Proton Mailthe encrypted end-to-end email service (E2EE) from a Swiss company Protonis now officially available through a dedicated desktop app about three months after debuting in beta.
However, despite earlier claims that the client would be available all Proton Mail users in early 2024, the company decided to limit it to paying users.
“After an overwhelmingly positive response during the beta phase, we decided to keep the desktop app exclusive to premium subscribers to ensure the best quality of service given the significant infrastructure and maintenance requirements,” a spokesperson explained to TechCrunch.
Proton Mail desktop app Image credits: Proton
In related news, Proton is also making its email service available through a standalone Linux desktop app, which is out in beta today.
It’s worth noting that while Proton Mail has been available to desktop users since the company’s inception, initially through the browser and more recently a “bridge” that opened up access to Proton Mail through third-party desktop clients like Apple Mail and Outlook, today’s news brings a dedicated app for Windows and MacOS into the fray. This means that emails can be cached and accessed when offline, while users can be piped into Proton Mail directly from the MacOS dock or Windows Start menu.
Additionally, the new app also blocks access to encrypted Protons Calendar service.
Proton Mail for Desktop with Calendar Image Credits: Proton
Show me the money
On Proton’s part, keeping the Proton Mail desktop app behind a paywall could be a good way to incentivize premium subscriptions, as it’s the kind of product that many people value in their daily lives and will were willing to pay for .
However, the company in the past he said that the client “will gradually become available to all users, including Free,” and it is this setback that may cause her community a little surprise.
Instead, everyone will be able to test the app as part of a free 14-day trial, after which they’ll need to sign up for one of the company’s plans premium programs which costs between 8 and 13 euros per month, depending on how long they are willing to commit. These plans also unlock all restrictions on other Proton products, including cloud storage, VPN and password management.
That’s not to say Proton isn’t open to changing its mind, depending on the “response” it receives in the wake of today’s announcement.
“We remain open to expanding access in the future, although we have no concrete plans to do so in the near term,” said the Proton spokesperson. “We are committed to constantly evaluating our offerings based on feedback and the needs of our users.”
