ProtonMail Free
ProtonMail.com is an email service with a focus on privacy, encryption, security, and ease of use. They have been in operation since 2013. ProtonMail is based in Genève, Switzerland. Accounts start with 500 MB storage with their free plan.
Free accounts have some limitations and do not allow the use of the ProtonMail Bridge, which is required to use a recommended email client (e.g. Thunderbird) or to search email by body text. Paid accounts are available starting at €48/Year which include features like ProtonMail Bridge, additional storage, custom domain support, and more. The webmail and mobile apps can only search To:, From:, Date: and Subject: (this is likely to change when v4.0 of ProtonMail is released).
Domains and Aliases
Paid ProtonMail users can use their own domain with the service. Catch-all addresses are supported with custom domains for Professional and Visionary plans. ProtonMail also supports subaddressing, which is useful for users who don't want to purchase a domain.
Payment Methods
ProtonMail accepts Bitcoin in addition to accepting credit/debit cards and PayPal.
Account Security
ProtonMail supports TOTP two factor authentication only. The use of a U2F security key is not yet supported. ProtonMail is planning to implement U2F upon completion of their Single Sign On (SSO) code.
Data Security
ProtonMail has zero access encryption at rest for your emails, address book contacts, and calendars. This means the messages and other data stored in your account are only readable by you.
Email Encryption
ProtonMail has integrated OpenPGP encryption in their webmail. Emails to other ProtonMail users are encrypted automatically, and encryption to non-ProtonMail users with a OpenPGP key can be enabled easily in your account settings. They also allow you to encrypt messages to non-ProtonMail users without the need for them to sign up for a ProtonMail account or use software like OpenPGP.
ProtonMail also supports the discovery of public keys via HTTP from their Web Key Directory (WKD). This allows users outside of ProtonMail to find the OpenPGP keys of ProtonMail users easily, for cross-provider E2EE.
.onion Service
ProtonMail is accessible via Tor at protonirockerxow.onion.
Extra Functionality
ProtonMail offers a "Visionary" account for €24/Month, which also enables access to ProtonVPN in addition to providing multiple accounts, domains, aliases, and extra storage.
Mailbox.org €12/Year
Mailbox.org is an email service with a focus on being secure, ad-free, and privately powered by 100% eco-friendly energy. They have been in operation since 2014. Mailbox.org is based in Berlin, Germany. Accounts start with 2 GB of storage, which can be upgraded as needed.
Domains and Aliases
Mailbox.org lets users use their own domain and they support catch-all addresses. Mailbox.org also supports subaddressing, which is useful for users who don't want to purchase a domain.
Payment Methods
Mailbox.org doesn't accept Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrencies as a result of their payment processor BitPay suspending operations in Germany. However, they do accept Cash by mail, cash payment to bank account, bank transfer, credit card, PayPal and couple of German-specific processors: paydirekt and Sofortüberweisung.
Account Security
Mailbox.org supports two factor authentication for their webmail only. You can use either TOTP or a Yubikey via the Yubicloud. Web standards such as U2F and WebAuthn are not yet supported.
Data Security
Mailbox.org allows for encryption of incoming mail using their encrypted mailbox. New messages that you receive will then be immediately encrypted with your public key. This only protects message content while at rest so you should request that the sender encrypt the email message before sending in order to ensure confidentiality.
However, Open-Exchange, the software platform used by Mailbox.org, does not support the encryption of your address book and calendar. A standalone option may be more appropriate for that information.
Email Encryption
Mailbox.org has integrated E2EE encryption in their webmail, which simplifies sending messages to users with public OpenPGP keys. They also allow remote recipients to decrypt an email on Mailbox.org's servers. This feature is useful when the remote recipient does not have OpenPGP and cannot decrypt a copy of the email in their own mailbox.
Mailbox.org also supports the discovery of public keys via HTTP from their Web Key Directory (WKD). This allows users outside of Mailbox.org to find the OpenPGP keys of Mailbox.org users easily, for cross-provider E2EE.
.onion Service
You can access your Mailbox.org account via IMAP/SMTP using their .onion service. However, their webmail interface cannot be accessed via their .onion service, and users may experience TLS certificate errors.
Extra Functionality
All accounts come with limited cloud storage that can be encrypted. Mailbox.org also offers the alias @secure.mailbox.org, which enforces the TLS encryption on the connection between mail servers, otherwise the message will not be sent at all.
