Fastmail, launched in 1999, is one of the oldest commercial email services. While it never got as popular as Gmail, Apple Mail, or Microsoft Outlook—probably because it is not free—it still has a loyal user base. Proton Mail was launched in 2014 and quickly rose as a secure email alternative to all major providers.
The Fastmail vs. Proton Mail comparison is based on various factors that can make or break the overall user experience. We have prepared this guide to help you make an objective choice after analyzing the two services across relevant categories, including:
Features
Ease of use and interface
Pricing and value for money
Ease of setup and migration
Workflow optimization
Proton Mail vs. Fastmail: Features
Proton Mail and Fastmail provide all the basic benefits you expect from a reliable provider, including:
Folders and labels
Custom domains
Calendar
Contact import
Availability on Android and iOS devices
Besides these core similarities, the services focus on different aspects of productivity.
The former prioritizes security, with features like self-destructing messages and built-in PhishGuard phishing protection. It also offers a comprehensive product suite to streamline your workflow—by signing up for Proton Mail, you get access to an E2EE ecosystem that includes VPN and Drive for free.
Fastmail might appeal to users by offering more diverse features, such as:
Rich text search: Fastmail allows users to perform multi-level text searches according to various parameters (similar to Zoho Mail and Gmail). Proton Mail’s search feature requires you to download all emails to your browser’s cache, which can be tedious.
600+ aliases: Fastmail’s basic plan allows users to store 600+ aliases, although it may be unnecessarily generous. Proton Mail’s alias limit is under 10 for its cheapest subscription plan.
Proton Mail offers a secure AI writing assistant, Scribe, with its paid plans. However, for privacy reasons, its learning is limited to Proton’s database, which can restrict its extensiveness. One significant advantage Proton Mail has over Fastmail is that the latter does not provide AI-assisted features (as of this writing). It only allows third-party integrations with external AI apps.
Bonus read: Ready to switch from Proton Mail? Learn how to delete your account in our comprehensive guide.
Proton Mail vs. Fastmail: User interface
Both providers have simple and clean interfaces that contribute to a satisfactory user experience.
Fastmail makes managing your inbox easier with features like threaded conversations and unlimited folder additions. The color customization tools help add a personal touch. Note that some users have complained about issues like delayed delivery and no image-zoom-in feature and felt that the user interface needed to be more optimized. Some also expressed frustration over being unable to open PDF files on the platform.
Proton Mail flaunts a modern dashboard with text grouping and theme customization options. You can also switch between column and row layouts depending on what works for you. While the provider has significantly modernized the user interface and provides an overall smooth email experience, a handful of users say they experienced lags (loading or notification) with Proton Mail.
Proton Mail vs. Fastmail: Pricing and value for money
Proton Mail has an obvious advantage over Fastmail because it offers a free tier with up to 1 GB of storage. A free user gets no aliases and can't send more than 150 messages a day.
Proton Mail’s paid tiers cost $5–$30 per month, offering unlimited messaging and up to:
500 GB storage
15 aliases
3 custom domains
20 calendars
10 VPN connections
Fastmail only welcomes paying users, but you get a 30-day free trial on all plans. Here’s an outline of the comparative cost and features of the provider’s three plans for businesses (you can check the individual and family plans here):
Aspect | Basic | Standard | Professional |
Price per month | $4 | $6 | $10 |
Mail storage | 5 GB | 50 GB | 100 GB |
File storage | 1 GB | 10 GB | 50 GB |
Number of messages received* | 4,000 | 8,000 | 80,000 |
Total size of messages received* | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB |
Number of files, webpages, and images uploaded or downloaded* | 40,000 | 80,000 | 160,000 |
*These are daily limits. Fastmail also has hourly and 10-minute limits for each plan.
Fastmail appears affordable overall, but users get a free plan and more generous paid plans with Proton Mail.
Proton Mail vs. Fastmail: Ease of setup and migration
Proton Mail’s account setup is generally straightforward but requires completing a 10-step process to access your new inbox. In addition to your name and password, you’ll be asked to provide more information, such as a display name, contact number, and a different email address for recovery. Setting up a free Proton Mail account is relatively quick, but upgrading to a paid tier requires additional steps to customize your new paid features.
Proton Mail also offers various migration tools, including Easy Switch, designed to help you migrate your emails from other providers. However, the migration guides are somewhat technical, and some users might find the process difficult to follow.
