Episto vs Proton Mail
Episto vs Proton Mail for your own domain.
Proton Mail is built around end-to-end encryption. Episto is standard email hosting for your domain, with mailboxes that work in any mail app. They solve different problems.
Episto and Proton Mail at a glance
| Episto | Proton Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Standard email hosting for your own domain: mailboxes, aliases, catch-all and webmail. | Encrypted email, part of a privacy suite with calendar, drive, VPN and password manager. |
| Encryption | Encrypted connections and encrypted daily backups. No end-to-end encryption. | End-to-end encryption between Proton users and zero-access encryption for stored mail. |
| Custom domains | On every plan, including Free (forwarding). | On paid plans. |
| Mail apps | IMAP/SMTP directly, with any mail app. | Proton apps; other mail apps through Proton Mail Bridge on paid plans. |
| How pricing works | Per plan. Indie includes 3 mailboxes, Studio 10. Extra mailboxes €2.40/month. | Personal plans and per-user business plans. |
| Data location | European infrastructure. | Switzerland and other Proton locations. |
When Proton Mail is the better choice
- End-to-end encryption is a requirement for you, not a nice-to-have.
- You want encrypted mail, calendar, storage and VPN from one privacy-focused company.
- Most of your correspondents also use Proton, so messages stay encrypted end to end.
When Episto is the better choice
- You want your mailboxes in Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook or your phone’s mail app without an extra bridge app.
- You need many addresses on your domain: aliases, groups and catch-all are part of the plans.
- You want a free starting point: Episto’s Free plan forwards mail for your domain without a card.
- You value a privacy-respecting provider in Europe, but don’t need end-to-end encryption.
About privacy at Episto
Mail and metadata are stored on European infrastructure. We don’t show ads, build profiles from your mail or use your messages to train AI. Episto doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption; if you need it, Proton Mail is the better fit.
Switching to Episto
You keep your domain and your addresses. Only the DNS records change.
- Add your domain to Episto and create mailboxes and aliases for every address you use today, so nothing bounces after the switch.
- Keep a copy of your mail. Existing messages stay with your old provider. Export them before you close that account.
- Update your DNS records. Point the MX record to Episto and add the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. See the setup guides.
- Wait for new mail to arrive at Episto, then cancel the old subscription. Keep it until the DNS change has spread, usually within a few hours.
Information about Proton Mail is a summary of their public plans as of October 2026. Plans and prices change, so check proton.me/mail/pricing before you decide. Episto details are from our pricing page.
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