I ditched Gmail for Proton Mail hoping for privacy, but the grass wasn’t greener

Proton Mail's promise of encryption is great in theory, but I'm going back to Gmail.

May 18, 2025 - 13:52

I ditched Gmail for Proton Mail hoping for privacy, but the grass wasn’t greener

Credit: Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority

I’ve recently become increasingly mindful of my online privacy and how companies use my personal data for personal gain. And in my quest to find more privacy-friendly alternatives to common online services, I decided to give the Proton suite of privacy-focused apps a go. The Swiss company’s first product was Proton Mail all the way back in 2014, so it seemed fitting to start there.

Proton Mail makes some big promises, from using robust end-to-end encryption to following strict data security standards. On the other hand, services like Gmail make zero privacy promises and can scan the contents of your inbox to show you targeted ads.