Fastmail vs Proton Mail (2026)
Head-to-head on pricing, performance, support and features - based on our independent reviews of both hosts.
Score comparison
| Fastmail | Proton Mail | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 8.6 | 8.4 | Fastmail |
| Performance | 8.8 | 8.0 | Fastmail |
| Support | 8.5 | 7.6 | Fastmail |
| Value for money | 8.0 | 7.9 | Fastmail |
| Ease of use | 8.9 | 8.1 | Fastmail |
Side by side
| Fastmail | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $4/mo | $6.99/mo |
| Hosting types | Email Hosting | Email Hosting |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Uptime SLA | - | - |
| Support | email, tickets, knowledge-base · 24/7 | email, tickets, knowledge-base |
| Free migration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Website builder | ||
| Green hosting | ✓ |
Which should you pick?
Choose Fastmail if this fits: best email experience for individuals and small teams. Fastmail is what email feels like when a company does nothing else: a genuinely fast client, first-class standards work, and pricing without games. It trades the encryption guarantees of Proton for usability, and for most users that is the right trade.
Choose Proton Mail if this fits: best for privacy-critical email. Proton Mail is the only mainstream business email where the provider mathematically cannot read your stored mail, and the surrounding suite has matured into a real Google Workspace alternative. You pay for it in price, search speed and IMAP friction.
Overall, our scores favor Fastmail (8.6 vs 8.4) - but the right choice depends on which trade-offs matter to you. Read the full Fastmail review and Proton Mail review.
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