Proton Mail
Swiss email with open-source apps and a tool to import your messages.
These notes concern product use. The sovereignty score follows its own rubric.
Popularity
App Store storefronts checked (7)
- France ↗5,882
- Germany ↗4,630
- Spain ↗1,748
- Italy ↗1,550
- Switzerland ↗2,882
- United Kingdom ↗5,771
- United States ↗48,197
About these numbers
The default ranking adds public rating counts collected from Google Play and the App Store storefronts checked. It includes both Android and iOS. This volume is a popularity signal, not a count of downloads or people.
Google Play provides its public counter. For Apple, we add available counters from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Each profile shows this scope, which does not cover all countries. If one platform is missing, only the documented count is used. Android download thresholds and publisher-reported users have separate sorts and are never added to ratings. One person can rate on several platforms. Ties are sorted by name; profiles without figures follow.
The essentials
| Publisher based in | Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Access model | Free plan and paid options |
| Source consulted on | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Legal headquarters | 25/25 |
| Hosting | 25/25 |
| Ownership | 22/25 |
| Technical dependencies | 15/25 |
Access models are indicative. Refer to the official website for current prices and terms.
Check before choosing
A publisher’s country does not establish its independence. Ownership, subprocessors, data location and technical dependencies need a separate assessment.
Plan your switch
Test with non-sensitive data first. Check import and export options, essential features and plan terms before migrating.
How the score is calculated
Mail data is stated to use owned servers in Switzerland, Germany and Norway. The foundation has a veto; payment and support also use US providers.
The score covers documented criteria. For each of four dimensions, earned points are divided by the maximum for reviewed criteria, scaled to 25 and rounded. The four results form the score out of 100. Unknown items are excluded and reduce the separately displayed documentation coverage. Publication requires at least 60% of the rubric reviewed and 10 weight points in every dimension. A high score does not rule out dependencies in unchecked items.
Initial review of public documents. Publisher statements are identified in the dossier; they are not an independent audit.
Legal headquarters25/25
Calculation: 20/20 × 25 → 25/25
1.1 · Principal establishment
12/12The contracting entity is established in Switzerland.
1.2 · Chain of control
8/8The disclosed control structure is European. Ultimate beneficiaries have not been checked against a registry.
1.3 · Legal exposure to document
—/5To document Not established in the sources reviewed.
Hosting25/25
Calculation: 16/16 × 25 → 25/25
2.1 · Production data
10/10Mail policy locates data in Switzerland, Germany and Norway.
2.2 · Backups and logs
—/6To document Backups are encrypted and kept up to 30 days; exact backup and all-log locations need confirmation.
2.3 · Infrastructure operator
6/6Proton states it owns and operates Mail servers.
2.4 · Delivery and edge
—/3To document Not established in the sources reviewed.
Ownership22/25
Calculation: 22/25 × 25 → 22/25
3.1 · Ownership control
12/12A Swiss foundation has a publicly described control or veto role over the company.
3.2 · Structural transparency
4/7The publisher names its main holders and structure. The beneficial-owner registry still needs checking.
3.3 · Protection against a change of control
6/6A Swiss foundation has a publicly described control or veto role over the company.
Technical dependencies15/25
Calculation: 15/25 × 25 → 15/25
4.1 · Critical service dependencies
4/10Partial documentation At least three US providers appear in this flow: Chargebee, Stripe and Zendesk. The technical inventory remains incomplete.
4.2 · Distribution and access
5/5Web access and directly downloadable desktop apps.
4.3 · Openness and portability
4/6Email export as EML and metadata as JSON; the full service is not self-hostable.
4.4 · Independent verification
2/4Partial documentation A 2021 Securitum audit is published. A Mail report within 24 months still needs checking.
