Swiss-based email-service provider Proton is launching new features across its Mail, Calendar, and Drive, nearing feature parity with Gmail.
While Gmail remains the most widely used email service, companies like Proton are a secure alternative for privacy-conscious users. Since its inception in 2013, the Swiss technology company has introduced Mail, cloud storage, Calendar, and VPN services backed by encryption, Swiss privacy laws, and open-source code.
Proton was created to offer consumers a trusted email service. According to the company’s website, “With Proton, your data belongs to you, not the tech companies, government or hackers.” The company offers no-IP-address logging, anonymous sign-ups, and end-to-end encryption with address verification to maximize users’ data privacy. However, some of the limitations were hindering its progress as a mainstream email service. The new proton features could help the service gain mainstream approval.
Here’s a brief overview of Proton’s upcoming upgrades that could make Proton a perfect alternative to Gmail and other email services.
Proton’s feature upgrade in Mail and drive
- Categorization: What makes Gmail so great is its categorization system that labels email into different categories like promotion, primary, and social. Proton will soon feature similar categorization to automatically pair similar emails under specific labels. Proton plans to do this in a private way with the sender category. So like Gmail, Proton Mail will have separate notifications for social media and primary emails.
- Schedule Send: Proton’s Schedule Send feature will let you write emails and schedule them for a future date. In addition, the service will soon feature email reminders to help you respond to emails at a later date. You will also be able to set snooze that would hide specific emails and get reminded later.
Another new feature, the spy tracking blocker, will hide if the emails were opened.
Proton’s feature upgrade in Calendar
The company is launching its own native calendar app for iPhone with three and seven-day views and a full agenda that will chronologically display a day’s activities. Within the calendar, you’ll have to-do lists and would be able to turn tasks into reminders that would appear within the calendar app.
Message content search in Proton apps
Proton is introducing a message content search that will allow you to find specific emails. The encrypted emails will be downloaded to a local index on your phone, so you can search easily. The emails remain encrypted, giving you maximum security.
New integrations
Proton is planning for multiple integrations within its apps and with other platforms. Here are some of the integrations:
- Email attachments of more than 25MB would be directly uploaded to the Proton Drive. Recipients would be able to access that attachment via a link.
- Early in April, Proton acquired Simple Login, an open-source email alias solution to protect users’ email addresses. The company plans on tightening its security by integrating Proton Mail with Simple Login.
- Additionally, the company plans on introducing Single-Sign-on (SSO) to mobile, so you don’t have to log in individually to every single Proton app on your device.
More features include a streamlined inbox view for an easy email-reading experience, easy response without the composer, a new (faster) version of the Android app, and an authenticity badge for official Proton emails.
Is Proton worth it?
Gmail remains the best choice for businesses with its flexibility; however, when Proton expands, it will be a great alternative to conventional email services. Proton’s premium plans can help you get a secure business email, VPN, calendar, storage, and more with tight online security. You get started with Proton Mail with essentials for just 6.99 € /user per month or a business and enterprise Proton suite with all the premium Proton services starting from just 10.99 €. From the security point of view, Proton could prove to be a viable alternative.
Most of the Mail features will launch soon, while the full spectrum of upgrades will launch in intervals next year.
Gmail has introduced its own set of upgrades across Workspace Spaces charts, maps, and search. Learn about Gmail feature upgrades.