TechRadar Verdict
If the security of your email account is your foremost concern, look no further than Proton Mail’s business email hosting plans.
Top-level security
Intuitive interface
No live chat
Could have more features for the price
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Like its companion plan aimed at consumers, Proton Mail business email hosting services lead the way in terms of security. It’s primarily for this reason that Proton Mail has earned its place as one of thebest email hostingservices around. If you’re worried about messages being hacked or spam-driven malware, then Proton Mail is likely to help you rest a little easier at night.
It’s not only about security however. Proton Mail also comes with decent support and the option of adding a VPN and AI assistance to your email account. Even so, if you want advanced features, you are probably better off going with a different hosting provider.
Proton Mail may not be the cheapest, but you can’t really put a price on security. Even a dingle breach could ruin a company. Choosing Proton Mail means you are less likely to suffer one.
Proton Mail: Plans and pricing
Proton Mail for Business comes in three pricing tiers: Mail Essentials, Mail Professional, and Proton Business Suite. Mail Essentials is priced at $6.99 per user per month, Mail Professional costs $9.99 per user per month, and Proton Business Suite will set you back $12.99 per user per month. There’s also a custom Enterprise tier for the largest businesses but they’ll have to contact sales directly to receive a quote.
Proton’s business email pricing is one of the more expensive offerings on the market. For example,Hostinger’semail hosting Business Starter costs $0.99 per mailbox per month, so whether or not you think Proton’s offering is good value for money will depend entirely on whether you think its additional features and robust security credentials make it worth the extra cost. If all you want is a basic email hosting plan, you should probably look elsewhere.
However, it’s important to recognize the financial ramifications of even a single data breach getting through your email defenses. This could potentially bankrupt a company - especially if long-term reputational damage occurs. As such, you might find that the added security features that come with a Proton Mail plan are well worth the money.
Features
With the Mail Essential plan, you get 15GB ofcloud storageper user, three custom email domains, andcalendarintegration. Mail Professional customers will see storage increase to 50 GB per user and they’ll now receive 10 custom email domains. They can also manage user permissions and access. Meanwhile the Proton Business Suite plan comes with everything included in the lower tiers, plus aVPNconnection for 10 devices per user. You’ll also see storage increase again, this time to 500 GB per user, and the number of custom email domains you get rises to 15.
Another interesting feature that is available with a Proton business email hosting plan is the Proton Scribe writing assistant, the email provider’s privacy-focusedAI tool. It is slightly disappointing that this feature is only included if you choose a bespoke Enterprise plan, it available as an add-on, with a free trial, at every other pricing tier. Proton Scribe helps you compose emails and improve your drafts simply by clicking the pencil icon at the bottom left of the email composer.
Support
Proton Mail understands that customers may need support even before they signed up to its business email hosting service. That’s why the hosting provider provides an Easy Switch tool to help you migrate in just a single click. Live support is also on hand to provide further support regarding the importing of youremails, contacts, orcalendarsto Proton Mail.
Regarding Proton Mail’s other support offerings, customers can get in touch with the providers either by filling in an online form or contacting the company directly over email. Proton Mail usesZendesk Supportto meet customer needs. This helps Proton Mail to route and prioritize customer requests more efficiently, speeding up resolution.
If you choose to go with the Enterprise plan, you’ll also receive a dedicated account manager, who should be able to reduce the likelihood of you encountering any difficulties, as well as resolve any that do occur. So, while it’s disappointing that there’s nolive chatsupport or telephone number to contact, Proton Mail’s support for businesses is far from bad and there are user guides, manuals, and FAQs to help with resolving issues yourself.
Security
Security is where Proton Mail really stands out from the crowd. Messages are subject toencryptionat all times as standard and two-factor authentication can be applied. Emails can even be set to self-destruct if you are worried about any sensitive information they may contain falling into the wrong hands.
Based in Switzerland, Proton Mail is also HIPAA and GDPR compliant and subject to some of the strictest privacy laws. Not even Proton Mail employees will be able to see your emails. Although this is something of a doubled-edged sword (they won’t be able to retrieve them either following a data breach), it also means you have a but more privacy regarding any information you send.
The competition
Proton Mail’s business hosting plans operate a little differently from some of the others we’ve reviewed previously. These plans don’t both themselves withproductivityorcollaborationtools like you get withGoogle Workspace. Instead, Proton Mail is all about email and aligning it with the most robust security around.
This means that Proton Mail might not suit all types of businesses. If they are looking for an email hosting plan that comes with a wide range of advancecd functionality, you may be better off going with the aforementionedGoogleWorkspace,Microsoft 365, orIceWarp. However, if you want your emails to be protected by the most robust safeguards, Proton Mail is the way to go. You can still sign up for a VPN, additional storage, AI writing support, and more, but Proton Mail keeps its advanced functionality to a minimum.
Proton Mail: Final verdict
Proton Mail provides several security-first business email hosting plans. When you consider some of the additional functionality offered by its rivals, these may not seem like the cheapest. But if Proton Mai’s security method aligns with your own, this is the email hosting service for you.
We’ve also featured thebest email hosting services.
Barclay has been writing about technology for a decade, starting out as a freelancer with ITProPortal covering everything from London’s start-up scene to comparisons of the best cloud storage services. After that, he spent some time as the managing editor of an online outlet focusing on cloud computing, furthering his interest in virtualization, Big Data, and the Internet of Things.
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