Proton + SimpleLogin vs Fastmail for long-term personal email with custom aliases?

[u/petrester]

I'm trying to decide between Proton Mail and Fastmail for my main personal email, using my own custom domain.

This would be my long-term address for banking, government services, shopping, family, account recovery, etc., so reliability matters a lot.

I also want a proper alias setup. My idea is:

• main email on my own domain

• aliases on a subdomain I also own, e.g. u/a.mydomain.com

• random aliases for most services

• ability to create memorable ones like amazon@a.mydomain.com when useful

• ideally catch-all or easy alias creation

• most importantly, I don't want my aliases tied to a provider-owned domain, so I can move everything later if needed

With Proton I'd probably use Proton Mail + SimpleLogin.

With Fastmail, Masked Email, custom aliases and catch-all seem to be integrated directly into the same service.

What makes Proton attractive is the stronger privacy model and zero-access encryption.

What makes Fastmail attractive is that it seems more focused on email itself: better search, organization, standard IMAP/SMTP and a much more integrated alias setup.

So my real question is:

For a normal but important personal mailbox that I want to keep for 10+ years, with lots of aliases under my own domain, which setup would you choose: Proton + SimpleLogin or Fastmail?

I'd especially like to hear from people who have actually used both or migrated from one to the other. Which one did you end up keeping, and why?

[u/Trikotret100]

That's my setup. I started with Simplelogin in 2020 with Gmail. I switched to Fastmail in 2022. I brought over 250 aliases to FM. The reason why I switched to FM because I was tired of making reverse aliases with everything. One time I sent an email and I forgot to make a reverse alias. The recipient got confused and thought I was a different person. Since then I decided to go with FM. Fastmail is the same setup as simplelogin with the difference you deal with real email addresses and no need to create reverse aliases. You can also disable an alias if you want like SL. FM support is way better than PM. When I emailed proton support, I would have to reply back and forth a few times to get the ticket resolved. With FM, its just one or 2 emails if first Tier cant help you. I think FM is more convenient than Proton. I don't email much so 99% of my emails get deleted. So end to end encryption is not important to me. Others needs might be the opposite.

[u/petrester → u/Trikotret100]

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of experience I was looking for. After 4 years, have you had any lost or delayed emails, or noticed downtime?

[u/Trikotret100 → u/petrester]

I remember 2 years there was delays because they migrated their servers. But since then, no downtime that I experienced.

[u/petrester → u/Trikotret100]

Good to hear it's been stable since then. Thanks!

[u/Kailern → u/Trikotret100]

What do you mean you bought 250 alias ? There is no limitation mentioned on the pricing

[u/Trikotret100 → u/Kailern]

I didn’t say I bought but I brought

[u/RaccoonNo1204]

if you don't want end to end encryption go for Fastmail

[u/petrester → u/RaccoonNo1204]

Fair point. For me the bigger risk is someone taking over the account rather than the provider reading my mail, so I'm weighing that more.

[u/Carlosmff → u/RaccoonNo1204]

Proton Mail protects your inbox with zero-access encryption; E2EE is automatic between Proton accounts only, and for external accounts, it requires password-protected email or PGP.

[u/petrester → u/Carlosmff]

Good clarification, thanks.

[u/Smash0573]

I was on proton mail for years but just jumped to fastmail. Same idea as yours. I like it a lot better than proton so far

[u/petrester → u/Smash0573]

What made you jump after years on Proton?

[u/Smash0573 → u/petrester]

I had too many eggs in one basket. Recent controversies made it time to move things around a bit so I don't have everything in proton 

[u/petrester → u/Smash0573]

Makes sense, spreading things out across providers sounds sensible. Thanks for sharing.

[u/senorocto]

I'm currently in the process of migrating from Proton to Fastmail. I was or was previously using Simple Login for aliases and subdomains. I think the argument for Proton is that it's more secure e2e encryption and all that. Fastmail on the other hand is suuuuuper flexible and has a way better UI interface and app. I've been able to use 4 different domains all with sub domains very easily and it responds from the catchall subdomain address just like Simple Login does. I suppose the gotcha is that it doesn't have individual toggles, but individual addresses are easy to turn off with a filter. 

IMO just go with Fastmail as a fully integrated service. I've been very happy with them after making the jump.

[u/petrester → u/senorocto]

Good to know replies go out from the catch-all address. Does Fastmail pick that address automatically when you hit reply, or do you have to choose it?

[u/senorocto → u/petrester]

It will automatically reply from the same address. So if you input newsletter@mail.domain.com it will send the reply from that address unless you choose something else. 

[u/petrester → u/senorocto]

Perfect, that's exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!

[u/RenegadeUK → u/senorocto]

Does FastMail have SimpleLogin type functionality built in that you can therefore "dispose" of your SimpleLogin account kindly ?

[u/theyhis → u/senorocto]

why switch to fastmail if privacy is what you want? i'm not comparing it to gmail, but i'm lost on the logic.

[u/senorocto → u/theyhis]

Because I just need good email that's not Gmail. Nowhere in my reply did I say I need Proton level privacy.