In comparison, Fastmail’s setup is smoother, quicker, and more intuitive. The simple signup page requires only minimal information to get you started. It excels in migration, with a robust tool for importing emails, contacts, and calendars from other services in minutes.
Overall, Fastmail prioritizes a quicker onboarding and migration experience. Proton Mail’s security-centric approach, though complex, may be a trade-off users find worthwhile for enhanced privacy.
Proton Mail vs. Fastmail: Workflow optimization
Proton Mail offers basic folder and label organization, which works well for simple email activities because it requires manual input. You can also use its filter feature to auto-manage incoming mail. However, its customization options for inbox views are limited, making it less suitable for handling high volumes of emails.
Fastmail, on the other hand, offers more extensive folder and label management, threaded conversations, and color customization for folders to enhance the work experience. You can also customize your inbox view and create folders for emails you search for frequently. That said, setting up your inbox for a seamless workflow experience can take a while.
Proton Mail offers a cohesive experience when integrating with its ecosystem of tools, but third-party integrations can be a challenge. Fastmail supports IMAP/SMTP protocols that make it easier to integrate with a wide range of external apps.
Proton Mail primarily focuses on security and offers a basic interface that makes it easy to get things done. However, this means that its automation features are limited. It offers tools like email auto-forwarding and auto-filtering, but you must set up custom rules manually to activate them.
In comparison, Fastmail’s automation is limited to trainable spam filters that classify spam and custom rules for managing your inbox. The platform also offers a snooze option for emails, which may interest business professionals and productivity-focused users, though the feature is unavailable to Basic plan subscribers.
Keep reading: Need more insight? Check out how Proton Mail stacks up against other popular tools like Gmail and Tutanota, or browse the best alternatives.
Still conflicted? Let’s make the choice easier!
Fastmail stands out with its extensive alias options and user-friendly organization tools, making it appealing to those who need highly customized workflows. The downside/dealbreaker is that it's a paid-only service, so all its advanced features are locked behind a paywall. It also lacks the deep AI integration most productivity-driven users now expect.
On the other hand, Proton Mail offers limited productivity enhancement tools but offers AI assistance with Scribe, though the feature is only available on its paid tiers. While appealing, Proton Mail’s paid plans still have storage restrictions and advanced customization limits. Its workflow tools are also lacking when it comes to positioning you for high-level productivity.
In essence, both Fastmail and Proton Mail offer strong paid customization options but lack extensive automation and AI support. If you’re looking for a perfect balance of powerful automation and seamless integration, look no further than Notion Mail.
Notion Mail is the ideal choice for a productivity-focused, AI-first email service with rich features, a generous free plan, and a beautifully designed user interface.
Productivity suite + feature-rich experience: Get the best of both worlds with Notion Mail
Notion Mail offers an innovative approach to email, acting as your intelligent productivity sidekick. Unlike traditional email clients, Notion Mail leverages AI to streamline your workflow from the moment you open your inbox.
For easy email management, take advantage of its AI autopilot feature, which intelligently sorts and prioritizes your emails into specific labels, eliminating the time-consuming task of manual triage.
Beyond smart email organization, Notion Mail accelerates communication by speeding up email response times with personalized AI-generated replies. Its auto-reply feature is excellent for automated follow-ups on essential conversations. You can also use snippets—one-click-insert reusable email responses that you can add to emails without repeatedly typing.
Another core feature from Notion Mail that truly makes the email service shine is its customizable views. The feature enables you to tailor your inbox to your specific needs by creating separate views for different projects, clients, or priorities. You only need to see what you need when you want it.
Scheduling meetings on Notion Mail is much easier using its /schedule command, which lets you insert scheduling buttons like Calendly in one click. Its seamless Notion Calendar integration also allows for quick, conflict-free booking directly within your email.
Notion Mail is more than an inbox; it’s a productivity hub that merges powerful AI-driven features with the super-flexible Notion Workspace—connect your email to Notion’s workspace apps to collaborate seamlessly with your team and enjoy better organization across your work tools.
Sign up for Notion Mail
Switching to a new email service should be easy and quick, which is what Notion Mail helps you achieve. It makes it easy to bring your existing emails and contacts with you so you can pick up from where you left off.
All you have to do is sign up with your Google or Gmail account—and that’s it. Notion Mail is free to use, but if you want to try more advanced customization and automation features, get the Notion AI add-on.
Bonus read: Use our objective comparisons and reviews to gain deeper insight into other popular email providers:
