Paubox vs. Proton Mail: HIPAA compliant email software review

Email is a top communication tool for healthcare organizations everywhere. From emailing patients to providers, third parties, and more, it's a reliable way to ensure patients are informed and receive the help they need. 

Not every HIPAA email platform is the same. In particular, with the rise of data breaches, email security has become more important than ever. 

Healthcare providers must work with a company that prioritizes HIPAA compliance and security so you'll also want a system that is easy to use by providers and patients alike. 

We've decided to compare Paubox to other email service providers directly. Let's review how Paubox compares to Proton Mail on factors like user experience, HIPAA compliance, unique features, reviews, pricing, and more. 

Overview: Paubox & Proton Mail

Paubox and Proton Mail both provide email security for multiple industries. Both companies prioritize security, user experience, and strong customer support, but there are some major differences in how the platforms operate. 

Paubox, founded in 2015 and based out of San Francisco, is a leader in email security. The company focuses on protecting health information in email by making encryption automatic, thus decreasing the risk of user error. Paubox was built for HIPAA compliant communication and tailored to protect organizations in healthcare, which are increasingly targeted by cyber-criminals. Paubox also offers HIPAA compliant forms, secure text messaging, HIPAA compliant email marketing, and more. 

Proton Mail is a Swiss company founded in 2014. Proton Mail is popular with regular consumers and businesses alike for its focus on data privacy. With operations in Switzerland, Proton Mail is held to some of the strictest privacy laws. Despite its keen focus on data privacy, it also provides data security.

How it works  

Read below for a direct comparison of available services and the user experience.

Paubox

The service: Paubox offers multiple services designed to help companies communicate safely and effectively: Paubox Email Suite, Paubox Marketing, Email API, and Paubox Texting. Paubox prioritizes HIPAA compliance and security and is always up to date on the latest requirements and guidances, alongside breach trends and strategies. As a result, Paubox products have received HITRUST Certification, verifying that Paubox uses the strictest requirements to protect data.

Paubox is also known for ease of use, affordability, and reliability. 

Paubox can be integrated with popular email services like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Once the service is set up, every email is automatically encrypted, preventing the human error that is often at the center of breaches. 

The experience: Paubox understands that a product is only as good as it is usable, which is why we focus on making email security simple for users and recipients alike. 

For providers with Paubox, users can write an email in their Google or Microsoft email accounts as they would normally. Since every email is automatically encrypted, there are no additional boxes to check or services to turn on. 

Recipients (patients, outside providers, or anyone else) can open the email like they would any other. No portals, passwords, or extra steps are required.

Proton Mail

The service: Proton Mail can be purchased ad-hoc or used with Proton's larger business system, which includes a calendar, drive, VPN, and password manager. Proton uses zero-access encryption and end-to-end encryption, meaning that only the intended audience can view data, and that data is protected because it remains within Proton mail's portal.  Designed to be used by any company, Proton Mail says it can meet compliance needs for GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulatory bodies. The company is not HITRUST certified. 

The experience: For email senders, once a user has migrated to the Proton mail platform, which does involve moving emails and potentially changing email addresses, sending an email may require training. Senders must opt into encryption and create a password for recipients to access the email. Senders must also check a box that alerts Proton Mail that the email is going to an organization outside of Proton Mail. 

Important to note is that all emails automatically expire or are deleted after 28 days. This setting can be manually changed.

For recipients, once the email goes to their box, the recipient will be prompted to open a new tab where they will be required to enter the password. Senders may give recipients a password hint, but recipients are expected to know the password.

The consensus

While both Paubox and Proton Mail offer security features that keep data safe, Paubox is significantly easier for senders and recipients. With Paubox, creating and viewing an email is no different from any other email system. With Proton Mail, creating and receiving an email requires additional steps. For some, these steps may be simple. Still, only some individuals are comfortable with more technically complex solutions or have the time to learn a new system. Paubox understands that increased complexity can easily lead to increased vulnerability. 

HIPAA Compliance & Additional Security

For all healthcare companies, HIPAA compliance should be the highest priority to prevent costly penalties, lawsuits, and, of course, breaches. 

Unfortunately, we've seen a significant increase in data breaches targeting healthcare companies. These organizations are often targeted because of the crucial services they provide, the legal and financial implications, and because healthcare companies tend to be more vulnerable to attack. Attacks can be devastating to organizations because they can lead to downed operations, force services to be diverted, and can be time-consuming to resolve. 

Recent attacks, like the massive Change breach, show that any company that works with healthcare organizations should prioritize data security and HIPAA compliance.

Paubox 

Thousands of healthcare organizations trust Paubox for its strict compliance with HIPAA requirements. We have never experienced a breach and have remained on top of evolving cybersecurity trends and needs. Over the years, we've continued to develop our platform to better serve customers and patients in the evolving threat landscape. Paubox offers services specifically designed to prevent phishing, ransomware, spoofing, and other malicious actions. 

As previously mentioned, Paubox is HITRUST Certified and meets all HITECH requirements. Paubox signs a BAA with every healthcare organization. Full security information is available online. 

Proton Mail

As a Swiss-based organization, Proton Mail strives to meet many European security requirements alongside US-based regulations like HIPAA.

