Is Blacksmith or Proton Mail better?

Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and Proton Mail at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or Proton Mail?

Blacksmith starts at Free and Proton Mail at Free.

Does Blacksmith or Proton Mail run on more platforms?

Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. Proton Mail runs on Web.

Can I use Blacksmith for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Blacksmith best used for?

Blacksmith is most often used for replacing github actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructure, accelerating ci build times for organizations with heavy ci load, reducing cloud spend on github actions by 60% or more, supporting arm architecture builds without github runners. Of those, replacing github actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructure and accelerating ci build times for organizations with heavy ci load are not what Proton Mail is typically brought in for.

What can Blacksmith do that Proton Mail cannot?

Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching.

Developer Tools · head to head

Blacksmith vs Proton Mail

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Full review Website

Proton Mail

Cybersecurity

Secure email that protects your privacy

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Blacksmith per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs; Proton Mail paid plan pricing not displayed on vendor site
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blacksmith and Proton Mail actually diverge.

Attributes where Blacksmith and Proton Mail differ
Attribute	Blacksmith	Proton Mail
Pricing model	Unknown	freemium
Platforms	GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS	Web
Category	Developer Tools	Cybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Blacksmith

Bare metal runners
Multiple OS support
ARM support
Docker layer caching
Sticky disks
GitHub Actions observability
Free tier
Static IPs

Only in Proton Mail

Nothing recorded that Blacksmith does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Blacksmith

Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructurenot Proton Mail
Accelerating CI build times for organizations with heavy CI loadnot Proton Mail
Reducing cloud spend on GitHub Actions by 60% or morenot Proton Mail
Supporting ARM architecture builds without GitHub runnersnot Proton Mail

Proton Mail

Encrypted email communicationnot Blacksmith
Privacy-focused email servicenot Blacksmith
Family email protectionnot Blacksmith

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Blacksmith

Per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs
macOS M4 pricing ($0.08/min) is significantly higher than GitHub Actions
Docker layer caching and sticky disks are paid add-ons at $0.50/GB/mo
Static IP add-on costs $100/IP/mo

Proton Mail

Paid plan pricing not displayed on vendor site
Free tier limited to 1 GB storage
Free tier limited to single email address

Pricing, plan by plan

Blacksmith

Free

Ubuntu x64$0.004/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads
Ubuntu ARM$0.0025/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads
Windows x64$0.008/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads
macOS M4$0.08/minute
- 3,000 free minutes per month
- 2x faster hardware
- 4x faster cache downloads

Proton Mail

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Proton Mail review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Blacksmith if

You need bare metal runners.
You want to start without paying.
You work on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS.
You also want multiple os support.

Blacksmith review

Choose Proton Mail if

You want to start without paying.

Proton Mail review

Questions people ask

Is Blacksmith or Proton Mail better?: Neither clearly leads. Blacksmith starts at Free and Proton Mail at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blacksmith or Proton Mail?: Blacksmith starts at Free and Proton Mail at Free.
Does Blacksmith or Proton Mail run on more platforms?: Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS. Proton Mail runs on Web.
Can I use Blacksmith for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Blacksmith best used for?: Blacksmith is most often used for replacing github actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructure, accelerating ci build times for organizations with heavy ci load, reducing cloud spend on github actions by 60% or more, supporting arm architecture builds without github runners. Of those, replacing github actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructure and accelerating ci build times for organizations with heavy ci load are not what Proton Mail is typically brought in for.
What can Blacksmith do that Proton Mail cannot?: Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blacksmith: How much do Blacksmith runners cost compared to GitHub Actions?

Blacksmith offers 60-75% cost savings depending on OS. Ubuntu x64 costs $0.004/min vs GitHub at $0.012/min. All plans include 3,000 free minutes monthly.

Source

Proton Mail: Is there a free version of Proton Mail?

Yes, Proton Mail offers a free plan with 1 GB storage, 1 encrypted email address, and basic features like folders, labels, and filters.

Source

Blacksmith: Can I use Docker layer caching with Blacksmith?

Yes, Docker layer caching is available as an add-on at $0.50/GB/mo. Managed Docker layer persistence is included with the base service.

Source

Proton Mail: What does the Mail Plus plan include?

Mail Plus includes 15 GB storage, 10 encrypted email addresses, support for 1 custom domain, 10 hide-my-email aliases, priority support, and access to Proton Calendar.

Source

Blacksmith: What is the SLA for Enterprise plans?

Enterprise Blacksmith plans include a 99.9% SLA guarantee along with 24/7 priority support, dedicated Slack channels, white-glove onboarding, and CI optimization support.

Source

Proton Mail: What is included in Proton Unlimited?

Proton Unlimited provides 500 GB storage, 15 email addresses, 3 custom domains, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, access to Mail, Calendar, VPN, Drive, and Pass, plus dedicated support.

Source

Proton Mail: Does Proton Mail offer a money-back guarantee?

Yes, Proton Mail provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for paid plans.

Source

Blacksmith vs Proton Mail

Blacksmith

Proton Mail

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Blacksmith

Only in Proton Mail

What people use each for

Blacksmith

Proton Mail

Where each one falls short

Blacksmith

Proton Mail

Pricing, plan by plan

Blacksmith

Proton Mail

Which should you pick?

Choose Blacksmith if

Choose Proton Mail if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Blacksmith

More on Proton Mail

Keep looking

Other head to heads