Posteo €12/Year
Posteo.de is an email provider that focuses on anonymous, secure, and private email. Their servers are powered by 100% sustainable energy. They have been in operation since 2009. Posteo is based in Germany and has a free 14-day trial. Posteo comes with 2 GB for the monthly cost and an extra gigabyte can be purchased for €0.25 per month.
Domains and Aliases
Posteo does not allow the use of custom domains, however users may still make use of subaddressing.
Payment Methods
Posteo does not accept Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies as a form of payment, however they do accept cash-by-mail. They also accept credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and PayPal, and claim that PII (personally identifiable information) that they receive in connection with these payment methods is not linked to your account.
Account Security
Posteo supports two factor authentication for their webmail only. You can use either TOTP a Yubikey with TOTP. Web standards such as U2F and WebAuthn are not yet supported.
Data Security
Posteo has zero access encryption for email storage. This means the messages stored in your account are only readable by you.
Posteo also supports the encryption of your address book contacts and calendars at rest. However, Posteo still uses standard CalDAV and CardDAV for calendars and contacts. These protocols do not support E2EE (End-To-End Encryption). A standalone option may be more appropiate.
Email Encryption
Posteo has integrated encryption in their webmail, which simplifies sending messages to users with public OpenPGP keys. They also support the discovery of public keys via HTTP from their Web Key Directory (WKD). This allows users outside of Posteo to find the OpenPGP keys of Posteo users easily, for cross-provider E2EE.
.onion Service
Posteo does not operate a .onion service.
Extra Functionality
Posteo allows users to set up their own mailing lists. Each account can create one list for free.
Soverin €29/Year
Soverin.net is an email provider which focuses on being private, ad-free, and powered by sustainable energy. They have been in operation since 2015. Soverin is based in Amsterdam and does not have a free trial. Accounts start at 25 GB.
Domains and Aliases
Soverin lets users use their own domain. Soverin users can also use catch-all and aliases for domains they own. Soverin also allows for subaddressing, which is useful for users who don't want to purchase a domain.
Payment Methods
Soverin accepts Bitcoin as payment. They also accept credit/debit cards, PayPal, and the Netherlands-specific payment gateway iDEAL.
Account Security
Soverin supports TOTP two factor authentication for webmail only. They do not allow U2F security key authentication.
Data Security
Soverin has encryption at rest however it doesn't appear to be "zero access", meaning it is technically possible for them to decrypt the data they have.
Soverin also uses the standard CalDAV and CardDAV protocols for calendars and contacts, which do not support E2EE. A standalone option may be more appropriate.
Email Encryption
Soverin has integrated encryption in their webmail, which simplifies sending messages to users. However, Soverin has not integrated a Web Key Directory (WKD) for users on their platform.
.onion Service
Soverin does not operate a .onion service.
Extra Functionality
Soverin also providers users with space for a personal webpage.
Disroot Free
Disroot offers email amongst other services. The service is maintained by volunteers and its community. They have been in operation since 2015. Disroot is based in Amsterdam. Disroot is free and uses open source software such as Rainloop to provide service. Users support the service through donations and buying extra storage. The mailbox limit is 1 GB, but extra storage can be purchased 0.15€ per GB per month paid yearly.
Domains and Aliases
Disroot lets users use their own domain. They have aliases, however you must manually apply for them.
Payment Methods
Disroot accepts Bitcoin and Faircoin as payment methods. They also accept PayPal, direct bank deposit, and Patreon payments. Disroot is a not-for-profit organization that also accepts donations through Liberapay, Flattr, and Monero, but these payment methods cannot be used to purchase services.
Account Security
Disroot supports TOTP two factor authentication for webmail only. They do not allow U2F security key authentication.
Data Security
Disroot uses full disk encryption. However, it doesn't appear to be "zero access", meaning it is technically possible for them to decrypt the data they have.
Disroot also uses the standard CalDAV and CardDAV protocols for calendars and contacts, which do not support E2EE. A standalone option may be more appropriate.
Email Encryption
Disroot allows for encrypted emails to be sent from their webmail application using OpenPGP. However, Disroot has not integrated a Web Key Directory (WKD) for users on their platform.
.onion Service
Disroot does not operate a .onion service.
Extra Functionality
They offer other services such as NextCloud, XMPP Chat, Etherpad, Ethercalc, Pastebin, Online polls and a Gitea instance. They also have an app available in F-Droid.
Tutanota Free
Tutanota.com is an email service with a focus on security and privacy through the use of encryption. Tutanota has been in operation since 2011 and is based in Hanover, