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Cybersecurity · head to head

Proton Mail vs Redis

Proton Mail logo

Proton Mail

Cybersecurity

Secure email that protects your privacy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Redis logo

Redis

Technology

The real-time data platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Proton Mail paid plan pricing not displayed on vendor site; Redis licensing changed from BSD to AGPL in 2025, impacting open-source usage

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Proton Mail and Redis differ
AttributeProton MailRedis
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryCybersecurityTechnology
FoundedUnknown2009

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 Proton Mail

Nothing recorded that Redis does not also cover.

Only in Redis

  • In-memory data store
  • Data structures
  • Pub/Sub messaging
  • Lua scripting
  • Transactions
  • Persistence options
  • Replication
  • Clustering

What people use each for

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

Proton Mail

  • Encrypted email communicationnot Redis
  • Privacy-focused email servicenot Redis
  • Family email protectionnot Redis

Redis

  • Cachingnot Proton Mail
  • Session managementnot Proton Mail
  • Real-time analyticsnot Proton Mail
  • Message queuingnot Proton Mail
  • Leaderboardsnot Proton Mail

Where each one falls short

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

Proton Mail

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

Redis

  • Licensing changed from BSD to AGPL in 2025, impacting open-source usage
  • All data must fit in memory, limiting scalability to available RAM
  • No built-in support for multi-tenancy
  • Limited transaction support compared to traditional databases

Pricing, plan by plan

Proton Mail

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Proton Mail review.

Redis

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Redis review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Proton Mail if

  • You want to start without paying.
Proton Mail review

Choose Redis if

  • You need in-memory data store.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want data structures.
Redis review

Questions people ask

Is Proton Mail or Redis better?
Neither clearly leads. Proton Mail starts at Free and Redis at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Proton Mail or Redis?
Proton Mail starts at Free and Redis at Free.
Does Proton Mail or Redis run on more platforms?
Proton Mail runs on Web. Redis runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Proton Mail for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Proton Mail best used for?
Proton Mail is most often used for encrypted email communication, privacy-focused email service, family email protection. Of those, encrypted email communication and privacy-focused email service are not what Redis is typically brought in for.
What can Proton Mail do that Redis cannot?
Redis covers In-memory data store, Data structures, Pub/Sub messaging, Lua scripting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Redis: Is Redis open source?

Redis was open source under the BSD license since its inception in 2009 and has remained open source. However, in 2024-2025, Redis Labs changed licensing to source-available and AGPL, prompting the creation of Valkey, a BSD-licensed open-source fork.

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
Redis: What is Redis used for?

Redis is an in-memory data structure store used primarily as a cache, database, and message broker. It provides high-speed data access for real-time applications, sessions, leaderboards, real-time analytics, and other use cases requiring fast data retrieval.

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
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