Patra vs Proton Mail (Proton for Business)
Proton for Business is priced per user and built around encryption: Mail Essentials costs US$6.99 per user per month, billed yearly. Patra charges per account, from US$35 a year plus applicable tax, for storage the whole team shares. Choose Proton for stored mail that even Proton can’t read; choose Patra for one price for everyone.
Mail Essentials gives each user 15 GB. Patra works with any IMAP mail app, on computers and phones, has built-in automations and lets you sell email under your own brand.
The quick verdict. Side by side.
Patra is business email on your own domain, priced for the whole team. Proton for Business is a privacy-first suite of mail, files, passwords and a VPN, priced per user.
| At a glance | Patra | Proton for Business |
|---|---|---|
| A year for a 5-person team | US$49 plus applicable tax, on the 25 GB plan (5 GB each) | US$419.40 before tax on Mail Essentials, billed yearly, or US$779.40 on Workspace Standard |
| Storage | 10, 25 or 50 GB for the whole account, shared by everyone. More on request. | 15 GB per user on Mail Essentials, 1 TB on Workspace Standard and 3 TB on Workspace Premium, pooled for the organisation |
| Mailboxes | Unlimited within fair use (up to 1,000 per account), at no extra cost | One per paid user, so each new mailbox adds to the bill |
| Aliases | Aliases, groups and a catch-all at no extra cost | 10 addresses per user on Mail Essentials and 20 on Workspace plans. A catch-all on every paid plan; email groups on Workspace plans. |
| AI | Read-only AI assistant access for admins, from AI apps that support custom connectors (MCP). No AI in webmail. | Lumo AI chat: limited prompts on Mail Essentials and Workspace Standard, unlimited on Workspace Premium. The Proton Scribe writing assistant is included in Premium and a paid add-on on the other two. |
| Automations | Built in: Telegram and Slack alerts, automatic replies, forwarding, filing and signed webhooks for Zapier, Make or n8n. 1,000 to 10,000 runs a month, by plan. | Mailbox rules: filters (up to 250 active), Sieve scripts, auto-reply and auto-forwarding |
| Reselling and partner branding | Partner pools from 75 GB, with your name, logo, colour and support address on your clients’ console, sign-in page, setup pages and emails; webmail, server names and DNS records still show Patra | A partner programme with resale pricing or referral commission. Its partner page doesn’t describe a white-label option. |
| Free trial | 14 days, no payment details. Until the first payment: 10 GB and 100 recipients a day. | 14 days for up to 10 users. A payment method is required, and the trial becomes a paid plan unless you cancel. |
| Best for | Small businesses, agencies and resellers that want email on their own domain at one price for the whole team | Teams that put confidentiality first and want mail, files, passwords and a VPN from one Swiss company |
What a 5-person team pays for a year.
Five people who each need up to 5 GB of mail. List prices in US dollars, before tax, checked on 16 October 2026.
| Plan | How it’s worked out | A year | Storage in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patra 25 GB, billed yearly | One price for the account: 5 people × 5 GB = 25 GB | US$49 | 25 GB, shared |
| Proton Mail Essentials, billed yearly | 5 users × US$6.99 × 12 months = 5 × US$83.88 | US$419.40 | 75 GB (15 GB per user) |
| Proton Mail Essentials, billed monthly | 5 users × US$7.99 × 12 months = 5 × US$95.88 | US$479.40 | 75 GB (15 GB per user) |
| Proton Workspace Standard, billed yearly | 5 users × US$12.99 × 12 months = 5 × US$155.88 | US$779.40 | 5 TB (1 TB per user) |
| Proton Workspace Premium, billed yearly | 5 users × US$19.99 × 12 months = 5 × US$239.88 | US$1,199.40 | 15 TB (3 TB per user) |
Feature by feature. From each side’s own pages.
Proton’s details come from Proton’s own pricing, plan and help pages, checked on 16 October 2026. Patra’s come from this site.
