Chances are you currently use the same email you did five years ago, a decade ago, or more. For many, that's Gmail, or maybe a Microsoft email through Outlook. But we all know now these companies don't necessarily have our privacy in mind when it comes to our electronic mail, and that fact is at the root of Proton Mail's shtick.
The service offers end-to-end encrypted email, so you can message your friends, family, and colleagues with the peace of mind that no one is scanning your messages messages to serve you ads or selling your data for profit.
If you have a Proton Mail account, you've always been able to access it via a mobile app, but when it came to checking your email on your computer, you were limited to Proton's web application. That's not necessarily a bad thing: The web app works well enough, but a dedicated app has its benefits. And now, Proton Mail has one for desktop, too—though you'll have to pony up some dough to use it.
Check your Proton mail and calendar in a dedicated app
Proton announced on Thursday it was launching its dedicated desktop app for Mac and Windows. Linux users can also use the app, but it's currently in beta testing. The company sees the app as particularly beneficial in two ways. Firstly, checking your email and calendar on a web browser means you're constantly tempted by the distractions of the internet: You may be trying to work through your inbox, but pulled away by the allure of YouTube, news, or Netflix. With an app, it's just your email and events...until you click literally anywhere else on your computer.
But even if you manage to be more focused in the app, Proton sees its dedicated program as more secure than the web app. That's not because of anything on Proton Mail's end; the end-to-end encryption should work the same either way. However, Proton highlights the risk email and calendar web apps take from malicious browser extensions, as well as the reliance on the web browser to update web apps.
Proton's desktop app can also sync to your device's theme (no more switching between light and dark mode manually), push notifications from messages and events, and allow you to quickly switch between your inbox and your calendar. That said, Proton Mail says any web app users should "instantly feel at home" using the desktop app, so it seems the emphasis is on keeping the core functionality the same.
Pay to play
At this time, the desktop app is only available to paying Proton Mail customers, either at the $3.99/month "Mail Plus" level or the $9.99/month "Proton Unlimited" level. Free users can take advantage of a 14-day trial to see what they think of the app, but to continue past that two week deadline, you'll need to subscribe.
Whether you want to try the app out for free, or take advantage of your new perk as a paid subscriber, click here to download Proton Mail's desktop app for macOS, Windows, or Linux.