Gmail vs Proton Mail: Which Email Provider Should You Choose in 2025?

Compare Gmail vs Proton Mail in 2025. Explore features, privacy, storage, and pricing to find the best email provider for your needs.

Priya Bhadaurja April 15, 2025

0 74 4 minutes read

There is more to selecting an email provider than just sending and receiving emails. Along with its features, it also considers how user-friendly it is, how much it costs & how well it safeguards your data. Nowadays, a lot of individuals are contrasting Gmail & Proton Mail since privacy is more crucial than ever.

Which one wins in 2025, then, depending on all the important criteria—storage, privacy and simplicity of use, among others? Let’s explore and discover.

Gmail vs Proton Mail: Which One Offers a Better User Interface?

Both Gmail and Proton Mail are user-friendly, but they offer slightly different layouts.

Gmail uses a clean two-pane interface. On the left, you’ll find the menu. On the right, you see your emails. It also has tabs—Primary, Social, and Promotions—to help you organize messages better. For example, emails from coworkers show up under “Primary”, and emails from Facebook or Twitter go under “Social”. This makes it easy to find emails without much effort.

Proton Mail, on the other hand, uses a modern three-pane layout that looks sleeker than Gmail’s. However, it lacks smart categories. This means all emails go into one inbox, and you must sort them manually. It still offers folders and labels, but if you rely on automatic sorting, you might miss Gmail’s system.

On mobile, both apps offer smooth and simple experiences. Gmail also includes a tab for Google Meet, which can be removed if not needed.

Winner: Tie

Gmail vs Proton Mail: Which Email Provider Offers Stronger Privacy and Security?

If privacy is your top concern, Proton Mail is the clear winner.

Gmail, owned by Google, is based in the US and must follow US laws. That means it could be required to share user data with the government. While your emails are encrypted in transit and at rest, Google keeps a copy of the encryption key and could read your messages if needed. Even though Google no longer scans emails for ads, it still collects a lot of data through its services.

Proton Mail is based in Switzerland, which has strict privacy laws. It offers end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption. This means even Proton can’t read your emails. It’s also open-source, blocks trackers, doesn’t show ads, and lets you create email aliases for extra protection.

Both providers offer two-factor authentication (2FA), but Proton Mail goes further with features like biometric login on mobile.

Winner: Proton Mail

Gmail vs Proton Mail: Which Email Provider Gives You More Storage?

Gmail gives you 15GB of free storage, but it’s shared across all Google services—Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. If you use Drive or Photos a lot, it can quickly fill up. If you want more space, Google One starts at $2.49/month for 100GB.

Proton Mail gives only 1GB of free email storage, but this space is dedicated to emails only. If you subscribe to Proton Mail Plus for $3.99/month, you get 15GB of email storage and access to extra features. Proton also separates storage for its other services like Proton Drive.

This means you can keep sending emails even if your cloud drive is full—something Gmail doesn’t allow.

Winner: Gmail

Gmail vs Proton Mail: Which Service Works Best on Desktop and Mobile?

Both Gmail and Proton Mail work on web and mobile devices.

Gmail doesn’t have a desktop app, but it works well on all browsers and devices.

Proton Mail goes a step further by offering dedicated desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux. However, you must be a paid user to get full access to these apps.

So, while both are widely available, Proton Mail has the edge for desktop users—if you’re willing to pay.

Winner: Proton Mail

Gmail vs Proton Mail: Which Email Service Offers Better Value for Money?

Gmail is free and gives you 15GB of shared storage. However, you will see ads unless you subscribe to Google Workspace, which removes ads and gives you a custom domain, more storage, and business tools. Pricing starts at $7/month.

You can also use Google One to buy extra storage starting at $2.49/month, but it doesn’t remove ads.

Proton Mail, in contrast, is free with no ads. Paid plans start at $3.99/month, giving you 15GB storage, 10 extra email addresses, and one custom domain. Higher-tier plans offer even more features, including family and business options.

Winner: Gmail (if you’re focused on price per GB), but Proton Mail wins for privacy with no ads

Gmail vs Proton Mail: How Well Do They Integrate with Popular Apps and Services?

Gmail has a big advantage when it comes to integrations. It works smoothly with other Google services like Google Calendar, Keep, Meet, and Drive. It also connects easily with third-party apps like Zoom, Trello, Notion, Slack, and many others.

If you need to attach large files, Gmail uploads them to Google Drive automatically. It’s a smart and seamless system.

Proton Mail doesn’t offer public APIs for third-party integrations. It only works with other Proton services, so you’re limited in terms of flexibility.

Winner: Gmail

Gmail vs Proton Mail: Which Email Service Offers Better Extra Features?

Both email providers offer useful extras like:

Custom domains
Email scheduling
Self-destructing messages
AI tools for writing better emails
Calendar apps
Email archiving

Gmail supports popular email protocols like POP3, IMAP, and SMTP. It works well with most email clients right out of the box.

Proton Mail only supports IMAP and SMTP through a special tool called Proton Mail Bridge. This lets you use Proton with clients like Outlook or Thunderbird, but it’s more complicated and requires installation.

Winner: Tie

Conclusion: Gmail vs Proton Mail

So, which email provider is better?

✅ Choose Gmail if you want:

More free storage
Affordable pricing for extra space
Seamless integration with other apps
A reliable, familiar experience

✅ Choose Proton Mail if you want:

Strong privacy and data protection
End-to-end encryption
No ads, even on the free plan
Open-source tools and advanced security

If privacy is your top priority, Proton Mail is the better option. But if you’re looking for storage, convenience, and app integration, Gmail still leads the way.

Ultimately, it depends on what matters most to you. If you’re just sending everyday emails and enjoy Google’s ecosystem, Gmail is great. But if you value your privacy and want better control over your data, Proton Mail is a solid choice.