Proton Mail vs Tuta: Price, Privacy and Free Plans Compared

Pick Proton Mail if you want the PGP standard, a mail bridge for Outlook or Thunderbird, and a wider set of apps under one account. Pick Tuta if you want encrypted subject lines, post-quantum encryption and cheaper paid plans.

Both are encrypted email services with a free plan and open source apps. The differences are in what gets encrypted, how they work with other mail apps, and what you pay for more storage.

Proton Mail vs Tuta at a glance

Which is cheaper, Proton Mail or Tuta?

Tuta is cheaper. Its Revolutionary plan costs €3 a month and gives you 20 GB of storage, 15 extra email addresses and 3 custom domains. Proton's pricing page lists Mail Plus at $3.99 a month, with 15 GB of storage, 10 addresses and 1 custom domain.

At the top end the gap is similar. Tuta Legend is €8 a month for 500 GB, 30 extra addresses and 10 custom domains. Proton Unlimited is listed at $9.99 a month for 500 GB, 15 addresses and 3 custom domains. Its pricing table lists 500 GB of Proton Drive storage on that plan too.

Proton's price changes with the billing period you pick, so check the final number at checkout. Tuta's prices on its pricing page are paid yearly and include taxes.

Is Tuta more private than Proton Mail?

For metadata, yes. Tuta encrypts the subject line and the names of the sender and recipients. Proton Mail does not encrypt subject lines end to end. Proton says this is because it follows the OpenPGP standard, where the subject sits in a header that PGP does not encrypt.

Tuta chose not to use PGP for the same reason. It uses AES and x25519 combined with Kyber (ML-KEM), which it describes as post-quantum encryption, and it says skipping PGP let it move to post-quantum security faster.

The trade-off is compatibility. Proton's use of OpenPGP means you can exchange encrypted mail with people who use PGP elsewhere. Tuta's encryption works inside Tuta, so it does not offer PGP.

Both companies publish their app source code. Proton states that all its apps are open source and have been independently audited, and it links the audit reports. Tuta states that all its clients are open source and can be audited.

Can I use Proton Mail or Tuta in Outlook or Thunderbird?

Only Proton, and only on a paid plan. Proton Mail Bridge connects your account to desktop apps like Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail, and Proton says Bridge is available only with a paid plan that includes Proton Mail.

Tuta has no bridge. You use Tuta's own apps, which are available for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux and the browser. On Android you can also download the app as an APK from Tuta's GitHub instead of the Play Store.

Which free plan is better?

It depends on what you send. Both free plans give you about 1 GB of mail storage. Proton's free plan starts you at 500 MB and lets you raise it to 1 GB, and it also includes up to 5 GB of Drive storage.

The limits are where they differ. On 6 November 2026, we checked both pricing pages. Proton's free plan allowed 1 email address, 150 messages a day, 3 folders, 3 labels and 1 custom filter, and its desktop app was a 14-day trial on that plan. Tuta's free plan listed 1 GB of storage, one calendar and 3 labels, with no extra email addresses and no custom domains.

That same day, Tuta's pricing page was running a "2 years for the price of 1" offer on its yearly Revolutionary and Legend plans, so a paid Tuta plan was cheaper than its normal price.

Proton also says its free plan gets the same level of encryption as its paid plans, so you are not giving up security by staying on Free.

Where are Proton Mail and Tuta based?

Proton is based in Switzerland, and Proton says any request for access to subject lines would need a court order approved by a Swiss judge. Tuta says it stores email end-to-end encrypted in Germany, under the GDPR.

If you are still looking at other options too, our list of Tuta Mail alternatives covers Mailbox.org, Posteo and StartMail.

Which should you choose?

• You want the lowest price for a paid plan: Tuta Revolutionary at €3 a month.
• You want subject lines and sender names encrypted: Tuta.
• You exchange PGP mail with other people: Proton Mail.
• You want to keep using Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail: Proton Mail on a paid plan, with Bridge.
• You want email, cloud storage and other privacy apps in one account: Proton Unlimited.
• You only need a free encrypted address: either works. Proton adds up to 5 GB of Drive storage; Tuta adds a calendar.

FAQ

Is Proton Mail or Tuta free?

Both have a free plan with about 1 GB of mail storage. Proton's free plan is limited to 1 address and 150 messages a day. Tuta's free plan has one calendar and 3 labels.

Does Tuta support PGP?

No. Tuta uses its own encryption with AES and x25519 plus Kyber (ML-KEM) and explains that PGP does not encrypt subject lines and is harder to update.

Does Proton Mail encrypt the subject line?

No. Proton says subject lines are not end-to-end encrypted, because it follows the OpenPGP standard. The message body and attachments are.

Are Proton Mail and Tuta open source?

Yes. Proton says all its apps are open source and independently audited. Tuta says all its clients are open source.