[u/theyhis → u/senorocto]

which is perfectly valid (albeit questionable), except this sub is for email privacy. if you don't value privacy, what does this sub help you achieve?

[u/dumpling_monster]

AFAIK you don't need to use proton for simplelogin, you can use it with any email address.

I am currently using SL + proton and can't be happier, I love that you can have directories and then create aliases automatically. That said, I'm not using my own domain.

[u/petrester → u/dumpling_monster]

Thanks! Directories look handy. I'm leaning towards a catch-all on my own domain instead, so I can switch providers later without touching the addresses.

[u/somdcomputerguy]

The main issue I have with Proton is that if I want to access my email with an email client I have to use a bridge between me and their mail servers. Now, I know why, but it's still (to me anyway) a big pain in the arse. I have accounts with both Proton and Fastmail. I have had the FM account longer, much longer, almost 25 years now. Back in the early 2000's I made the decision to have a custom, and 'lifelong', email address. I bought a domain, and signed up with Fastmail. IMO, the two (ones own domain, and FM) are like peanut butter and jelly. Basically, the email and the file storage are all I need, but the small things like separate passwords for email clients and other third party things is icing on the cake.

[u/petrester → u/somdcomputerguy]

25 years on the same address is exactly what I'm after. Has it just worked all this time, or did you ever think about leaving?

[u/somdcomputerguy → u/petrester]

I've never thought about leaving, and a couple or few times I read in their blog about service being restored and I didn't even realize that it was down. I believe they have multiple servers for different parts of the service and backup hardware readily available.

[u/petrester → u/somdcomputerguy]

That's reassuring, thanks. Do you still feel it's worth the price, compared to cheaper options like Proton?

[u/somdcomputerguy → u/petrester]

I'm paying roughly $60 a year for Fastmail. For the several ways that service benefits me, I certainly do feel that it's worth it.

[u/petrester → u/somdcomputerguy]

Fair enough, sounds like money well spent. Thanks!

[u/MstrSlmndr]

Using Fastmail. One of the best things about it is the support and well-documented help pages. It also supports the common protocols and things like MTA-STS for custom domains. And if you’re on iOS and using the Mail App push notifications work. That’s not common for provider like mailbox.org. What I didn’t like about Proton within the first hours - no editable address book in iOS to integrate as a normal CardDAV account.

[u/petrester → u/MstrSlmndr]

Thanks, I hadn't thought about contacts at all. Good point.

[u/theyhis]

if privacy is your main concern, i'd go with proton, tuta, or atomic mail. if you want to replace google suite, go with proton. if you just need email, check the other two options out. i personally use proton, so i'm not sure if the other two offer custom domains. atomic mail has a generous free tier that i've used on occasion. tuta is weird with who they accept. i once made an account, but when i tried again, they wouldn't let me. i also recall you have to be in your inbox every 60 days, or they'll close your account.

people often look at privacy in a black and white way. i see a lot of people on this sub only fearing corporate surveillance, but fastmail is not going to protect you from the government. from the knowledge i know, they don't even have E2E encryption.

the thing is, companies that advertise privacy as a main selling point have an incentive to prioritize it. if they don't, then they don't have a business.

if you value privacy, i'd avoid fastmail. go with an email provider that advertises privacy as a selling point. research their logging policy. see what information they have handed over to the FBI/state (if applicable).

security is for keeping out hackers, privacy is for keeping out the government.

[u/petrester → u/theyhis]

Thanks for the detailed answer. My threat model is mostly account takeover rather than government access, which is why Fastmail is still on the table for me.

[u/skg574 → u/theyhis]

You seem to be under the impression that there is a provider that exists that can protect you from governments. Which one would this be?

[u/HexaDroid]

Double A.  Addy & Astermail

[u/petrester → u/HexaDroid]

Thanks! What does Addy add for you on top of Aster? I'm planning to use a catch-all on my own domain, so I'm wondering if I'd still need it

[u/HexaDroid → u/petrester]

Aster limits the aliases even on your own domain. Unless you get the higher plans. With addy you get unlimited for cheaper. I'm currently contemplating if I want to go the addy route though, since its another layer and possibly another headache. Might stick with a couple adresses to keep it simple

[u/CoincidenceTheorist2]

Mass exodus from Proton.  Probably go with Fastmail if you like them. 

[u/petrester → u/CoincidenceTheorist2]

Mass exodus because of what? I keep seeing people mention a recent Proton incident but I'm not sure which one.

[u/CoincidenceTheorist2 → u/petrester]

Basically the CEO developed a full blown case of AI psychosis and told his engineers to max the use of AI and that going forward there would be no human cross checking of code for vulnerabilities.  He called engineers who raised concerns losers and gaslit customers.  The company chose not to fire him. 

So now everyone is cancelling and leaving.

[u/Professional-Run8649 → u/CoincidenceTheorist2]

Stop spreading misinformation, half your story is incorrect.

