We’ve covered emails in a lot of our articles ranging from titles about the best email marketing services to Android email clients and several wonderful email client apps e.g. Mailspring. And while we have covered some email services that respect users’ privacy individually, we haven’t ranked them into a top list before.
Today, we’re placing our focus on the top email service applications you can use in 2021 thus my list of the best privacy-focused email services. It is a mixture of free, paid, open-source, and closed-source applications arranged alphabetically.
1. CounterMail
CounterMail is an online email service designed to provide users with maximum security and privacy without the hassle of boring configuration settings.
With it, you can access your email account remotely via an automatically encrypted layer thanks to the awesome OpenPGP encryption protocol it implements. Its feature highlights include MITM protection, Diskless web servers, dynamic aliases, anonymous email headers, built-in passport manager, custom domain name, multi-platform support, and compatibility with Android phones.
Countermail is free to try for one week after which you will have to shell out about $29 every 6 months depending on your payment rate. Before you cop this one for yourself it’s important to know its few drawbacks which are its limited storage capacity and inability to send encrypted emails to non-users.
2. Criptext
Criptext is a decentralized private email service that enables users to send encrypted emails using the Open Source Signal Protocol Encryption among other nifty tasks such as real-time email tracking, unsend emails, support for macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS, and a beautiful User Interface across platforms.
There have been rumors about subscription plans coming to Criptext with extra features for advanced users but for now, it is completely free. If you’re familiar with Signal, the privacy-focused messaging app then you will be comfortable using Criptext.
3. Disroot
Disroot is a free platform that provides online services based on strong principles of privacy, freedom, decentralization, and federation.
They offer users no tracking, ads, profiling, or data mining in several services not limited to an online email client, cloud storage using NextCloud, document editing using Pads, decentralized instant messaging, and a private online and open-source paste bin. Disroot is 100% free to use.
4. Hushmail
Hushmail is a popular email service provider geared towards business owners and organizations. It offers users the ability to read and compose emails online and with their smartphones with important features such as a beautiful UI, email encryption, secure web forms which are personalized and can be built using a drag-and-drop builder, built-in web hosting, and ready-made templates.
Hushmail is free to try for 14 days after which you’re restricted to using its @hushmail.com domain address and managing relatively limited storage space. Anything more and you’ll have to use Hushmail for Small Business or purchase any of the several other licenses.
5. Librem Mail
Librem Mail is a decentralized end-to-end encrypted email service offered in the Librem One suite, a suite of connectivity applications provided by Purism. Boasting a beautiful modern UI, it is not free and the company charges at least $7.99 for the complete app bundle.
6. Mailbox.org
Mailbox.org is developed and maintained by several companies bent on maintaining a space where users can communicate securely and freely.
Its features include custom domain name, aliases, cloud storage, anonymous usage, encrypted data transmission, ease of use, ad-free email inbox, servers located in Germany, 2GB storage space, mobile sync, etc. all for as little as €1/month. It also offers Team Mail and Business Mail subscription models for €2.50 and €25.00 respectively.
7. Mailfence
Mailfence offers users with end-to-end encryption for sending messages with features such as 2-factor authentication, a spam blocker, calendar and file storage apps, digital email signatures, and an ad-free environment, among other features. Its free model gives users access to 500MB emails, 500MB documents, 1 group, support via email, two-factor authentication, and 1000 calendar events. The paid packages start at €2.50/month.
8. POSTEO
POSTEO is an open-source email, calendar, and address book application with an emphasis on privacy and security. Coupled with that fact, it runs on green energy, supports OpenPGP Encryption, and charges £1 /month billed annually.
If you’re ready to ignore it not offering custom domains, you get an ad-free experience with an upgradable 2GB storage space, personal support, and anonymous online payments.
9. ProtonMail
ProtonMail is an open-source Switzerland-based email service provider that emphasizes complete privacy, user anonymity, and data security. ProtonMail is a convenient choice to select because of its simplicity and ease of use coupled with support for keyboard shortcuts, PGP keys, rich text formatting, no ads, and no logs.
The free version gives users access to 500MB of storage and 150 emails per day. Its Plus and Visionary packages offer extra features such as priority support, custom email aliases, built-in VPN protection, etc.
10. Runbox
Runbox is a Norway-based company committed to providing users with privacy and security-focused email service that is flexible, stable, sustainable, and fully-featured. It is designed for businesses and corporations that don’t want their activities monitored nor their data mistakenly getting into unauthorized possession.
11. SCRYPTmail
SCRYPTmail is a paid end-to-end encryption email service that keeps no metadata whatsoever. Its features include PGP & NIST recommendations, high-end encryption, 100% anonymity, no ads, no 3rd party server scripts, and it is free to try for 7 days.
12. StartMail
StartMail is a paid email service that offers custom domain and aliases, PGP email encryption, and disposable email addresses. You can try it free of charge and no credit card required for 30 days to see if you like all that it has to offer before shelling out at least $59.95 annually for personal or business use.
13. Private-Mail
TorGuard’s Private-Mail offers 100MB of storage space for email and cloud services each, OpenPGP end-to-end encryption, AES256 file encryption, and webmail access only. It offers 3 subscription plans depending on how much functionality you need access to with the cheapest, i.e. Standard, being $8.95/month.
14. Tutanota
Tutanota is a popular secure email service that enables users to easily take control of their mailbox. It is free to use, open-source, and available to Web, Android and iOS users.
It offers several payment plans for professional and/or enterprise use including special offers for non-profit organizations. Its free version is limited to one use, 1GB storage, typical search functionality, and Tutanota domains only.
Ultimately, irrespective of the email service you choose from this list remember to keep your devices guarded at all times, to be conscious of even common security attack attempts, and to keep your passwords safe.
Do you have any questions for us? Or perhaps some suggestions that I can add to the list? Help yourself to the comments section below.
Nice list, and there were a few on here I hadn’t heard of before. May I ask why KolabNow was not included? I’ve used them for years now and they are very privacy-focused.