Privacy-friendly alternatives to Gmail - Le Alternative (2024)

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  • Privacy? Gmail alternatives respect this
    • A private email is possible with Gmail alternatives
    • Alternatives to Gmail: Changing your email address is easy!
    • ProtonMail
    • Tutanota
    • Posteo
    • Mailboxes
    • Infomaniak
    • ServerMX
    • StartMail
    • Disroot
  • More alternatives to Gmail

In this article we will talk about all of them alternatives to Gmail, free and possibly open source. Have you ever wondered why Gmail It's free? Why never Google should give you 15gb of free space and a free mailbox without getting anything in return?
Google through Gmail has access at your emails. By free access we mean that the emails are not zero-knowledge encrypted and consequently Google can read not only i metadata of your email, such as who do you send an email to it's at what time, but it can also light the content of the email itself!

Privacy? Gmail alternatives respect this

We have already addressed the topic of privacy in other articles, especially in alternatives to Google Search. If you use other Google services such as Maps or Chrome Google it will triangulate all this information and add it to everything that receive is that write by email. Did you know that Google for example track all purchases made online? It keeps track of everything and puts it together in one database where you can't even delete them all together, you would have to do it manually one by one. To you Google had ever asked explicitly can you do it? It doesn't seem like it to us.

A private email is possible with Gmail alternatives

That's why in this article we will analyze all the alternatives to Gmail! We recommend that you put your mind to it an important thing. Google bases the most of his earnings on advertising. It is, in fact, an advertising agency. All Google services I am free Why they analyze everything you do online and not only.

Some mail services, such as ProtonMail And Tutanota, they encrypt emails on their servers and have a high management cost. Furthermore, if the company does not earn through advertising profiling it must charge for the services and this is why all alternatives to Gmail that we propose you have to pay for.

When we talk about Zero-knowledge encryption it means that no one, not even those who manage the site, can read the contents of the email. Only and exclusively you with your password, as it should be and as it should be all the information that considered private information.

Alternatives to Gmail: Changing your email address is easy!

Don't let yourself be fooled by laziness or even by the fear of losing emails or "having to tell everyone". In the meantime it is important to do it for all purchases and of trips for example so as to no longer be analyzed and profiled. And this can be done in a very short time: before making a purchase, change the associated email address, it usually takes 2 minutes. We have also created an article on How to leave Gmail where we explain all the necessary steps.

For example, you risk losing emails: just forward them all to the new address: go on Gmail settings. Then in theForwarding and POP/IMAP label. Here you can forward all emails to your new address so you can make sure you don't miss a single one! Then slowly modify the various subscriptions (if you want, you are not even obliged to leave Gmail only for trivialities) and that's it.

For them private conversations instead, an even simpler operation will suffice: always in Gmail settings, in the'Generali label at the bottom you will find the “Automatic answerer“. Write a message informing the person writing to you that you have changed your email address and to change it in their address book as well. Et voilà, in a few minutes you have solved it!

Warning, some explanations needed

As was rightly pointed out to us on Twitter, this article can cause confusion on some points and we think it is important to specify a couple of things. Unfortunately, in trying to summarize many concepts, some things may be explained hastily or poorly:

  • only two of the services below offer encrypted emails with zero access from the providers and they are ProtonMail And Tutanota. All other providers potentially They can read and analyze your emails just as much as Gmail but, unlike Google, it's not their job to make money off your data.
  • when you send an email from ProtonMail it will only be safe on ProtonMail servers. If you send an email to a Gmail address (or receive an email from a person who uses Gmail) inevitably this email can be analyzed. The point is another: do not allow your provider to analyze your purchases or consumption.
  • if you need to have one private conversation emails are not created for this purpose. You can use the PGP encryption if your interlocutor uses it but it is generally recommended to move the conversation elsewhere such as Signal or similar alternatives.

