Updated September 29, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team
Cloaked, Inc. vs Proton Mail
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Cloaked, Inc. |  Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $14.99 | $4.99Lower |
| Free plan limits | Free one-time data exposure scan | Unlimited logins, notes, credit cards and devices; 10 hide-my-email aliases; passkeys on all devices; no vault or item sharing |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Chrome extension, Desktop | Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web app, Command line interface, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Brave |
| Logging policy | End-to-end encrypted with zero-knowledge architecture; no browsing history collected for Cloaked VPN; no advertising cookies; data never sold | No permanent IP logs by default; temporary IP logs kept to combat abuse and fraud; authentication logging off by default; Proton states it has no technical means to access encrypted passwords or notes |
| Jurisdiction | US | CH |
| Protocols | WireGuard | Not confirmed |
| Open source | Not confirmed | Yes |
Same on both: Free plan (Yes).
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Key differences
- Proton Mail scores higher overall: 9.0 vs 8.6.
- Price from is lower at Proton Mail: $4.99 vs $14.99.
- Platforms: only Cloaked, Inc. offers Chrome extension, Desktop.
- Platforms: only Proton Mail offers Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- Support channels: only Cloaked, Inc. offers Chat, Phone.
- Support channels: only Proton Mail offers Community.
- Founded is lower at Proton Mail: 2014 vs 2020.
Our verdict on each
Cloaked, Inc.
Cloaked bundles a VPN, data broker removal and identity theft protection in a single subscription aimed at households and small teams in the US and Canada. Device cover of 1 to 4 suits people with a small household, and a 14 day trial lets the bundle be tried before a longer commitment.
Proton Mail
Proton Mail suits readers who want a password manager that is open source, free to start and end-to-end encrypted on every field, metadata included. Support runs on email, help centre and community, and the budget plan starts at $4.99, while the group median monthly price is €6.47.
Score breakdown
| Area | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.6Entry price of $14.99 covers the VPN, removal and identity protection, higher than the €6.84 median entry price here. | 9.1Higher |
| Offer | 8.8 | 9.1Higher |
| Privacy | 8.2 | 8.9Higher |
Availability and regulation
| Country | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States | Switzerland |
What it costs in practice
A year on the entry plan
Cloaked, Inc.
$179.88
12 × $14.99
Proton Mail
$59.88
12 × $4.99
Proton Mail costs $120 less.
Worked out from the stated prices and rates; your own total depends on how you use it. Facts checked September 26, 2026.
Sources behind this comparison
Cloaked, Inc.
- cloaked.com: 12 facts, checked September 26, 2026
Proton Mail
- proton.me: 11 facts, checked September 26, 2026
- privacyjournal.net: 1 fact, checked September 26, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy tools | 51 of 280 | 11 of 280 |
| Secure email and messaging | 9 of 60 | 2 of 60 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free, Budget | Free, Budget |
| Legal entity | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton AG |
| Headquarters | United States | Switzerland |
| Founded | 2020 | 2014Lower |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre | Email, Help centre, Community |
VPN
| Fact | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $14.99 | Not confirmed |
| Long-term plan price | $9.99 | Not confirmed |
| Devices | 1 to 4 | Not confirmed |
| Server countries | from 70 | Not confirmed |
| No-logs audit | Cloaked VPN infrastructure independently audited by third-party security firms | Not confirmed |
| Features | No logs | Not confirmed |
| Audience | Business | Not confirmed |
| Features | TOTP | Not confirmed |
| Owner | Cloaked, Inc. | Not confirmed |
| Longest plan (months) | 12 months | Not confirmed |
Password managers
| Fact | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Family plan | Family: you + 3, $29.99/month or $299.99/year | Not confirmed |
| Security audit | SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, PCI DSS v4.0.1 | Not confirmed |
| Encryption | End-to-end encrypted, zero-knowledge architecture | Not confirmed |
Secure email
| Fact | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encryption | All messages, emails and texts are encrypted inside Cloaked; zero-knowledge architecture with a separate encrypted database per user | All fields end-to-end encrypted: passwords, usernames, web addresses, credit cards, note contents and metadata; 256-bit AES-GCM vaults; only the user can decrypt, Proton cannot |
| Custom domains | Not confirmed | Yes |
Data removal
| Fact | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly price | $119.99 | Not confirmed |
| Data brokers covered | from 1,000 | Not confirmed |
| Countries covered | United States, Canada | Not confirmed |
| Removal frequency | Always-on continuous monitoring and re-removal in the background | Not confirmed |
Identity protection
| Fact | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance amount | $1,000,000 | Not confirmed |
| Family plan price | $29.99 | Not confirmed |
| Free trial length | 14 days | Not confirmed |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | $14.99highest quarter | $4.99below the median | $8 |
Median across 82 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Cloaked, Inc.
