this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2026
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A while ago, when one of the Proton CEOs made some questionable statements, I terminated my Proton subscription. I liked Proton, having all the services I need in one place was nice and I wasn't sure whether I'd actually leave and had a year already paid left.

I thought about at least leaving my mail there, but 4-5€ / month just for mail isn't worth it in my opinion. And I'm very pissed that mail-forwarding and IMAP are premium features, something I probably should've found out way earlier. They want to lock me in, which is a dealbreaker for me.

So with that in mind, does someone know a fitting alternative? I'd of course still prefer a privacy-focused service and would be fine paying <= 2€.

€: Bonuspoints if there are no "special discounts" (discounts for commiting to a longer subscription are fine, what i mean is special deals for new customers or black friday deals, stuff like that)

€€: Going to give mailbox a shot, thanks everyone!

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[–] jamie_veal@feddit.org 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Might be a rather personal schtick. I should note that I mean stuff like the black friday deals at proton, if it gets cheaper if you commit to a longer subscription, that's ok with me. Mullvad's pricing philosphy e.g. is the super appealing to me.

If there are special discounts, it means the normal prize is higher than the product's value. You practically get punished if you don't take the deal or start when it's not available. And it's all adding to the game of advertising and baiting new customers. Special offers for new customers are another example of that.

Not trying to be preachy, just personal preferences.

[–] JoKi@feddit.org 4 points 3 days ago

I also hatte this special offers, especially when it is not obvious, what the real price will be later. If I have to make my way half through buying, just to see the final price I feel cheated.

[–] Libb@piefed.social 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Not trying to be preachy, just personal preferences.

I can understand that, no worries ;)

I never was a fan of Proton "discounts" to be honest. I much prefer IK's reasonable price to begin with (and much clearer pricing, too). Their discount seems to have been a special event thingy I happened to be part of (but don't quote me on that)

They have a free tiers that should let you easily test their services and see how the answer your expectations. There are a few things that irks me, but the positives are worth it imho.