ProtonMail


Open source
servers in owned data centers
Zero-knowledge encryption impossible for ProtonMail to read your emails
no IMAP, only possible on desktop with their bridge
search within messages only paid version otherwise search only in the subject
.onion address available

The first encrypted email service that we recommend is ProtonMail. Born in 2013 Swiss at CERN. Its servers are located in Switzerland, therefore they are outside the jurisdiction of the United States and the EU, and are managed by them precisely to avoid that someone else has to get their hands on them and therefore have to trust third parties. According to Swiss law if a foreign country wanted to put under surveillance there your email inbox must first pass through a Swiss court and is subject to international treaties. ProtonMail and so Safe, encrypted And free from any interference and from any Trackers. A is currently offered free service basic with some limitations, a service Plus with 5GB of space for €4 per month and an alias for the domain is also included pm.me.

The best alternative to Gmail

About this: Gmail made you believe that you must keep all emails forever. But think about whether this really makes sense and take advantage of it to make a... a bit of healthy cleaning. In any case, it is possible import emails also from Gmail. ProtonMail has also recently released the encryption in OpenPgP, a cryptography library open source. Last very important thing, ProtonMail is the only email service with a Tor address!
ANDROID is available onapps on Play Store. Not up yet F-Droid but the open-source version is in development.
APPLE STORE it is also available onApp Store.

Proton Mail recently became part of Proton 1 and of the entire encrypted ecosystem together with Proton Drive, Proton VPN And Proton Calendar.

AGAINST
There are no particular opinions against this email service. Their service is entirely open source, their apps aren't completely that yet but they should become that way soon. The calendar was recently put into beta and everyone can try to use it. In our opinion, among all alternatives to Gmail it's the best solution.

|

Tutanota

green servers
server in Germany
End-to-end encryption impossible for Tutanota to read your emails
Open source
no IMAP
search within messages (although a little slow)

Another mail service encrypted, Safe and open source And Tutanota. The apps of Tutanota I am open source but theirs is not encryption PGP. However, it is a very valid alternative and much cheaper than others, it just costs €12 per year for 1GB or and each extra 10GB cost €24. They have a very comfortable encrypted calendar and one should be available soon encrypted cloud drive. Tutanota it's a German company.
And they're so cool that they created their own CAPTCHA 2 even if you don't use it that of Google!

ANDROID is available on both Play Store which in open-source version on F-Droid.
APPLE STORE it is also available onApp Store.

AGAINST
There are no particular cons for this mail service, try the free version and if you like it, use it!

Posteo

green servers

Open source
yes IMAP

Posteo it's another German mail service entirely Open source. Furthermore, it only uses clean and sustainable energy thanks to Greenpeace Energy. The emails are encrypted and secure. Theirs account It starts at €1 per month and is one of the most convenient ever. It is not possible to use your own personal domain but it is mandatory to use one of their available domains 3.

ANDROID and APPLE STORE there is no email program for smartphones developed by Posteo, to be able to read emails you must use a your client and set up the server IMAP.

AGAINST
Not having their own proprietary email program is an advantage for some, unfortunately it is a disadvantage for others not everybody I am able to independently set up an IMAP server on an email client.

Mailbox

green servers
server in Germany
yes IMAP

Mailbox.org is a German company that offers a complete alternative suite to counter Google. Safe, anonymous and totally free of advertising and trackers. Plus its servers are all in Germany and, last but not least, run on green energy at 100%. In short, the The conditions for a large email inbox are all there. The email is in fact encrypted and secure. Plus, Mailbox has its own ecosystem that really competes seriously with Google. With Mailbox you will have an email inbox, calendars and address books can also be shared with users who do not have a Mailbox account. Plus there's a great and secure encrypted cloud service where you might want to put your photos, videos and documents.

They also also have a Office online service, so it's also a great one alternative to Google Docs. You can then open files docx or odt without really any problems. Documents are also shareable with anyone from outside. It's not free (but you can try it for free for 30 days) but it doesn't cost too much. With €1 per month you have 2GB of email and 100MB of cloud. But you can easily calculate online your need. Last, but not least, you can use a custom domain. You can read emails and their cloud with two different applications downloadable from the Play Store. OX Mail And OX Drive.