Pros
- Data removal reaches from 1,000 brokers, with monitoring always on and background re-removal.
- Identity theft cover pays $1,000,000, above the €876,962.20 median here.
- The VPN lists no logs, runs on WireGuard and has been independently audited by third-party security firms.
Cons
- Device cover stops at 1 to 4, below the 7 median across the tools compared here.
- Removal and identity protection are stated for US and CA only, so coverage stays in North America.
- The free plan gives Free one-time data exposure scan, so nothing ongoing is covered without paying.
Proton Mail
Pros
- End-to-end encryption covers passwords, usernames, web addresses, credit cards, note contents and metadata, and only the user can decrypt.
- The client is open source, and by its logging policy the company has no technical means to reach encrypted passwords or notes.
- Paid entry is light: the budget plan starts at $4.99, and custom domains are supported.
Cons
- Support runs on email, help centre and community, with no phone line and no live chat in that list.
- The free plan limits leave out vault and item sharing, so a free account suits one person rather than a household.
- By its logging policy, temporary IP logs are kept to combat abuse and fraud, and authentication logging is off by default.
Who each suits
Cloaked, Inc.
Who it suits
- People in the US and Canada who want removal, a VPN and identity cover on one bill.
- Smaller households and families, given device cover of 1 to 4 and a family plan on the price list.
- Teams buying privacy tooling for a small staff, since Cloaked is built for the business segment.
Who should look elsewhere
- Apple Hide My Email, at $0.99, if inbox aliases are the whole aim and a full bundle is more than you need.
- EasyOptOuts, at $19.99, if data broker removal is the only job in hand.
- Apple Inc., at $0.99, for alias protection handled inside iCloud rather than a bundle.
Proton Mail
Who it suits
- Readers who want open source, end-to-end encrypted storage with a free plan to start on.
- Single users on a budget: paid entry starts at $4.99 on the budget plan.
- Readers who want a named operator: Proton AG, founded in 2014 and under CH jurisdiction.
Who should look elsewhere
- Apple Hide My Email, which arrives inside iCloud+ rather than as a standalone vault and whose free plan limits leave it out of the entry iCloud plan.
- Apple Inc. for anyone shopping only inside the Apple ecosystem, since the free plan limits exclude Hide My Email from the entry iCloud plan.
- addy.io, whose free plan limits cap recipients, alias domains and monthly bandwidth, so it suits lighter alias use.
Current offers
Cloaked, Inc.
Current offer
Free trial
14 days free: 14 days free
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Proton Mail
Current offer
Free trial
30-day money-back guarantee on Pass Plus and Proton Unlimited: 30 days
Applies to premium Pass Plus and Proton Unlimited plans; cancel and request refund within 30 days
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Discount code
Pass Plus discount on yearly plans: 40% off
Pass Plus annual billing
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Cloaked, Inc. | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Yes | No |
| United States | Yes | No |
Questions about each
Cloaked, Inc.
What does a Cloaked subscription cost?+
Cloaked starts at $14.99 a month, with an annual option at $119.99. A long-term plan is $9.99, and the family plan begins at $29.99 a month. One fee covers the VPN, data removal and identity theft protection rather than a separate subscription for each.
Is the price the same when I renew?+
The published annual price is $119.99 for a term of 12 months, and 12 months is the longest term listed. Monthly billing is $14.99, so the annual figure is lower than paying the monthly rate over the same period.
Proton Mail
How much does Proton Mail cost?+
There is a free plan, and the budget plan starts at $4.99. For context, the median monthly price across secure email brands in this group is €6.47, and the median long-term rate is €4.67. Entry pricing sits below that group median.
Can Proton Mail read my passwords?+
No. End-to-end encryption covers passwords, usernames, web addresses, credit cards, note contents and metadata inside AES-GCM vaults, so only the user can decrypt. By its logging policy, Proton states it has no technical means to reach encrypted passwords or notes, and the client is open source under CH law.
Other options to compare
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