The company automatically sets emails to expire (delete) within 28 days. This could lead to difficulty reviewing past documents or complying with state retention requirements for healthcare organizations. 

Proton Mail offers an additional security program, Proton Sentinel, that uses AI and human analysts to monitor for and block account takeover attacks. Proton Sentinel offers detailed security logs to help IT departments understand how and where attack attempts may be originating. 

As required by HIPAA, Proton Mail will sign a BAA for any healthcare organization they partner with. 

Unique Features

Paubox and Proton Mail both offer unique features that could be helpful to your business. 

Paubox's additional services are all connected to communication and are designed to make communicating with providers, patients, and other actors simple. 

• Paubox Marketing can be used to send out newsletters or other mass emails that are personalized with protected health information (PHI) while maintaining HIPAA compliance. Generally, HIPAA compliant organizations struggle with sending newsletters that are personalized to the audience's needs while still maintaining compliance. With Paubox's seamless encryption process, recipients can easily open newsletters without opening new browsers, creating passwords, or taking additional steps. 
• Paubox Forms is a free service included with any paid plan and allows users to collect data, receive files, and more while maintaining HIPAA compliance. Paubox Forms is comparable to Google Forms but with security and compliance at the forefront. 
• Paubox Texting allows recipients to receive texts with PHI safely. No apps, portals, or passcodes are required, and the system is supported by iPhone and Android. Message statuses are clearly documented with this new patent-pending tool.  

Proton Mail also has unique features: 

• Proton Business provides a suite of services, including mail, calendar, drive, VPN, and a password manager. Proton allows users to decide what they need so no one is paying for tools that won't be used. 
• Notable specifications:
  • Users must migrate to Proton Mail's platform, which may involve changing their domain or user name. For larger companies, this migration process may be challenging for employees. 
  • No backups: as a company that prioritizes data privacy, it's possible for data to be irretrievably lost. Companies must create local back-ups in case of emergency. 

Reviews

On the technology review site G2, Paubox has a near-perfect rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars across hundreds of reviews. Many customers share that Paubox is a straightforward and seamless system that can be easily integrated into a company's operations. By connecting to Google Suite or Microsoft 365, users barely notice a difference in platforms but receive heightened security. 

Paubox also offers exceptional customer support for any company, regardless of size or problem. The team not only helps with troubleshooting but can help companies utilize Paubox to its fullest potential. Users share that Paubox is affordable while offering the highest level of security. Lastly, clients appreciate that our tools are easy for recipients to utilize.   

Proton Mail also has favorable reviews, although the company has received complaints regarding not having backups and not being user-friendly. On the rating site G2, Proton Mail earned 4.4 out of 5 stars. Users share that the system is easy to use and has strong data security. Some complain about limited storage and features, especially for the price.

Proton Mail has mixed reviews when it comes to the recipient experience; some believe that the mail is challenging to use and not always as secure as it claims.  

Pricing

Both Proton Mail and Paubox offer competitive pricing rates, although there are some notable differences in what recipients receive. Both companies are transparent with pricing. 

Paubox offers three plans: 

• Standard: Starting at $29/month for up to five users and including encryption, integration, secure calendar invites, forms, and more. 
• Plus: Starting at $59/month and including everything in Standard plus additional inbound security, like malware and ransomware protection. 
• Premium: Starting at $69/month and including everything in Plus, data loss prevention, and voicemail transcription. 

Paubox's complete pricing information is available online. On top of full transparency, Paubox also offers demos and free trials so that users know exactly what to expect before purchasing. 

Proton Mail offers a business suite plan, but users can also purchase Proton Mail on its own. While their prices are in euros, Proton Mail works with companies around the world. Here are their plan options: 

• Mail Essentials: Starting at €6.99/user/month, this plan includes 15GB of storage per user, three custom email domains, secure personal and shared calendar, and cloud storage. 
• Mail Professional: Starting at €9.99/user/month, this plan includes 50 GB of storage per user, ten custom email domains, personal and shared calendar, cloud storage, advanced account protection, and management options for permissions and access. 
• Proton Business Suite: Starting at €12.99/user/month, this plan includes 500 GB of storage per user, 15 custom email domains, calendars, cloud storage, email protection, permissions and access management, VPN connection for ten devices, and a password manager. 

Full pricing and plan details are available here. 

The big picture

Both Paubox and Proton Mail offer secure, HIPAA compliant email. For those in the healthcare field, Paubox is a strong option because of our commitment to data security and compliance alongside our focus on evolving trends and leading US-based customer support.

For those looking for a reliable and effective option, Paubox is the most user-friendly service available. Most services require senders to complete multiple steps for encryption, but with automated encryption, our services prevent human error. Paubox makes it easy for recipients to view messages, too–no need to memorize passwords, use another device for multi-factor authentication, or open new tabs. Every email can be opened right in the recipient's inbox. 

While Proton Mail offers some great features with an emphasis on privacy, their encryption process may be challenging for users and recipients alike. When it comes to healthcare, simplicity, reliability, and security should be the top priorities. 

Ready to learn more about Paubox? Try it for free today.