AGAINST
Unfortunately we seemed to understand that there is nothing Open source in their project. Furthermore, their apps on the Play Store have very low ratings although we don't fully understand why.

Infomaniak

green servers
Swiss company and server in Switzerland
servers in owned data centers
yes IMAP

From Infomaniak we particularly trust it, it's not for nothing that we chose it as ours Hosting. It is a company that cares about both the planet and people and is particularly focused on privacy 4.

They deliver for free an email inbox with unlimited space if you purchase a domain with them. Also only €1.50 per month you can include five other mailboxes and a series of useful services such as calendar and address book that can replace the Google package. In our opinion, it is one of the best offers you can find for a personal domain. Their webmail It has recently been completely redone and is aesthetically very pleasant.

The official kMail application for reading mail has recently existed. AND Open source 5 and available, in beta, on Play Store, on F-Droid and also up iOS.

Furthermore, if you also associate their product kDrive (a alternative to Google Drive) it is also possible to have a truly complete ecosystem to use with your own domain.

A. has also recently become available free 20GB service with also another 3GB free to use for kDrive condominium @ik.me.

AGAINST
It is not a completely cheap product, especially if you want to combine it with the service kDrive even if in reality, according to our table, And the most convenient one when talking about €/GB price. Basically it is a professional email that is unlikely to disappoint you.

ServerMX

Italian company with Privacy-friendly alternatives to Gmail - Le Alternative (1) servers in Europe
yes IMAP

Italian company with servers in Europe 6 which offers paid emails with free domains they own (example: servermx.it) or to use with a your domain. They also offer a calendar and contact service thanks to CardDAV and CalDAV protocols. An interesting thing is that you are not limited to having only one webmail but you can read your mail on it Roundcube, on Squirrel Mail, on SOGo 2 And SOGo 5, on AfterLogic and of course using the IMAP protocol therefore on whatever email program you want is on desktop what up smartphones.

The prices are not high and start from €1 per month and the problems on their servers seem limited: support.servermx.com.

AGAINST
They have a somewhat low limit for sending emails, this is certainly not a problem for normal and simple use but it could become tedious if used for example with Delta Chat.

StartMail

server in Holland
yes IMAP

The company is the same as StartPage, based in Holland, which we have already talked about in the article on alternatives to Google Search. It's a service encrypted emails which he accepts Bitcoin as payment. There doesn't seem to be a totally free version but only one free trial the minimum price to pay is 59.95€ the year for 10GB of space. The emails are secure and the encryption is PGP.

AGAINST
There is not and is not scheduled a calendar and it is not possible to have a limited free version.

Disroot

Open source
server in Holland
yes IMAP

Last alternative to Gmail, is called Disroot and we have already talked about it on our about page ethical projects. They offer among other things a free email service until 1GB and send attachments up to 50MB 7. You can pay a little more per month for more space, up to a maximum of 54GB. Their servers are held by volunteers and the emails are not encrypted, however PGP can be used.
ANDROID And APPLE STORE there are no proprietary apps if you want to use it on mobile phones you will have to set your favorite email client.

AGAINST
It is not a solid company but a group of volunteers who keep the servers running. We wouldn't rely too much on it except for emails we care little about.

In fact, they report repeated problems with Outlook email 8, it being understood that most likely the guilt it is from Microsoft, however, it is not pleasant to have an email that does not work at 100% with all domains.

The problems with Microsoft seem to have resolved. However, it is an ethical and safe service.

More alternatives to Gmail

These alternatives, however, we know a little less about but are still generally recommended to those who want to find them an alternative to Gmail.

