MEGA
Proton Mail
| Feature | MEGA | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $5.53/mo | Free / from $3.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | privacy-conscious-users, file-sharers, remote-workers, personal-backup | privacy-conscious-users, journalists, activists, security-professionals |
| Founded | 2013 | 2014 |
| Encrypted Storage | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Sync | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Calls | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mobile Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zero Access Architecture | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Destructing Emails | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Domains | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bridge For Desktop | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ MEGA Pros
- 20GB free storage
- End-to-end encryption
- Zero-knowledge privacy
- Good file sharing controls
✗ MEGA Cons
- Free account inactivity policy
- Transfer quotas on free plan
- Less polished than Google Drive
✓ 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
MEGA is built for privacy conscious users and file sharers, with a focus on encrypted-storage and file-sync. Proton Mail targets privacy conscious users and journalists and leads with encryption and zero-access-architecture.
Pricing is close: Proton Mail starts at $3.99/mo versus $5.53/mo for MEGA — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Both tools are a solid fit for privacy conscious users — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Proton Mail has a slight overall edge — but if 20gb free storage matters most to you, MEGA may still be the right call.