Posteo vs Proton Mail
It is a trade-off. Proton Mail has the higher Safety grade (7.3 against 6.5), while Posteo has the higher Privacy grade (7.8 against 7.2).
Posteo
Berlin email provider at €1/month that separates payments from accounts; takes cash
Privacy
7.8/ 10
Strong
Safety
6.5/ 10
Fair
ID never required KYC 0 Docs reviewed Full review →
Proton Mail
Swiss end-to-end encrypted email with a free tier; paid plans payable in Bitcoin or cash
Privacy
7.2/ 10
Strong
Safety
7.3/ 10
Strong
No ID mentioned KYC 1 Docs reviewed Full review →
Side by side
| Posteo | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | ||
| KYC policy | ID never required | No ID mentioned |
| Custody | N/A | N/A |
| Sign-up | No account needed | Email optional |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Tor onion address | No | Yes |
| Coins | Not published | BTC |
| Pay with | Cash, Bank transfer, Card, PayPal | Crypto, Cash, Card, PayPal, Bank transfer |
| Fees | €1 per month | Not published |
| Founded | 2009 | 2014 |
| Jurisdiction | Germany | Switzerland |
| Incidents on record | 0 | 0 |
| Published tests (180 days) | 0 | 0 |
Only Posteo
No email neededNo phone needed
Both
Accepts cash5+ years operatingLegal entity disclosed
Only Proton Mail
Tor onion serviceOpen source
Where they sit among email
Questions
Is Posteo or Proton Mail safer?
Proton Mail has the higher Safety grade: Posteo 6.5, Proton Mail 7.3, out of 10.
Does Posteo or Proton Mail require KYC?
Posteo is KYC level 0 (ID never required). Proton Mail is KYC level 1 (no ID mentioned).
Which has more incidents on record?
Posteo has 0 and Proton Mail has 0 documented incidents in the registry.