My main concern with Proton is that their Terms seems to be too strict and I was reading many reviews that they might suddenly block mailbox access with no reason. There are many threads on Reddit and web. Also, their Terms say they might block access to mailbox account if its accessed by VPN (except their own VPN) which is also a big issue for me as I am using Mullvad VPN: https://proton.me/support/compromised-account-temporarily-locked

There were cases when people complained that their accounts got blocked for no good reason and Proton did not unblock them.

This really held me back as I did not want to end up with a blocked email address for no reason.

Also, as Proton is a popular choice, I personally think it might be more targeted by dodgy people who will aim to attack/hack it hence its more strict.

With Posteo, its much more flexible - you just use your mailbox as normal with no issues. And its cheap too.

I also like when a company concentrates on 1 product only (like Mullvad is only offering VPN or Posteo is only offering Email services) rather than when its offering a number of different services. It kinda puts me back.

The only thing that I don't like about Posteo is their ugly web interface (Proton is much nicer) but I use Thunderbird/FairMail so don't care about it much.

This is my own opinion and arguments so please take it with a grain of salt.

    alex_herrero

    I never tried Proton and cannot comment on this. But my own concern was that their Terms clearly say they can restrict/block access if using a VPN (except their VPN) which is a major issue for me as I am using Mullvad. So I never used Proton.

    I have experience with Posteo and very happy with them so can recommend it to anyone.

      Volen But my own concern was that their Terms clearly say they can restrict/block access if using a VPN (except their VPN)

      Where do you see this in their Terms of Service? The version dated March 15, 2023, contains no such restriction. It only mentions "VPN" once as part of "Proton VPN" and there is no mention of "proxy", either.

      https://proton.me/legal/terms

      Using a VPN could trigger account actions due to point 7, but that is very much implied and not "clearly" stated.

      1. Having multiple free Accounts (e.g. creating bulk signups, creating and/or operating a large number of free Accounts for a single organization or individual);

      Volen Also, their Terms say they might block access to mailbox account if its accessed by VPN (except their own VPN) which is also a big issue for me as I am using Mullvad VPN: https://proton.me/support/compromised-account-temporarily-locked

      Ahh. I see what you're talking about now. This isn't in their Terms of Service. It's their security mechanisms locking out an account due to suspicious activity.

      The full statement is:

      It is also possible for our automated systems to lock you out of your account in error. This can happen if you use another VPN service (not Proton VPN), Tor, or if you are on the same network as someone who has been blocked by Proton for violating our terms and conditions (for example, if you use your work or college WiFi).

      They also state that you should be able to recover your account with your configured recovery contact information.

      Before logging in to your account, you may be asked to enter a code sent to your recovery email address or phone number

      None of this strikes me as particularly different from other major email providers and their protections against account compromise. It does indicate some level of tracking "normal" behavior or traffic for an account. So, perhaps your threat model is against this and that's okay.

      I think it's incorrect to claim that simple VPN usage is against their Terms of Service. A concern, yes, but not a clear violation.

        One issue with Posteo is that it only supports TOTP two factor authentication, not the more secure Universal 2nd Factor (U2F). To my knowledge neither does Proton, although I think it is planned. Tutanota does support U2F.

          Hi there. I went with some of the advice read here and installed Posteo on my Mac desktop, with the idea of using it in sync with my phone, which is running graphene OS. I didn't anticipate that I wouldn't find a Posteo 'app' for the phone. So now I'm having to use Vanadium to log into my new Posteo email. It isn't the end of the world but still an app would probably be better.
          Does anyone here use Posteo in GrapheneOS? and if so, do you use an app for it or just a browser?
          Thanks for your help!