# Best email services

Every email service we rate, ranked by public privacy and security criteria, with evidence, jurisdictions and live mail server tests.

The best email service depends on what you need, but privacy and security are easy to compare when every answer links to evidence. This ranking covers every email provider we rate, including mainstream services, scored on the same public criteria.

1. [Forward Email](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/forward-email/) (our pick): A (93/100). Open-source email service with encrypted mailboxes, custom domains, and IMAP, POP3, SMTP, CalDAV and CardDAV on every paid plan.
2. [mailbox.org](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/mailbox-org/): C (70/100). Paid email, calendar and office service from Berlin, Germany, with built-in PGP encryption and support for custom domains.
3. [StartMail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/startmail/): C (66/100). Paid email service from the Netherlands with built-in PGP encryption, unlimited aliases and custom domains.
4. [Kolab Now](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/kolab-now/): C (64/100). Paid email and groupware service from Apheleia IT in Switzerland, built on the open-source Kolab platform, with calendars, contacts, files and video calls.
5. [Proton Mail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/protonmail/): C (64/100). End-to-end encrypted email service from Switzerland, with apps for web, Android, iOS and desktop.
6. [CounterMail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/countermail/): C (62/100). Paid email service in Sweden that encrypts mail with OpenPGP and stores it encrypted. New registrations are closed.
7. [Posteo](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/posteo/): C (62/100). Paid, ad-free email service from Germany that runs without collecting names or addresses and accepts anonymous payment.
8. [Tuta](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/tuta/): C (61/100). End-to-end encrypted email and calendar service from Germany, with open-source apps for web, desktop and mobile.
9. [Disroot](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/disroot/): D (59/100). Volunteer-run platform from the Netherlands offering email and other open services.
10. [Riseup](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/riseup/): D (59/100). Email, mailing list and VPN service run by an autonomous tech collective in Seattle for activists and social movements. Accounts need an invite, and the service is funded by donations.
11. [Purelymail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/purelymail/): D (55/100). Low-cost email hosting from the United States with custom domains, standard protocols and mail stored encrypted with the user's password.
12. [Mailfence](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/mailfence/): D (54/100). Email service from Belgium with built-in OpenPGP encryption and signing, plus calendar, contacts and document storage.
13. [Infomaniak Mail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/infomaniak-mail/): D (53/100). Email service from Swiss company Infomaniak, with free ik.me addresses and paid hosting for custom domains, plus web and mobile apps.
14. [Fastmail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/fastmail/): D (50/100). Paid email service from Australia with custom domains and standard protocols.
15. [Runbox](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/runbox/): D (49/100). Paid email service from Norway with custom domain hosting, standard protocols and an open-source webmail app.
16. [iCloud Mail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/icloud-mail/): D (47/100). Email service included with every Apple Account, with @icloud.com addresses and custom domains for iCloud+ subscribers.
17. [Zoho Mail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/zoho-mail/): D (45/100). Email service from Zoho for businesses and individuals, with custom domains, calendar and contacts, and an ad-free free plan.
18. [Gmail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/gmail/): D (41/100). Google's free email service. Mail is stored and processed on Google's servers, and Google Workspace offers it for business domains.
19. [GoDaddy Email](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/godaddy-email/): F (39/100). Business email for custom domains sold by GoDaddy. It runs on Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online), with Outlook webmail and apps.
20. [Namecheap Private Email](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/namecheap-private-email/): F (36/100). Paid email hosting from Namecheap for custom domains, with webmail, calendar and standard protocol access.
21. [Outlook.com](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/outlook-com/): F (36/100). Microsoft's free email service, also used for Hotmail and Live addresses.
22. [Migadu](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/migadu/): F (35/100). Swiss email hosting service for custom domains, priced by usage rather than per mailbox, with standard IMAP, POP3 and SMTP access.
23. [GandiMail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/gandi-mail/): F (34/100). Paid email hosting for custom domains from Gandi, a French domain registrar, with SOGo and Roundcube webmail and standard protocol access.
24. [HEY](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/hey/): F (32/100). Paid email service from 37signals with a screening-based inbox and its own apps. Works only through the HEY apps, without IMAP or POP3.
25. [GMX](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/gmx/): F (31/100). Free, ad-supported email service from 1&1 Mail & Media in Germany, with webmail, mobile apps, calendar and cloud storage.
26. [Titan](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/titan/): F (31/100). Business email service for custom domains, sold through hosting and domain providers rather than directly. Includes webmail, mobile apps and a free plan with fewer features.
27. [Yahoo Mail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/yahoo-mail/): F (30/100). Free, ad-supported email service from Yahoo with webmail and mobile apps. A paid Yahoo Mail Plus plan removes ads.
28. [123 Reg Email Hosting](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/123-reg-email/): F (27/100). Business email hosting for custom domains from 123 Reg, a UK domain and hosting company owned by GoDaddy. Mailboxes run on GoDaddy mail servers, with webmail and mobile apps.
29. [Mail.com](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/mail-com/): F (27/100). Free, ad-supported email service from 1&1 Mail & Media, part of United Internet, offering addresses on many domains such as mail.com and email.com. A paid Premium plan adds IMAP, POP3 and phone support.
30. [Yandex Mail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/yandex-mail/): F (26/100). Free, ad-supported email service from Yandex in Russia, part of Yandex 360 with calendar and cloud storage. Custom domains are available through Yandex 360 for Business.
31. [AOL Mail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/aol-mail/): F (22/100). Free, ad-supported email service from AOL, owned by Bending Spoons, with webmail and mobile apps. A paid subscription removes ads.

## Which email service is the best?

Our pick is listed first with the reason. For privacy, look for encrypted storage, open source, no ads and independent audits; for reliability, check the live tests of each service's mail servers.

Source: https://privacyratings.com/best-email-service/