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Further, Proton automatically identifies these mailing lists as “newsletters” and puts them in their own view. There, you can see how many messages they’ve sent, move addresses to different folders, and unsubscribe. Proton also shows the services you’ve already unsubscribed from. After unsubscribing from probably 100 mailing lists, I had at least half a dozen companies still sending me emails. I was able to chase them down and properly get off their lists. (Gmail also recently added a system for managing subscriptions.)
The difference with Proton over other clients is that these tools are brought to the forefront. I had only five email addresses that it didn’t recognize as mailing lists. The vast majority of emails were categorized properly, and the app itself pushed me to use the tools available.
A Cozy View
Proton Mail via Jacob Roach
The look of Proton is familiar. By default, you have a list-style inbox reminiscent of Gmail, with options for standard or “compact” spacing, the latter of which will squish down each line. You can use the column layout, which moves your inbox to the left of the screen with a view for each message on the right, similar to the default Outlook view. You also get a toolbar on the right that will show your contacts and calendar, and a menu on the left that shows your labels and folders. You’ve used an interface like this before.
Proton Mail via Jacob Roach
Once you start digging around, there are some important differences. When composing an email, you’ll find a handful of buttons at the bottom of the screen. One allows you to set a password, encrypting the email to its destination regardless of the server it travels through. Another lets you set an expiration date for messages, as well as attach your public key; more on that later.
I don’t use AI writing assistants, but Proton allows you to run its writing assistant locally, which is an important distinction compared to nearly every other email service with a similar feature. Most AI features run on remote servers, so when you enter prompts with Google’s AI, for instance, those prompts and the responses are stored on Google’s servers. With Proton, you can keep that all local, no remote server involved. You’ll need a PC that meets certain system requirements, and generating text isn’t as fast as on Proton’s servers. But having the option is huge.
Proton Mail via Jacob Roach
As for reading emails, Proton goes out of its way to make things as straightforward as possible. By default, messages load in full rich text, including images. However, Proton will block images from loading if there are trackers tied to them. It will also, by default, ask for confirmation when you click a link, showing the full URL before it’s loaded. That’s important, especially on mobile devices where you can’t hover over a link to check whether an email is legitimate or a phishing attempt.
Most of the features available in the web app or on desktop are available in Proton’s mobile app, which, at the time of writing, was very recently overhauled on Android and iOS. You can bind actions to swiping left or right to quickly archive or organize messages, as well as use offline mode, which is a new addition. My only issue with the mobile app is that it doesn’t provide the same tools for unsubscribing from mailing lists. They’re completely absent, so you’ll need to handle all of that through the web or desktop app.
