PART 03 · 🟢

Encrypted email & PGP

Gmail reads your email and lives in the US, under “Five Eyes” jurisdiction. Leaving Gmail/Outlook is a huge win for minimal effort.

Proton Mail

🟢 BeginnerReplaces Gmail🇨🇭 · open-source · OpenPGPFree + paid plan

What it's for

An encrypted inbox that replaces Gmail or Outlook, and the pivot account for the whole Proton ecosystem.

Why it matters

Based in Switzerland, outside “Five Eyes” jurisdiction. OpenPGP-compatible: automatic encryption between Proton accounts and to other PGP services.

For whom & when

Everyone. It’s the best starting point to leave Google (see section 05 for the rest of the suite).

Install & use

Create an account at proton.me (the free tier is enough to start).
Import your old messages and contacts with Easy Switch (built in).
Set up forwarding from Gmail and tell your contacts your new address.
Install the mobile app, turn on two-factor auth, and use Proton Bridge if you want Thunderbird.

Tuta

🟢 BeginnerReplaces Gmail🇩🇪 · open-source · post-quantumFree + paid plan

What it's for

A German email service, fully open-source and free of any Google service.

Why it matters

It also encrypts the subject line and some metadata, with post-quantum-resistant encryption. EU jurisdiction.

For whom & when

Those who want maximum encrypted metadata and fully free software. It doesn’t use PGP: to write encrypted to outsiders, you password-protect the message.

Install & use

Create an account at tuta.com and install the app (available on F-Droid).
To write encrypted to a non-user: click the lock and set a password, shared with your correspondent through another channel.
Turn on two-factor authentication.

mailbox.org · Posteo

🟢 BeginnerEthical classic mail🇩🇪 · UE · PGPPaid

What it's for

Two ethical, low-cost European email providers, with server-side PGP support.

Why it matters

Privacy- and eco-conscious, built on open standards (IMAP, PGP). They work with any mail client.

For whom & when

Those who want a “classic” mailbox (read in Thunderbird) but ethical, rather than a closed encrypted app.

Install & use

Create an account (paid, roughly €1 to €3 per month).
Enable server-side PGP encryption (the “Guard” feature at mailbox.org).
Set the account up in Thunderbird or the mobile app of your choice.

PGP in one minute

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is key-based encryption: you have a public key you hand out, and a private key you keep secret. Anyone with your public key can send you a message that only you can decrypt. It’s the basis of provider-independent encrypted email. Proton Mail handles it automatically; for manual use, OpenPGP works via Thunderbird (built in since v78).

Not sure where to start? Take the 12-question quiz →