ProtonMail Professional – Review 2021

ProtonMail is an extremely-safe email hosting supplier based mostly in Geneva, Switzerland. You would possibly know the consumer version of this service, which provides free accounts with 500MB of storage and 150 messages per day, however there is a enterprise-oriented providing, too.

ProtonMail Professional would not provide a free trial and would not embody the ProtonVPN service, however its security measures are extraordinary. Still, its lack of area internet hosting and different niceties preserve it behind our Editors’ Choice winners on this class, Google Workspace Business Standard and Intermedia Hosted Exchange.

ProtonMail Professional Pricing and Plans

ProtonMail Professional has a quite simple cost plan for small to midsized companies (SMBs). You pay €6.25 ($7.37) per person per thirty days on an annual foundation; the corporate’s web site has a easy slider bar you’ll be able to ratchet up till you attain your person depend and see your backside line. For greater than 100 customers, you may have to contact ProtonMail straight for an correct quote. This service stage permits 5GB of mail storage and as much as 5 e mail addresses per person. You can add customized domains, however you may have to get area internet hosting elsewhere after which join it to ProtonMail.

If you want higher specs than these, the corporate bumps you as much as the ProtonMail Enterprise plan. This is a customizable tier the place you’ll be able to combine and match further storage, extra addresses, a devoted help plan, and different choices. However, there is not any set pricing; each quote should be made with a ProtonMail gross sales rep. As talked about, the fundamental ProtonMail Professional plan lacks ProtonVPN, however you’ll be able to request or not it’s added to your account, which can allow you to reap the benefits of further reductions.

Compared to a number of the decrease-priced e mail hosts we have reviewed, $7.37 per person per thirty days is comparatively steep for these options, even in comparison towards huge-identify gamers like Google Workspace or one other Editors’ Choice winner, Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Bargain contenders like Fastmail run round $3 per person per thirty days and have higher primary specs. Then once more, nobody beats the Swiss on safety and privateness, so firms for whom that is a major consideration will tolerate the extra value.

Getting Started

To get began, you may doubtless have to arrange a customized area until you need your small business e mail to come back from “@protonmail.com.” A button on the prime proper of the display screen brings you to an exceptionally simple-to-navigate settings web page. After clicking the Domains hyperlink, you’ll be able to click on Add a Custom Domain after which stroll by way of a easy wizard to arrange every element, finishing all the typical steps comparable to including a TXT report and organising your MX information. Once every little thing is verified, you are good to go and may begin including customers.

While there is not an effective way to import a bunch of customers directly, it is pretty simple so as to add separately. You’ll have the chance to set a signature as nicely. As another, you’ll be able to arrange a number of addresses per person as much as the quantity that your plan helps. The one irritating factor about that is that addresses can by no means be deleted, solely disabled, and can depend towards your tackle restrict whether or not enabled or not. With that in thoughts, select addresses very fastidiously, as a result of you’ll be able to by no means actually do away with them.

While the ProtonMail account offers you essentially the most advantages with the least headache, others will wish to use IMAP and SMTP. POP3 isn’t supported, although you’ll be able to hyperlink up Outlook, Thunderbird, or one other third-occasion mail shopper. You should, nonetheless, obtain ProtonMail Bridge, a Windows, macOS, or Linux app that provides an extra layer of encryption to your connection. While simple to arrange (a web based walkthrough is obtainable for many shoppers), it is a number of further steps that you just won’t be used to.

The different settings are customary fare. Filters can help you mechanically carry out actions comparable to labeling or archiving messages based mostly on customized standards. There’s additionally a straightforward-to-use enable and block listing, much like different providers like Zoho Mail. Once you could have every little thing the best way you need it, you will get began utilizing the net internet shopper.

ProtonMail’s interface is pretty streamlined, resembling your typical Gmail or Microsoft 365 inbox. There is not lots of fluff, and it is simple to navigate. One merchandise of observe is an expiration time that you may set so messages self-destruct after a sure time frame. In addition, clicking a lock button turns a message into an encrypted mail protected by a password. This is a cool function that could possibly be helpful if you wish to ship info of a delicate nature, however do not wish to danger it being compromised by prying eyes that weren’t your goal. Assuming you ship the password over the telephone, that provides an extra stage of assurance that your goal recipient is the one one studying it.

Sadly missing for now could be a completely fleshed-out calendar. While a safe calendar is within the works with a beta accessible for ProtonMail 4.0 customers, it isn’t fairly prepared on the time of this writing. This is a big downside since different e mail providers have had calendaring for years, and it is a vital element in immediately’s work-from-house setting. Having seen the beta, nonetheless, this grievance will probably be brief-lived.

ProtonMail Professional Security

There’s lots to speak about right here since privateness is ProtonMail’s declare to fame. Being positioned in Switzerland offers it some authorized benefits over U.S.-based options, specifically the Swiss Data Protection Act (DPA) and Swiss Federal Protection Ordinance (DPO) which assure that ProtonMail can solely be pressured to surrender your information by a court docket order from the Cantonal Court of Geneva or Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

In addition, messages stay encrypted always, whether or not at relaxation or in transit. Because of this, not even ProtonMail staff might entry your information even when they needed to. This safeguards your info in case a knowledge breach happens, although it’s kind of of a satan’s cut price since dropping your keys means not even the host firm can restore entry to your e mail.

As talked about, emails will also be set to self-destruct a la Snapchat. While this actually is not a foolproof methodology since display screen seize remains to be a factor in 2021, it is a fairly nifty methodology of communication. There are choices for 2-issue authentication and customized encryption, too.

Finally, ProtonMail complies with HIPAA and GDPR and its amenities have each PCI and ISO 27001 certification. While the corporate would not have accessible SOC stories, that is one thing that tends to be restricted to U.S.-based providers. That would possibly flip some of us off, however there’s loads of different great things right here to garner belief.

Expensive But Great on Security

While ProtonMail’s value is a bit steep in comparison with comparable choices that embody collaboration instruments, you do get prime-notch safety and storage in one of the vital privateness-acutely aware international locations on the earth. While it could not match everybody’s profile, you may know if it matches that of your small business. If you want extra in the best way of collaboration, Zoho Mail and Microsoft 365 Business Premium are worthy options.