  • Runboxes, has servers in Norway and his annual plans are very interesting indeed. They offer encrypted emails and its servers all run on hydroelectric power. They don't have their own application but you can read it on any app you want such as K-9 Mail or FairEmail;
  • Mailfence, another very interesting European provider based in Belgium. Encrypted emails and compatible with keys OpenPgP. The price is not high and they also offer free space for 500MB of emails. They also don't offer their own application but you can use it K-9 Mail or FairEmail; It recently became a partner of Mozilla Thunderbird 9 and you can create an email address directly from the application;
  • Eclipso, is a European provider based in Germany. Its webmail is really very simple and essential and the free plan is quite limited: it is not possible to use IMAP and it contains advertising. However, just €1 a month is enough to switch to a paid plan with some interesting features such as access to a personal drive with a 10GB CalDAV/WebDAV connection, the elimination of advertising and 10GB for your emails. You can choose different domains in addition to the default one which is eclipso.eu.
  • Kolab Now, we have already known them for alternatives to Google Calendar. It is a very interesting provider with server in Switzerland. The cost is quite high and they only work with software Open source. As we said, they also offer other services such as calendar and contacts;
  • Thexyz, a Canadian provider that offers encrypted emails. Very interesting and not too high priced. They also offer a lot of space, in fact in the Premium version you will have 25GB at your disposal;
  • Soverin, if you want to buy a personal domain Soverin it may be right for you. They don't have their own email address but you can use your own domain and receive 25GB with the possibility of also using IMAP at €39 per year. Their servers are in Holland and their policy is decent;
  • Migadu, another interesting option that does not offer its own email address but can only be used with its own domain. Created in Switzerland but with servers in France 10 It has a good policy and is only very good if you plan to use email little. In fact, it allows you to have almost infinite domains and addresses but you will only be able to send and receive a few emails a day. For example in Micro version you can only receive 200 emails and send 20;
  • Swisscows, The Search engine Swisscows offers a free email inbox (expandable for a fee) with domain @swisscows.email. The email is not end-to-end encrypted as Tutanota or ProtonMail but it allows you to use your own PGP key easily. Webmail is a classic client Roundcube.
  • Gandi.net, French provider for registering domains. Also in this case if you want a personal email address with your own domain use Gandi can be a smart choice. Free emails are no longer offered 11 but you can choose some for a fee (currently starting from €4.87 per month each).
  1. A new visual universe for Proton[]
  2. The Open source email service Tutanota fights for your right to privacy.[]
  3. Can I use Posteo with my own domains?[]
  4. Ecological paper[]
  5. kMail on GitHub[]
  6. Data Storage[]
  7. Disroot FAQ[]
  8. Microsoft hostility[]
  9. Mailfence Encrypted Email Suite in Thunderbird[]
  10. In Switzerland, but servers are not[]
  11. New Mailbox service and management of your current mailboxes[]

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By skariko

Author and administrator of the web project The Alternatives

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Privacy-friendly alternatives to Gmail - Le Alternative (2024)

FAQs

Is there a better alternative to Gmail? ›

Edison Mail is fast, modern, and user-friendly: it organizes your inbox into a Focused Inbox for important emails and an Other folder to manage the rest. But that's just part of what makes it a great Gmail alternative—the real sorting power lies within the AI-powered Assistant feature.

What email is more secure than Gmail? ›

ProtonMail

ProtonMail is the most well-known secure email provider. It's open source, based in Switzerland, and provides end-to-end asymmetric encryption. You can use ProtonMail for free if you're sending fewer than 150 messages per day and don't need a lot of storage.

What is the least secure email provider? ›

What are the Least Secure Email Providers?
  1. Yahoo Mail. Yahoo Mail has been involved in several controversies regarding breach of trust over the years. ...
  2. AOL Mail. Speaking of email services with questionable privacy rules, AOL Mail is another provider with the same intrusive data policies. ...
  3. Gmail. ...
  4. Apple Mail.
Jun 1, 2023

What is the best free email provider for privacy? ›

Gmail, AOL, and Outlook are our top picks for creating free and private email accounts. These email service providers give you privacy. They provide lots of storage space. They are accessible on all internet-connected devices and browsers.