| Feature | Patra | Proton for Business |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Per account, by storage: US$35, US$49 or US$79 a year for 10, 25 or 50 GB, plus applicable tax | Per user: Mail Essentials US$6.99, Workspace Standard US$12.99 and Workspace Premium US$19.99 per user per month, billed yearly. Enterprise prices on request. |
| Billing | Yearly. Cancel at any time, and your plan runs to the end of the period you’ve paid for. | Yearly, or monthly at US$7.99, US$14.99 or US$24.99 per user per month, with no long-term contract |
| Storage | One pool for the account. Any mailbox can have its own limit, from 1 GB, and you get warnings at 80% and 95% full. | Each user adds 15 GB, 1 TB or 3 TB to the organisation’s total, and the admin divides it between users. More storage means more users or a bigger plan. |
| Custom domains | Unlimited within fair use, up to 100 per account | 3 on Mail Essentials, and more can’t be added. 15 on Workspace Standard and 20 on Workspace Premium, and more can be bought. |
| Addresses | Aliases, groups and a catch-all at no extra cost, plus addresses such as name+orders@ | 10 per user on Mail Essentials and 20 on Workspace plans. A catch-all on paid plans; email groups on Workspace plans only. |
| Mail apps | Any IMAP and SMTP mail app, on computers and phones, with a setup page for each person. Webmail in any browser. No Patra app to install. | Proton’s own apps for the web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux (beta). Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird work on a computer through the Proton Mail Bridge app, which doesn’t run on phones. |
| POP3 | Not available; use IMAP | Not offered |
| Encryption | Encrypted in transit and at rest. Patra’s servers can read mail in order to deliver it, filter spam and show it in webmail. | Stored mail is encrypted so that Proton can’t read it (Proton calls this zero-access encryption). Mail between Proton users is encrypted automatically from sender to recipient, and people outside Proton can get password-protected messages. |
| Privacy and data location | No ads, no selling of personal data and no AI training on your mail. Our Subprocessors page lists each provider we use and where it processes data. | Proton’s privacy policy says mail is stored encrypted on Proton’s own servers in Switzerland, Germany or Norway |
| Sending limits | Published: up to 50 recipients per message, 400 an hour and 1,000 a day per address, and a daily total for the whole account by plan: 400 (10 GB), 600 (25 GB), 1,000 (50 GB). Person-to-person business mail only. | Not published for paid plans: they depend on the account’s reputation. Up to 100 recipients per message. Proton says it isn’t designed for bulk mail. |
| Message size | Incoming messages up to 35 MB. Keep the attachments you send under about 25 MB. | Attachments up to 25 MB outgoing and 50 MB incoming, and up to 100 files |
| Mail features | Search, folders and colour tags, filters, out-of-office replies, signatures and saved templates, in 27 languages | Filters (up to 250 active), Sieve scripts, auto-reply, auto-forwarding, scheduled sending, undo send, snooze, read receipts and messages that expire |
| Automations and integrations | Automations on every plan: Telegram and Slack alerts, automatic replies, forwarding with attachments, labels and folders, and signed webhooks for Zapier, Pabbly Connect, Make, n8n or your own code. 1,000, 3,000 or 10,000 runs a month, by plan. | SMTP submission tokens let apps and devices, such as a website, a CRM or a printer, send mail from a custom-domain address |
| AI | Read-only AI assistant access: admins connect an AI app that supports custom connectors (MCP) and ask about storage, DNS records and delivery. It can’t read mail, change settings or send mail. No AI writing or summaries in webmail. | Lumo AI chat on Mail Essentials and both Workspace plans: limited prompts on Mail Essentials and Workspace Standard, unlimited on Workspace Premium. The Proton Scribe email writing assistant is included in Premium and a paid per-user add-on on Mail Essentials and Workspace Standard. |
| Two-step sign-in | Authenticator app for admins, with backup codes, and for mailboxes in webmail. App passwords for mail apps. | Authenticator app or security key. Admins can require it for admins or for everyone. |
| Admin | CSV bulk add, setup links, per-mailbox storage limits, suspend and resume, and deleted mailboxes that can be restored for 30 days. Owner and admin roles, and an audit log of admin actions. | Add and remove users, reset passwords, sign users out and divide storage. Admin roles, the account monitor and Proton Sentinel on Workspace plans; retention rules on Workspace Premium. |
| Beyond email | Email only: no documents, file storage, video meetings or chat | File storage with document and spreadsheet editors, a password manager, a VPN and video meetings on Mail Essentials and both Workspace plans, with larger allowances on Workspace plans |
| Moving your mail | Each person imports their own mail over IMAP, with ready-made settings for Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, Yahoo Mail, Fastmail and others. Bulk add takes a Google Workspace user export as it is. | Easy Switch imports mail from any IMAP provider. Easy Switch for Business moves a whole Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 organisation, at once or in batches. |
| Partners and resellers | Partner pools from 75 GB, billed monthly or yearly, prices on request. Your brand on your clients’ console, sign-in page, setup pages and emails; webmail, server names and DNS records still show Patra. | A programme for distributors, resellers, MSPs and affiliates, with resale pricing or up to 100% commission on new referrals. Its partner page doesn’t describe a white-label option; Workspace customers can add their own logo to Proton’s web apps. |
| Free trial and refunds | 14 days, no payment details. Patra’s Refund Policy gives a full refund of your first payment if you ask in the 14 days after it. | 14 days for up to 10 users and 10 devices. A payment method is required, and the plan can’t be changed during the trial. 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Support | Email support on every plan, and a help centre with step-by-step guides. Patra is in early access, with no availability guarantee yet. | Workspace plans list 24/7 support, live chat, priority support and a dedicated account manager. Proton’s support site has a contact form. |
Proton’s facts were checked on Proton’s own pages on 16 October 2026, and its prices are list prices in US dollars, before tax. See Sources.