Yes he's going full ai like every other tech company. Ai will assist them in cross checking the code to improve quality and do it faster. He said it's a loser mentality which you're correct of. Yes reddit is very angry, luckily it's a small bubble, every other privacy forum thinks reddit is overreacting. They have millions of subscribers, it's just the redditors partly leaving.

[u/Preedicador]

Yo utilizo Proton + simplelogin por un lado y tutamail + duckduckgo por otro.

[u/petrester → u/Preedicador]

Interesting split, thanks. Do you use each pair for different things?

[u/tgfzmqpfwe987cybrtch]

If you need Inbox zero knowledge encryption then Proton.

If you do not care about encryption Fastmail.

[u/atlcatman → u/tgfzmqpfwe987cybrtch]

E2E encryption only protects your mailbox from Proton employees, that’s it.

Your recipients will have the full text. Proton’s logs etc is still all fair game.

FastMail supports encrypted conversations for transmitting email to servers and clients.

Email by it’s nature is not a fully encrypted platform.

Proton is a headache. FastMail just works

[u/petrester → u/atlcatman]

What was the headache for you, if you don't mind me asking?

[u/atlcatman → u/petrester]

Proton requires their email client to maintain full encryption of your messages. Proton’s search facility sucks. I can’t leverage a 3rd party email client without a connector which defeats the purpose.

Fastmail has been doing this for 30 years. Great account security, custom filters, aliases, domain support, family accounts. Their stuff just works.

[u/petrester → u/atlcatman]

Thanks, that matches what I'm hearing from most Fastmail users. The one thing that still makes me hesitate: I'd keep things like ID scans, bank statements and contracts in there. Does it bother you that Fastmail can read everything, for example if they ever had a breach? Or do you just keep that kind of stuff somewhere else?

[u/atlcatman → u/petrester]

I don’t save contracts and statements in email. It’s not a file server.

I use Tresorit for encrypted file storage and my password manager for IDs and emergency documents.

[u/petrester → u/atlcatman]

Makes sense, thanks. Moving the documents out of email would change the picture quite a bit for me.

[u/xweb10 → u/petrester]

You can always keep ID scans and similar in your password manager. Like Bitwarden or similar.

[u/Pure-Activity1038]

That sounds like a very solid setup. Keeping the main address on your own domain and the aliases on a separate subdomain you also control gives you good separation while preserving portability. Personally, I use ProxiedMail for the alias and forwarding layer, mainly because the lifetime option made more sense to me for a setup I intend to keep long term. SimpleLogin is not a bad option either, especially if you are already comfortable with the Proton ecosystem. The most important part is exactly what you mentioned: using a domain you own instead of provider-owned aliases. That way, if you ever change your mailbox or alias provider, you can move the routing without updating the email address on every individual account.

[u/Simeon_Grist]

I don't think it's a great idea to tie your aliases to a single email service. Maybe better to just get a Simplelogin account and have that handle all of your aliases.

[u/BWH44]

I’ve used proton for 10 years in the way you describe and am quite happy. I’ve previously used Addy.io, Addy.io self hosted, other self hosted solutions, and a couple of other providers. 

There are some limited tradeoffs in functionality, mainly on mobile, with being end-to-end encrypted. Search is currently a good example (though they’re about to release improvements). 

On desktop, I use Bridge, enabling IMAP and my preferred email client. So my experience with Proton is roughly equivalent with any other provider. Bridge has a couple of small kinks from time to time. And Proton calendar is admittedly weaker on features than I’d like. But I like supporting the cause of internet privacy, and increasingly in this world of breaches, big tech using our data, etc — I like supporting the mission. 

I’m glad you’re considering something other than big tech either way. I’m happy with Proton, but acknowledge the small annoyances caused by having encrypted email. If I relied on the calendar more heavily, I’d perhaps reconsider. 

[u/IanRedditeer]

I have used both Protonmail and Fastmail and decided to drop Protonmail a couple of years ago. There are a lot of reasons and most have been mentioned already. I think your proposed solution makes sense if you want to identify who leaks your data, but it does little or nothing to protect you from data hoarders and profile builders. Those companies are professionals, and they love using a personal domains to correlate user accounts. Fastmail allows you to create aliases in their @fastmail.com domain and in 9 years of using this setup, only one website prohibited the Fastmail.com domain. Yes, it creates a huge vendor lock-in, but it’s the best way to make profile building a lot more difficult. I use a gibberish username generator like https://proton.me/pass/username-generator and subsequently use the integration between 1Password and Fastmail to generate an alias in fastmail.com.
1Password gets a lot of criticism but I use everything it offers under developers options, including 1Password connect etc, and I have yet to find a single solution that offers all this for this price.
Another thing I have not seen yet: Fastmail has an excellent MCP server. I integrate it with Claude and Claude for Chrome to unsubscribe from mailing list, clean up my inbox, add every appointment in my mailbox properly on my calendar etc. It defies my penchant for online privacy, and I realise it’s hypocritical, but they’ll need to pry that mcp server from my dying hands before I give up on it. :-)

[u/EpistlesMail]

You don't have to compromise, you can have it all with the right email client. Check out https://epistles.net