Around
Proton Mail
| Feature | Around | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10.99/mo | Free / from $3.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, quick-standups, pair-programming, distributed-teams | privacy-conscious-users, journalists, activists, security-professionals |
| Founded | 2020 | 2014 |
| Floating Video | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Backgrounds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zero Access Architecture | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Destructing Emails | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Domains | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bridge For Desktop | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Around Pros
- Lightweight and fast
- Minimal floating interface
- Good noise cancellation
- Reduces meeting fatigue
✗ Around Cons
- Limited features vs Zoom
- Smaller user base
- No recording on free
✓ Proton Mail Pros
- End-to-end encryption
- No ads
- Swiss privacy laws
- Open source
✗ Proton Mail Cons
- Limited free storage
- Fewer integrations
- Search limited to metadata
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and quick standups, with a focus on floating-video and auto-leveling. Proton Mail targets privacy conscious users and journalists and leads with encryption and zero-access-architecture.
On pricing, Proton Mail is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $3.99/mo compared to $10.99/mo for Around. That $7/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Proton Mail has a slight overall edge — but if lightweight and fast matters most to you, Around may still be the right call.