Proton Mail or Infomaniak Mail: which should you choose?
Both are Swiss and respect your privacy. Proton Mail goes further on confidentiality with its end-to-end encryption. Infomaniak Mail offers more free storage, a built-in office suite and classic compatibility with mail apps. Maximum privacy on one side, comfort and versatility on the other.
Information verified on July 10, 2026
This topic is chapter 4 of the book
Gmail & Contacts: Reclaiming Your Email
Here, the big picture. In the book: the full method and the detailed walkthrough.
Forthcoming 22/10/2026 from Éditions Eyrolles
This is the duel between the two recommendations of the book for replacing Gmail. Two Swiss companies, two healthy business models, zero ads. And yet, two different philosophies: Proton built its email service around end-to-end encryption, Infomaniak around a full suite and maximum comfort. The right choice depends on what you’re looking for when you leave Gmail.
The match in one table
| Criterion | Proton Mail | Infomaniak Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (1 GB). Mail Plus at €3.99/month (billed annually) | Free plan with several GB, paid options |
| Encryption | End-to-end by default | Standard (Swiss servers) |
| Targeted advertising | No | No |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland | Switzerland |
| Classic mail apps (IMAP) | Via the Bridge tool, paid plans only | Yes, direct compatibility |
| Ecosystem | Calendar, Drive, VPN, Pass | kDrive, kSuite (online office suite) |
What Proton Mail does better
The level of protection. With end-to-end encryption, your emails are unreadable for everyone, including Proton. It’s the strongest guarantee on the consumer market, and the one I recommend if your conversations touch on sensitive things: health, money, personal life.
The ecosystem also plays in Proton’s favor. One account gives you the calendar, encrypted storage, the VPN and the password manager. For someone leaving Google one service at a time, that’s a welcome shortcut.
What Infomaniak Mail does better
Day-to-day comfort. The free plan is more generous with storage. Direct IMAP compatibility lets you use the mail app of your choice, on desktop and on mobile, without an intermediary tool: at Proton, that requires Bridge, reserved for paying subscribers. And if you want an address on your own domain, Infomaniak does it cheaply, as you’d expect from a hosting company.
Then there’s kSuite: calendar, contacts, kDrive and online office tools. Infomaniak can replace Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs in one move, with a logic very close to Google’s. It’s the least disorienting option.
Verdict
Choose Proton Mail if privacy is your first criterion. End-to-end encryption is non-negotiable, and it’s the best direct replacement for Gmail for most people.
Choose Infomaniak Mail if you’re looking for the comfort of a full suite, generous storage and the freedom to keep your usual apps. You already gain what matters most: getting your emails out of the advertising economy.
Both detailed profiles are in the catalog: Proton Mail and Infomaniak Mail. And for the migration method, head to the guide to leaving Gmail.
Where do you stand?
24 questions to measure how much you depend on Google services. Free, no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Are Proton Mail and Infomaniak Mail free?
Yes, both have a free plan. Proton Mail gives you 1 GB of storage, extendable with Mail Plus at €3.99/month (billed annually). Infomaniak is more generous with free storage and offers paid options for space and advanced features.
Can you migrate from Gmail to either one?
Yes, in both cases. Proton Mail and Infomaniak Mail each offer an automatic import tool that brings your emails over from Gmail. The difficulty is the same: a few clicks for the import, then Gmail forwarding during the transition.
What is the real difference between the two?
Encryption. At Proton, your emails are end-to-end encrypted: nobody but you can read them. At Infomaniak, they are protected by Swiss law and an ethical company, but without end-to-end encryption by default, which in exchange allows full compatibility with classic mail apps.