How to check if ProtonMail is for you?
This bases on my subjective experience as an average Joe. So I won’t say anything about privacy, security, and the likes. ProtonMail blog has covered all of them. Instead, I only describe my first-hand experience as a user. Here’s how to check if ProtonMail is for you based on them.
Pros
Good and reliable support
I don’t remember how many I sent them inquiries for refunding my ProtonVPN account because it’s not working (read: very slow to unusable point). I try their VPN service several times until I am sure it’s not for me.
They do refund all of my money during these several trials. No question at all. The same quality support I see from ProtonMail as well.
The simple web interface
Their web interface is simple and classy. Not only that, but it’s also fast. To me, it loads almost instantly.
Easy to set up a custom domain
Again, this is subjective. But, for someone familiar with setting up DNS and updating the MX records and other DNS records, you can set up a domain for ProtonMail in under 5 minutes. Though, propagation time may take up to a few hours.
Shortest address @pm.me
It is even shorter than @aol.com. I haven’t seen any email provider that gives such a simple address on its free plan. Although on this tier, it only allows you to receive a message.
Host multiple addresses in one account
So, I can receive from multiple addresses. But I don’t need to sign up for several accounts. It makes accessing and replying to the mail easier. Well, I hate to add another account to the existing one for just checking an email.
High level of commitment
I get a full refund several times before I decide to stay long-term with their service. They don’t ask any questions. Just send back the money in full when I was still on the trial periods.
Availability on .ch domain
You can get @protonmail.ch email. At the same time, there’s a way to login to app.protonmail.ch even if your email is on the .com domain.
Cons
No Reply-To
ProtonMail doesn’t have this. Despite some questions I’ve sent them to their support, this feature isn’t in any priority in the foreseeable future. If you use “Reply-To” so much on your existing email provider, and you can’t live without that, don’t move to ProtonMail.
No dark mode on the stable version
Yes, there is one on the beta version. But, the beta version isn’t too stable. See the next items.
Uploading big file freezes on beta
When I upload a big image to place it as an inline image on my email, the screen froze. At least, it froze for several minutes. There is no sign of uploading either. It doesn’t happen on the stable version. I’ve reported this bug to the support.
Downloading big attachment is not fast on beta
Again, it is happening only on the beta version. I do prefer the beta version for its dark mode. But, this problem doesn’t raise on the final version.
More hassles to set up a mail client
I only use it on the web browser. To set up with any mail client, you’ll need to install and set up their Proton Bridge app. I give it a try at once. The app took too much RAM.
If you’re a fan of mail clients and can’t live without that, and don’t want to have more hassles setting it up, ProtonMail may not be for you.
Verdict
The choice is yours. For me, ProtonMail Plus is worth it. I signed up for a 2-years plan after some back-and-forth.