How does Hushmail encrypted email work for clients?

Hushmail encrypts an email with a single toggle, and the recipient reads and replies through a private link in their normal inbox — no download, no install, and no Hushmail account required on their end. That applies whether your client uses Gmail, Outlook, or any other provider. The one condition worth knowing up front: the encryption protects the message while it sits on Hushmail's servers and while the client views it through that link, not as end-to-end encryption between two mail servers.

What happens on the sender's side

You compose an email in Hushmail as usual, then turn on encryption before sending.

• Click the encryption toggle in the compose window.
• Confirm the green lock icon appears — that indicator means the message is set to be encrypted.
• Send. Hushmail stores the message encrypted rather than delivering a plain-text copy to the recipient's mail server.

The toggle is the whole mechanism. There is no separate encryption app, no key exchange step, and nothing for you to configure per recipient.

What the client actually receives and does

Your client gets a notification in their own inbox — whatever provider they use — containing a private link.

1. They open the link.
2. It takes them to a user-friendly page where the secure message is displayed.
3. They can reply to your message, or start a new secure message to you on their own.
4. Their reply travels back into your Hushmail inbox as an encrypted message.

No software download, no installation, and no account creation is required for the client to read or reply. This is the part that matters most for therapy and healthcare practices, where asking a client to install something is often a non-starter.

Why the link approach matters for a practice

The design goal is that the client never has to change how they use email. They keep their existing address; Hushmail handles the secure viewing and reply layer.

Hushmail states that therapy and healthcare practices rely on it for handling sensitive information, and that 47,000+ healthcare professionals use it for client and patient communications. The encrypted reply path is what makes two-way confidential exchange possible without the client adopting new tools.

Encrypted forms work the same way

Beyond email, Hushmail lets you build e-signable forms with a drag-and-drop editor. Clients submit intake details, attachments, and e-signatures through a secure form, and the completed form lands directly in your Hushmail inbox. Same principle: the client fills it out in a browser, nothing to install.

What it costs and how to test it

Hushmail for Healthcare starts at $11.99 per month for solo practices such as therapists, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Small group practices with up to 5 email accounts start at $24.99 per month. A 14-day free trial for Hushmail for Healthcare is available if you want to verify the client experience before committing.

A quick way to verify it yourself

Before rolling it out to clients, send an encrypted message to a personal address on a different provider, open the link, and reply from there. You will see exactly what your client sees — the private link page, the reply flow, and the message arriving back in your inbox — which is the fastest way to confirm the no-install claim holds for your clients' setups.