Gmail and Proton Mail can offer you. Then, we’ll compare these email hosting providers in terms of features, security, and pricing. We’ll also discuss why you might want to choose an alternative like SirsteveHQ. Let’s get to it!

What Is Email Hosting?

Email hosting is a service that enables you to use a server to send, receive, and store emails. This is not the same as a free account on an email service such as Gmail.

When you set up a free email account, the provider decides how you use the service and you don’t get a custom domain for your address.

If you pay for email hosting, you can set up accounts with any domain you own. That means you can send emails from an address such as hello@deliciouscakes.com instead of having to use a @gmail.com or @protonmail.com address.

Another benefit of email hosting is that paid plans typically offer more storage than free services. You may also get access to dedicated support, which isn’t available with a free plan.

Opting for a custom domain can be a smart decision if you run a business and want to look more professional. To make that possible, you’ll need to pay for email hosting.

An Overview of Gmail

You’re probably familiar with Gmail. It’s one of the most popular email providers on the web and one of Google’s many free services.

In this post, we’re not going to focus on the free plan that Gmail offers. Instead, we’ll be looking at Google Workspace. This is a service that includes Gmail for Business, integrations with other Google tools, additional storage, support, and more.

Google Workspace also enables you to use custom email addresses. That means you can set up email accounts with any domain you own and still use Gmail as your client.

An Overview of Proton Mail

Proton Mail is a secure email service that offers advanced features such as end-to-end encryption.

Many providers actively scan your emails for security and to better understand you as a customer. However, this may pose a threat to user privacy.

Proton Mail’s commitment to privacy and security is its biggest selling point. Users can rest easy knowing the provider doesn’t have access to the content of their emails.

ProtonMail vs Gmail Compared

Now, let’s compare Proton Mail and Gmail in terms of features, security, and pricing.

ProtonMail vs Gmail: Features

Comparing ProtonMail vs Gmail is easy because both options offer very different services in terms of features.

If we compare their free plans, Gmail has a clear advantage in terms of storage space. Its base plan offers 15 GB of free storage, while Proton Mail only offers 1 GB.

Now, let’s look at the premium plans. Google Workspace is designed to integrate with other Google apps, including Sheets, Docs, Drive, Calendar, and Forms. It gives you access to additional storage and collaboration features for all of these apps.

Google Workspace supports unlimited group addresses and features such as smart replies, grammar corrections, and email reminders. These can help you polish your emails before sending them, which is perfect for a work environment:

The service shines when you’re working with other members of an organization, all with Workspace accounts. It makes sense to use the service if your business already relies on Google products.

Proton Mail, on the other hand, is all about email. It doesn’t integrate with other services aside from the Proton VPN. That’s a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that paid users get access to so they can boost their security:

Additionally, most Proton Mail features have to do with privacy and security, which we’ll take a closer look at in the next section.

Businesses that prioritize privacy and security will benefit the most from using Proton Mail. But if you’re looking for collaborative tools for your business, Gmail might be a better option.

Gmail vs ProtonMail: Security

When it comes to security, Google Workspace claims to automatically block over 99% of spam and malware before it reaches its customers:

As an administrator, you can configure security settings for different users and teams. It also offers protection against suspicious attachments, spoofing, and links and images in emails.

As mentioned earlier, Proton Mail prioritizes security with an encrypted email service. It also enables you to use hardware security keys so you can verify your identity through two-factor authentication.

Additionally, Proton Mail offers advanced privacy features, such as blocking email trackers so that senders are unable to monitor your activity. The service is ad-free, and its codebase is open-source.

Those are all features available with Proton Mail free plans. If you pay for a premium plan, you can get access to other tools such as the Sentinel program. The Proton Mail Sentinel program actively monitors email accounts with a team of security experts to protect against intrusions.

Gmail vs ProtonMail: Price

Google Workspace pricing starts at $6 per month per user. The Business Starter includes 30 GB pooled storage per user and 100 participant video meetings:

If you need more storage allowance, you can opt for the Business Standard plan ($12 per user per month), or the Business Plus plan ($18 per month).

Premium Proton Mail plans for businesses start at $6.99 per user per month. The Mail Essentials plan gives you 10 email addresses and 15 GB of storage per user.

If you need more resources and additional security features, the Business plan costs $10.99 per user per month.

SirsteveHQ: An Alternative to Proton Mail and Gmail

It’s important to know that you’re not limited to dedicated email services if you want to pay for email hosting. In fact, many hosting providers, like SirsteveHQ, also offer email hosting in addition to your domain.

This is ideal if you also need website hosting. With SirsteveHQ, you can register a domain and get access to both website and email hosting on the same domain!

Email hosting from SirsteveHQ allows you the best in tech with the best in support as well. Get premium deliverability so none of your emails get lost, spam prevention, and if anything goes wrong, a member of SirsteveHQ is here to help – 24x7x365.

SirsteveHQ email hosting plans start at just ₦500 per month.

This makes SirsteveHQ one of the cheapest email hosting providers on the market, and you can get your domain and web hosting to create a one stop shop for all your services! If you have a business website, this will help you run your email and hosting accounts from one place, while saving money.

Conclusion

Gmail and Proton Mail are among the most popular email services, but they offer very different features. Gmail emphasizes integration with other Google apps and prioritizes team collaboration. Proton Mail, on the other hand, is all about privacy and security.

If you’re looking for the best value for email hosting, consider using SirsteveHQ. You’ll get plenty email storage, as well as an easy-to-use interface for managing your messages. It’s the perfect option if you need both website and email hosting.

Do you have any questions about how to choose the right email provider? Let us know in the comments section below!