Tired of email providers Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail spying on you and selling your data?
Say goodbye to those pesky ads [and prying eyes] with this list of secure email providers you can use for your personal and/or business enterprise. (In lieu of Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail.)
Security + Encryption + Privacy = Happy
Most of the email providers mentioned below offer secure, encrypted, private email accounts for personal and business use.
These types of providers don't track your activity, can't scan your emails, won't show advertisements, and never sell your information/data to third-party entities. Additionally, there are no back-doors or government surveillance 'behind the scenes.' For most, if not all, even these providers (themselves) cannot see your messages and data.
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ProtonMail -- Created by scientists, engineers, and developers from CERN. They don't store data in the cloud, and according to their website, "Our primary datacenter is located under 1000 meters of granite rock in a heavily guarded bunker which can survive a nuclear attack."
"As ProtonMail is outside of US and EU jurisdiction, only a court order from the Cantonal Court of Geneva or the Swiss Federal Supreme Court can compel us to release the extremely limited user information we have."
Proton Features:
Free option w/500MB storage and 150 emails per day.
Paid options start at $4.00/month for personal use.
Business plan options for $6.25/month per user.
Two-step verification.
Uses AES, RSA, and OpenPGP encryption.
You can use your own domain.
Report phishing option.
Self-destructing messages. (Meaning you can set an expiration time for your emails to be automatically deleted from the recipient’s inbox after a certain time.
Tutanota -- Based in Germany. Free encrypted email service w/information stored in highly secured data centers. Germany has some of the best policies to protect your privacy rights; such as strict data protection laws and the GDPR. According to the website, "The German constitution stresses the importance of freedom of expression and of the human right to privacy." Additionally, they also rely on 100% renewable energy, and boasts millions of users.
"We are building Tutanota to enable you to send free secure emails to anyone. To fight for our right to privacy - to protect journalists, whistleblowers and human rights activists around the world - this has been our mission since we have started building the free encrypted email service."
Tutanota Features:
Free for 1 user with 1GB of storage.
Paid options start from about $14 for personal use.
Two-step verification.
Business plan options.
Free for non-profit organizations.
You can use your own domain.
TorGuard -- (No relation to the Tor project.) Based in USA [Florida] users can communicate in privacy anywhere in the world. They offer "protection against attacks such as Man in the Middle Attacks and other exploits."
"By encrypting your email and using TorGuard, you can prevent marketing and advertisements from using, selling, and storing your data."
TorGuard Features:
10mb Free Offshore Email Storage
Secure G/PGP Email Encryption
Perfect Forward Secrecy
Works on all OS or Devices
24/7 Setup Help
Countermail -- Web-based service w/data centers located in Sweden. Offers access to your email any time, and anywhere in the world. As stated on the website, they use "a strong encryption protocol called OpenPGP, with 4096 bits encryption keys to protect your data."
"CounterMail's encryption works automatically and transparently, it requires no specialized computer skills or knowledge. If you are comfortable using services like Hotmail or Gmail, you will be comfortable using CounterMail's secure email!"
Countermail Features:
7-Days free trial.
Plans start at $29 for 6 months for 4000MB of storage. (Offers 12 & 24 month options.)
USB-key option. (Protection against keyloggers/ brute force attacks.)
OpenPGP encryption/ SSL-MITM.
Diskless web servers. (No hard drives -- Web server doesn't log IP-addresses.)
Compatible w/Android devices.
Anonymous email headers, and a password manager.
You can use your own domain name.
Windows, MacOS X and Linux support.
LuxSci -- Servers in the United States. Best for business users and professional accounts. Primary focus is a full email-based productivity suite, with encryption as a priority. Supports end-to-end encryption, has no setup required, and a plugin for Outlook users. LuxSci states they offer services such as, "Smart hosting from GSuite and Office365" as well as "Outlook Integration & Outlook Encryption"
"LuxSci email works with any email program on any computer or mobile device, including Outlook, Mac Mail, Thunderbird, and the default email programs in iOS and Android."
LuxSci Features:
Prices start at $1-10 per user/month (50 minimum) [for 500 G disk space].
Custom enterprise solutions.
DDOS Protection up to 100 Gbps.
Encrypted SAN storage arrays.
Use with any mobile device & Outlook.
Remote device wipe for compliance.
Apply encryption, DLP, etc.
HIPPA compliance.
Adaptive: TLS, portal pickup, PGP & S/MIME support.
Opt-in, Opt-out, & DLP encryption
Runbox -- Independent private company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Main product is email service Runbox Mail Manager (RMM). The website states that since launching in September 2000, "approximately 1,000,000 accounts have been served."
"We work to minimize our impact on the environment throughout our organization, we select “green” servers and hardware whenever possible, we have implemented a recycling policy, and we telecommute extensively."
Runbox Features:
30-Day Free Trial. [60-day full money back guarantee.]
Paid plans for personal and/or business use.
Payment methods include: Credit/debit cards, Bitcoin, PayPal, Money Orders, SWIFT/SEPA payments, and cash.
Integrated PGP encryption.
You can use your own domain.
Ad-free Webmail, spam and virus filtering, email consolidation, and filtering.
