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Updated September 29, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Proton Mail scores 9.0 and Surfshark One (Antivirus) 8.5 out of 10. Compare their differences and shared features below.
Proton Mail

Proton Mail

Higher score in this comparison

9.0/10
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Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

8.5/10
Visit

What sets them apart

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
CompareProton MailProton MailReviewVisitVisitSurfshark One (Antivirus)Surfshark One (Antivirus)ReviewVisitVisit
Free planYesHas itNo
Free plan limitsUnlimited logins, notes, credit cards and devices; 10 hide-my-email aliases; passkeys on all devices; no vault or item sharing7-day free trial, 3 devices
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web app, Command line interface, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, BraveCovers moreWindows, MacOS, Android
Logging policyNo 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 notesNo-logs policy, independently verified by Deloitte in 2023 and 2025; RAM-only server network
JurisdictionCHNL
Price from$4.99Not confirmed
ProtocolsNot confirmedDoh
Open sourceYesNot confirmed
Privacy tool typeNot confirmedPrivate dns, Ad blocker, Search

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Key differences

  • Proton Mail scores higher overall: 9.0 vs 8.5.
  • Free plan: only Proton Mail.
  • Platforms: only Proton Mail offers Linux, iOS, Web app.
  • Support channels: only Proton Mail offers Community.
  • Support channels: only Surfshark One (Antivirus) offers Chat.
  • Founded is lower at Proton Mail: 2014 vs 2018.
  • Pricing model: only Proton Mail offers Free.

Our verdict on each

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.

Read the full Proton Mail review

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Surfshark One puts antivirus and a VPN in the same subscription, which separates it from the plans next to it. It suits households that want one bill across a few devices, with a first-year price of €75.33 and a monthly option at €2.49.

Read the full Surfshark One (Antivirus) review

Score breakdown

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
AreaProton MailSurfshark One (Antivirus)
Cost9.1Higher8.4
Offer9.1Higher8.9Extras list a VPN, cover runs to 5 devices on Windows, macOS and Android, and a trial of 7 days is offered.
Privacy8.9Higher8.1

How they place

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
RankingProton MailSurfshark One (Antivirus)
Privacy tools11 of 2819 of 281

Availability and regulation

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
CountryProton MailSurfshark One (Antivirus)
HeadquartersSwitzerlandNetherlands

Sources behind this comparison

Proton Mail

  • proton.me: 11 facts, checked September 26, 2026
  • privacyjournal.net: 1 fact, checked September 26, 2026

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

  • surfshark.com: 12 facts, checked September 26, 2026

Every fact side by side

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
FactProton MailSurfshark One (Antivirus)
Pricing modelFree, BudgetCovers moreBudget
Legal entityProton AGSurfshark B.V.
HeadquartersSwitzerlandNetherlands
Founded2014Lower2018
Support channelsEmail, Help centre, CommunityEmail, Chat, Help centre

Identity protection

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
FactProton MailSurfshark One (Antivirus)
Monthly priceNot confirmed€2.49
Insurance amountNot confirmed$1,000,000
Free trial lengthNot confirmed7 days

Where each stands against the rest

Proton Mail vs Surfshark One (Antivirus)
FactProton MailSurfshark One (Antivirus)Median
Price from$4.99below the medianNot confirmed$8

Median across 83 listed providers.

Pros and cons

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.

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Pros

  • Extras include a VPN, so protection and privacy arrive on one subscription (vpn)
  • Covers 5 devices on Windows, macOS and Android
  • A trial of 7 days lets you test the paid tier first

Cons

  • No free version, so a subscription is the only way to run the protection
  • Support runs on email, chat and help centre, with no phone line among them
  • 5 devices sits under the group median of 7

Who each suits

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.

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Who it suits

  • Readers who already pay for a VPN and want malware protection on the same bill
  • Households that fit within 5 covered devices
  • People who want one subscription across security tools rather than several separate buys

Who should look elsewhere

  • Apple Inc. users, who get security features across iOS, iPadOS and macOS from the operating system itself
  • Comodo (Xcitium) users who need room for 50 devices on a single plan
  • ESET Brasil readers after a different first-year quote, since its first-year price is BRL 64.22

Current offers

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

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

Current offer

  • First period offer

    Surfshark One 24-month plan with 3 extra months: EUR 75.33 for the first 27 months (Save 85%)

    Surfshark One plan on the 24-month term; Starter EUR 67.23 and One+ EUR 121.23 also discounted; VAT may apply

    Source, checked September 26, 2026

  • Free trial

    Free trial: 7 days free

    Free trial limited to 3 devices; 30-day money-back guarantee if you subscribe after the trial

    Source, checked September 26, 2026

Questions about each

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.

Surfshark One (Antivirus)

What does Surfshark One cost at the start and after renewal?+

The first-year price is €75.33, and the monthly option is listed at €2.49. Set the opening figure against the group median of €49.95. What a renewal costs depends on the checkout terms, so the total shown at the point of payment is the figure to check.

Does the plan include a VPN or is that bought separately?+

A VPN is bundled into the same plan and listed among the extras, so antivirus and privacy cover arrive on one subscription rather than two. That bundling is what separates this offer from antivirus sold on its own. Around 97.1% of the products in this group also bundle a VPN.

Other options to compare

Other matchups

Proton Mail

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Surfshark One (Antivirus)

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