Which one fits your team?
Choose Proton Mail (Proton for Business) if…
Choose Patra if…
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More comparisons
See all seven providers side by side, or compare Patra with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, MXroute and Fastmail.
Moving from Proton Mail to Patra.
Set Patra up next to Proton. Nothing changes for your mail until you switch your MX record.
Read the full switching guide What moves, and what you set up again
Patra vs Proton Mail: questions, answered.
Something else? Write to hello@trypatra.com.
How much does Proton Mail for Business cost?
Mail Essentials costs US$6.99 per user per month billed yearly (US$83.88 per user a year), or US$7.99 per user per month billed monthly. Workspace Standard costs US$12.99 yearly or US$14.99 monthly, and Workspace Premium US$19.99 or US$24.99, per user per month. These are Proton’s list prices in US dollars, checked on 16 October 2026, and Proton says taxes may apply. Patra costs US$35, US$49 or US$79 a year for the whole account, plus applicable tax.
Which costs less for a small team, Patra or Proton Mail?
It depends on how much storage your team needs. Five people who need up to 5 GB each pay US$49 a year on Patra’s 25 GB plan, plus applicable tax, or US$419.40 a year on Proton’s Mail Essentials (5 × US$83.88), before tax. Proton gives each person 15 GB and adds file storage, a password manager and a VPN. Patra is email only, and its self-serve plans go up to 50 GB.
Can I use Proton Mail with Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird?
Yes, on a computer, through Proton’s Bridge app, which runs on macOS, Windows and Linux and needs a paid plan. Bridge doesn’t run on phones, so on a phone your team uses Proton’s own app or a mobile browser. Patra works with any IMAP mail app on computers and phones, and each person gets a setup page for their devices. Neither offers POP3.
Is Patra encrypted like Proton Mail?
Not in the same way. Proton encrypts stored mail so that Proton itself can’t read it, which it calls zero-access encryption, and mail between Proton users is encrypted automatically from sender to recipient. Patra encrypts mail in transit and at rest, but its servers can read mail in order to deliver it, filter spam and show it in webmail. If that difference matters most to you, Proton is the better fit. See Security.
How many emails can I send a day with Proton Mail for Business?
Proton doesn’t publish a number for paid plans; it says the limit depends on your account’s reputation. A message can have up to 100 recipients, each recipient counts as one email, and Proton says it isn’t designed for bulk mail. Patra publishes its limits: up to 50 recipients per message, 400 an hour and 1,000 a day per address, and a daily total for the whole account of 400, 600 or 1,000 recipients, by plan.
Does Proton for Business have a free trial?
Yes: 14 days for up to 10 users. Proton asks for a payment method, the plan can’t be changed during the trial, and the trial becomes a paid plan unless you cancel. Proton also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Patra is free for 14 days with no payment details; until your first payment, an account can store up to 10 GB and send to 100 recipients a day.
Can I resell Proton Mail under my own brand?
Proton has a partner programme for distributors, resellers, MSPs and affiliates, with resale pricing or referral commission. Its partner page doesn’t describe a white-label option, though Workspace customers can add their own logo to Proton’s web apps. Patra’s partner pools start at 75 GB and put your name, logo, colour and support address on your clients’ admin console, sign-in page, setup pages and the emails we send them; webmail, server names and DNS records still show Patra. See Partners.
How do I move from Proton Mail to Patra?
Set Patra up next to Proton: add your domain, the DNS records and your people, then switch your MX record. Patra’s import can’t reach Proton, because Proton offers IMAP only through its Bridge app on your own computer. Instead, add both accounts to a desktop mail app such as Thunderbird or Apple Mail and drag your folders across. Keep your Proton plan until everyone has finished, because Bridge needs a paid plan. See Switch to Patra.
Sources and how we checked.
Last checked 16 October 2026. Every Proton fact on this page comes from Proton’s own pages, read that day. Prices were read in US dollars, in both the yearly and the monthly view, and are list prices before tax.
Proton’s pages
Patra’s pages
Proton Mail is a trademark of its owner; we are not affiliated. Other product names are trademarks of their owners.
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