What is the least hacked email provider? ›

7 Most Secure Email Providers
  1. Proton Mail. Price: free with up to 1 GB of mail storage or $12.99 a month for Proton Unlimited. ...
  2. Neo. Price: starts at $2.49 per mailbox per month with 10 GB of storage. ...
  3. Hushmail. ...
  4. Tuta (formerly Tutanota) ...
  5. StartMail. ...
  6. Mailfence. ...
  7. Zoho Mail.
Apr 29, 2024

Should I leave Gmail? ›

Takeaway. If you think you're safe, just remember how many security issues Gmail alone asks you, and how many checks it has in a place, such as IP checks, your birthday, etc. All of these yield potential for you to get locked out, literally, of your identity. Think about how and what tools we use and at what scale.

Should I switch from Gmail to Proton? ›

Proton Mail is a private alternative to Gmail. Like everything you do online, Google tracks the way you interact with your Gmail account for advertising purposes. In contrast, Proton Mail's end-to-end encrypted email gives you an inbox free from ads, trackers, spying, and data harvesting.

Are Gmail accounts going away? ›

Google announced the move in May to protect users from security threats. The company says it will permanently delete millions of Gmail, Drive and Photos accounts that have been inactive for two years.

Which email gets hacked the most? ›

Yahoo! Mail has a blemished history regarding data security and privacy. The massive data breach of 2013, where every Yahoo account was affected, is a testament to the lax security measures in place. That's approximately three billion accounts compromised, making it one of the largest breaches in history.

What is the most private email service? ›

Top private, encrypted, and secure email services
  • AdGuard Temp Mail. AdGuard Temp Mail is a new temporary email service from AdGuard, a renowned expert in online security and ad blocking. ...
  • ProtonMail. ...
  • Tutanota. ...
  • Hushmail. ...
  • Mailfence. ...
  • Posteo. ...
  • Runbox. ...
  • Zoho Mail.
Aug 18, 2023

Which email is best for personal use? ›

Gmail as the best email service for personal use. One of the most unique features Outlook.com offers is its Focused Inbox. When you activate it, Outlook.com will use machine learning to analyze incoming email messages and rank them according to their importance.

What emails to avoid? ›

Some common spam trigger words to avoid include “free,” “earn money,” “act now,” “click here,” “buy now,” “limited time offer,” “get rich quick,” “earn extra cash,” “make money fast,” “guaranteed,” “winner,” “bonus,” and “urgent.” These words are often used by spam emails to try and entice the recipient into taking ...

Why is ProtonMail better than Gmail? ›

Encryption: ProtonMail provides strong end-to-end encryption, making it so that only you and the recipient can read your emails. While Gmail also offers basic encryption, it only works when the recipient uses the same type of encryption.

Is GMX safer than Gmail? ›

Based in Germany, Global Mail Exchange (GMX) is a reliable Gmail alternative. As it was founded back in 1997, it offers time-tested and high-quality services. For protection, it uses TLS/SSL, the same type of encryption that Gmail uses to protect your emails while they're in transit.

Is Gmail still the best email? ›

If you are looking for the best free option, Gmail's free service is the industry leader, and for good reason. Not only does it come with a healthy 15GB of storage, but you can also manage other email accounts from your Gmail interface and easily filter messages into categories for reference.

What's the safest email account to have? ›

Top private, encrypted, and secure email services
  • AdGuard Temp Mail. AdGuard Temp Mail is a new temporary email service from AdGuard, a renowned expert in online security and ad blocking. ...
  • ProtonMail. ...
  • Tutanota. ...
  • Hushmail. ...
  • Mailfence. ...
  • Posteo. ...
  • Runbox. ...
  • Zoho Mail.
Aug 18, 2023

What is the disadvantage of Gmail? ›

Gmail's storage limit is 15 GB. This may seem like a lot of space, but it can fill up quickly if you receive many large emails or attachments. If you exceed your storage limit, you cannot send or receive emails until you free up some space. Gmail scans your emails for spam and phishing.

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