Brandwave

How popular isProton Mail?

In September 2026, people searched for Proton Mail by name about 4.1 million times worldwide, a 22% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 0.28% of all global email client searches, placing Proton Mail sixth out of six clients. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about email clients, Proton Mail appeared in three of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Proton Mail is the sixth most searched of 6 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. SparkShare of searches 36%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. ThunderbirdShare of searches 25.9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. SuperhumanShare of searches 24%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. AirmailShare of searches 13.2%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. Proton MailShare of searches 0.28%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd

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Top email clients in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Proton Mail was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Proton Mail is the third most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Spark1st
  2. Thunderbird2nd
  3. Proton Mail3rd
  4. Superhuman4th
  5. Airmail–
  6. Newton–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Spark4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Thunderbird4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Superhuman3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Proton Mail3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Airmail0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Newton0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about email clients

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which email clients compete with Proton Mail?

Proton Mail against email clients worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Spark, Thunderbird, Superhuman, Airmail, Proton Mail. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSparkThunderbirdSuperhumanAirmailNewtonProton Mail
Oct 202523.5%36.1%20.2%19.3%0.76%0.12%
Nov 202521.6%34.5%25.1%17.7%0.97%0.14%
Dec 202520.2%34%23.8%20.3%1.5%0.13%
Jan 202618.6%38.3%26.8%15.3%0.84%0.14%
Feb 202614.6%39%33.3%12%0.99%0.17%
Mar 202615.6%36.5%34.1%12.8%0.76%0.18%
Apr 202615.6%36.5%33.5%12.8%1.4%0.15%
May 202616.8%34.7%36.4%11.3%0.67%0.16%
Jun 202621.4%29.6%27.7%17.6%3.5%0.2%
Jul 202620.7%35%29.1%13.9%1.1%0.24%
Aug 202622%35.2%23.7%18.1%0.71%0.26%
Sep 202636%25.9%24%13.2%0.64%0.28%

  1. 1.Spark

    36%

    Moved from 3rd to 1st. 40.5K estimated branded searches, +82.4% vs prior month. Share +14 points.

  2. 2.Thunderbird

    25.9%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 29.1K estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share -9.4 points.

  3. 3.Superhuman

    24%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 27K estimated branded searches, +13.1% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  4. 4.Airmail

    13.2%

    Held 4th. 14.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -4.8 points.

  5. 5.Newton

    0.64%

    Held 5th. 720 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  6. 6.Proton Mail

    0.28%

    Held 6th. 320 estimated branded searches, +23.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Proton Mail and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Proton Mail

13 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Proton Mail changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Proton Mail worldwide rose from 3.4M to 4.1M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Proton Mail’s share of searches among email clients worldwide held steady, from 0.12% to 0.28%.

How did search popularity change for email clients worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Spark overtook Thunderbird and Superhuman to become the leader among email clients worldwide, with 36% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Thunderbird lost share of searches among email clients worldwide, from 35.2% to 25.9%.

  3. In September 2026, Airmail lost share of searches among email clients worldwide, from 18.1% to 13.2%.

  4. Newton’s share of searches among email clients worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.5% to 0.64% in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Proton Mail worldwide rose 128.6% over 12 measured months, from 140 to 320 in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Superhuman worldwide rose 15.6% over 12 measured months, from 23.4K to 27K in September 2026.

How are Proton Mail’s branded searches counted?

6 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Proton Mail’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • email proton mail
  • proton mail
  • proton mail app
  • proton mail email
  • proton mail software
  • protonmail

Do you work for Proton Mail? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Proton Mail compete?

Proton Mail is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Email providers7th of 7<0.01%Show ranking
Email hosting providers2nd of 524.6%Show ranking
Email clients6th of 60.28%Shown above
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