Access from any client via POP, IMAP, SMTP, and more.
End-to-end encryption.
Servers run on 100% renewable hydroelectricity energy.
Hushmail -- Privately held encryption email service corporation based in Canada. The website lists their core values as: "Relationships, Simplicity, Clarity, and Privacy. "
"Hushmail is like your current email service – you can read and compose your email on the web, smartphone, and everywhere you work – but we’ve added important security features to help keep your data safe."
Hushmail Features:
14-Day free trial offer (no credit card required).
$49.98 per year for 10GB of email storage.
Business plan options.
iOS app is available.
TLS/SSL, OpenPGP encryption
Two-factor authentication.
You can use your own domain.
Kolab Now -- Their website states, "All data is stored exclusively in Switzerland and protected by a unique combination of terms of services, law, operational principles and technology." They boast no ads, no surveillance, and the convenience of the cloud, all with a *30-day money back guarantee. (*see terms on website)
"Whether you are a business seeking to protect your trade secrets, a lawyer safeguarding attorney client privilege, or just a regular person with nothing to hide: Choosing Kolab Now may just be the smartest investment of the year."
Kolab Now Features:
Group accounts [1-100 users] from $5.42 per month.
Standard package includes SSL secured access via HTTP, POP, IMAP, CalDAV, CardDAV, and WebDAV.
Includes a calendar, address book, files, and more.
Two-step verifiication.
Mobile synchronization via ActiveSync.
No third-party access without a duly authorized judicial Swiss warrant.
Fines for spammers.
Mailfence -- Belgium based provider. Offers zero ads, no spam, no tracking, zero backdoors, and no government surveillance. Protected by strong privacy laws. Their website states they have taken the following measures: "double-checked every line of code, hardened our servers, worked hard to find a SSL certificate with no American certification authority involved in the certification chain (not that easy to find) and developed a unique and inter-operable End-to-end Encrypted email solution which includes digital signatures."
"Privacy is a right, not a feature. This is the founding principle of the Mailfence service."
Mailfence Features:
Free and Paid versions available. [Business plans also available.]
POPs, IMAPs, SMTPs, iOS, Android, Exchange.
Custom email domain.
Payment methods accepted: credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, Litecoin
Two-step verification.
OpenPGP end-to-end encryption on a secured infrastructure.
Digital email signatures prove authorship.
Includes spam blocker.
Contacts can be imported from Outlook, CSV file, vCard, LDIF, or Gmail.
Includes calendar and file storage for documents.
*Bonus: Donate 15% of the Pro plan revenues for Mailfence to support the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the European Digital Rights Foundation.
Posteo -- Founded in 2009 it is ad-free and self-financed. They back up their data daily, do not allow ads, and do not track activity. According to their website, even your payment for their service is secure and anonymous -- "You pay anonymously, regardless of whether this is by bank deposit, PayPal or in cash. We do not connect the information that we receive with payments to the email accounts and have anonymised all payment processes."
"We want to be a good employer: Posteo solely uses permanent full time contracts. We pay appropriate wages and do not demand overtime. Our employees can design their own work hours with flexibility. At Posteo, there is also a daily, free, organic-vegetarian lunch."
Posteo Features:
Anonymous signup. (No need to provide your name/address during registration.)
Anonymous payment for services. (PayPal, Credit Card, Bank Transfer.)
Two-step verification.
100% open-source code.
Spam & virus filter, and any emails sent won’t contain your IP address.
TLS-encrypted access – TLS with PFS for IMAP, POP3, webmail, CardDAV, and CalDAV)
AES encrypted hard disks.
One-Click encryption.
Daily data back-ups.
Calendar and address book encrypted.
Fetched by IMAP/POP3, 50 MB attachments.
Calendar and address book.
Uses 100% Greenpeace Energy
StartMail -- Last but certainly not least, based in the Netherlands and built by the creators of StartPage, they operate under Dutch privacy laws and regulations, which are among the strictest in the world, and their privacy policy reflects European standards. Built from scratch, they offer a one-stop total solution for email privacy. On their website, they state, "Advanced encryption technology already exists to stop hacking and mass surveillance, but making this technology user‐friendly was our challenge. It has easy‐to‐use ‘one‐click’ encryption, and a very clear privacy policy."
"Using StartMail, you can protect yourself against unwarranted intrusion and mass surveillance, and take back your right to communications privacy. Our core values include “privacy by design” and “minimal data retention”.
StartMail Features:
7-Day Free trial (No credit card required for trial.)
Personal accounts start at $59.95 per year. (10GB storage)
Business accounts start at $59.95 per mailbox per year.
Disposable/temporary email addresses. (Create temporary email addresses when you don’t want to share the real one.)
IMAP/SMTP compatible.
Based on mix of open-source and closed-source code.
One-click PGP encryption, security like PFS (TLS 1.1 & 1.2), and extra-secure vaults.
Easy set-up/no downloads.
You can use your own domain.
Cryptographic protocols like PBKDF2, HMAC, TLS and various PKCS standards.
Ad-free and no tracking.
Obfuscation of local IP addresses and hostnames.
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