It also makes focusing on email easier. I dislike having to dive into tab sprawl to read/write email.
With that said, while I don't know much about the particulars of the Proton web client and how it handles offline access, I'd still prefer a client that treats all mail the same way, regardless of provider, and that I can manage locally/migrate to a new computer/back up to my own NAS, etc.
I stopped using Proton largely because the bridge was unreliable - this may have kept me around
My browser does too much already, too. I appreciate actual applications that have an identity beyond a favicon
I hope you find it helpful, the bridge truly is dreadful!
I ultimately gave up on 'private email' and simply moved to Zoho. Proper SMTP/IMAP is nice.
My ONLY complaint is that if I launch Thunderbird before Bridge has finished, it won't connect. That can be fixed by waiting first, or opening the app on a schedule, or just closing and re-opening it. (I choose to use a scheduled app open)
Sometimes getting messages is where it fell apart for me. I'd be connected, the bridge would be, yet I wouldn't see messages every now and then.
Weird indeed!
I'd also check if you have any unusual network configuration (PiHole, router settings, etc) and see if those could be interfering somehow.
Though since it's intermittent it may be hard for them to track down.
I didn't investigate much... it was happening at a bad time where I really needed to stay on top of active conversations for a move.
It doesn’t apply to Proton’s desktop app specifically but generic email clients also allow management of multiple accounts in a single window without the messiness of forwarding.
It's also a more controlled environment. I tend to run a lot of custom browser settings, mountains of addons, etc. I know that my desktop mail app won't be affected by those.
But desktop software SHOULD be more performant.
Regardless of all the work done in browsers, native UI's still feel better in terms of latency and performance.