Proton Mail Now Has a Desktop App
Chances are you’re using the same email address now as you were five years ago, ten years ago or more. For many, it’s Gmail or maybe Microsoft email via Outlook. But now we all know that these companies don’t necessarily care about our privacy when it comes to our emails, and this fact is at the heart of Proton Mail’s tricks.
The service offers end-to-end email encryption, so you can send messages to your friends, family, and colleagues without worrying about anyone scanning your messages to show you ads or sell your data for profit.
If you have a Proton Mail account, you could always access it through the mobile app, but when it came to checking your email on your computer, you were limited to the Proton web app. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: the web app works quite well, but having a dedicated app has its advantages. And now Proton Mail comes to desktop too, although you’ll have to spend a little money to use it.
Check your Proton email and calendar in the dedicated app.
Proton announced Thursday that it is launching a dedicated desktop app for Mac and Windows. Linux users can also use the app, but it is currently in beta testing. The company finds the app particularly useful for two reasons. First, checking your email and calendar in a web browser means you’re constantly distracted by the Internet: perhaps you’re trying to work on your inbox but are distracted by the allure of YouTube, the news, or Netflix. In the app, it’s just your email and events… until you click literally anywhere else on your computer.
But even if you manage to focus on the app, Proton considers its dedicated program more secure than the web app. This is not because of anything on Proton Mail’s part; end-to-end encryption should work the same either way. However, Proton emphasizes that web-based email and calendar apps are at risk from malicious browser extensions, as well as reliance on the web browser to update web apps.
The Proton desktop app can also sync with your device’s theme (no more manually switching between light and dark mode), push notifications for messages and events, and lets you quickly switch between your inbox and calendar. However, Proton Mail claims that any web app users should “instantly feel at home” when using the desktop app, so the emphasis appears to be on keeping core features the same.
Pay to play
The desktop app is currently only available to paying Proton Mail customers, either in the “Mail Plus” tier for $3.99 per month or the “Proton Unlimited” tier for $9.99 per month. Free users can take advantage of a 14-day trial to see what they think of the app, but to continue beyond that two-week period, you’ll need to subscribe.
If you’d like to try the app for free or take advantage of your new benefit as a paid subscriber, click here to download the Proton Mail desktop app for macOS, Windows or Linux.