The most private email services
A private email service does not read, sell or advertise against your mail, keeps as little data as possible, and proves it with public code, audits and clear policies. Every service below is scored against the same public criteria, with a link to evidence for every answer and automated tests of its mail and web servers.
Services funded by advertising are left out of this list. See all email providers for the full comparison, including Gmail and Outlook.com.
1. Forward Email Grade A Our pick
Open-source email service with encrypted mailboxes, custom domains, and IMAP, POP3, SMTP, CalDAV and CardDAV on every paid plan.
Why it is our pick: The whole service is published on GitHub, server code included. Each mailbox is a separately encrypted SQLite file, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, CalDAV and CardDAV work with any app, and custom domains are included on low-cost plans.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Score 93/100.
2. mailbox.org Grade C
Paid email, calendar and office service from Berlin, Germany, with built-in PGP encryption and support for custom domains.
Based in Germany (Fourteen Eyes). Score 70/100.
3. StartMail Grade C
Paid email service from the Netherlands with built-in PGP encryption, unlimited aliases and custom domains.
Based in the Netherlands (Nine Eyes). Score 66/100.
4. Kolab Now Grade C
Paid email and groupware service from Apheleia IT in Switzerland, built on the open-source Kolab platform, with calendars, contacts, files and video calls.
Based in Switzerland. Score 64/100.
5. Proton Mail Grade C
End-to-end encrypted email service from Switzerland, with apps for web, Android, iOS and desktop.
Based in Switzerland. Score 64/100.
6. CounterMail Grade C
Paid email service in Sweden that encrypts mail with OpenPGP and stores it encrypted. New registrations are closed.
Based in Sweden (Fourteen Eyes). Score 62/100.
7. Posteo Grade C
Paid, ad-free email service from Germany that runs without collecting names or addresses and accepts anonymous payment.
Based in Germany (Fourteen Eyes). Score 62/100.
8. Tuta Grade C
End-to-end encrypted email and calendar service from Germany, with open-source apps for web, desktop and mobile.
Based in Germany (Fourteen Eyes). Score 61/100.
9. Disroot Grade D
Volunteer-run platform from the Netherlands offering email and other open services.
Based in the Netherlands (Nine Eyes). Score 59/100.
10. Riseup Grade D
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.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Score 59/100.
11. Purelymail Grade D
Low-cost email hosting from the United States with custom domains, standard protocols and mail stored encrypted with the user's password.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Score 55/100.
12. Mailfence Grade D
Email service from Belgium with built-in OpenPGP encryption and signing, plus calendar, contacts and document storage.
Based in Belgium (Fourteen Eyes). Score 54/100.
13. Infomaniak Mail Grade D
Email service from Swiss company Infomaniak, with free ik.me addresses and paid hosting for custom domains, plus web and mobile apps.
Based in Switzerland. Score 53/100.
14. Fastmail Grade D
Paid email service from Australia with custom domains and standard protocols.
Based in Australia (Five Eyes). Score 50/100.
15. Runbox Grade D
Paid email service from Norway with custom domain hosting, standard protocols and an open-source webmail app.
Based in Norway (Nine Eyes). Score 49/100.
16. iCloud Mail Grade D
Email service included with every Apple Account, with @icloud.com addresses and custom domains for iCloud+ subscribers.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Score 47/100.
17. Zoho Mail Grade D
Email service from Zoho for businesses and individuals, with custom domains, calendar and contacts, and an ad-free free plan.
Based in India. Score 45/100.
18. GoDaddy Email Grade F
Business email for custom domains sold by GoDaddy. It runs on Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online), with Outlook webmail and apps.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Score 39/100.
19. Namecheap Private Email Grade F
Paid email hosting from Namecheap for custom domains, with webmail, calendar and standard protocol access.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Score 36/100.
20. Migadu Grade F
Swiss email hosting service for custom domains, priced by usage rather than per mailbox, with standard IMAP, POP3 and SMTP access.
Based in Switzerland. Score 35/100.
How this list is made
Entries are ranked with our picks first, then by score against public criteria. Every answer links to evidence, and hosted services are tested automatically. Only entries answering no ads or data sales with evidence are included. The list updates when ratings change.
Compare all: email providers. Criteria and scoring.
Questions
What is the most private email service?
The most private services encrypt stored mail, publish their code, have no ads or trackers, and have been independently audited. The list above is ranked by those criteria, with our picks first. Check the evidence for the features you need.
Is Gmail private?
Gmail scans mail for spam and security, uses account activity across Google services for advertising, and does not encrypt stored mail with a key only you hold. See the full Gmail rating and private alternatives to Gmail.
Does jurisdiction matter for private email?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. The data it can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Each rating shows the country, Eyes alliance membership and whether the CLOUD Act applies.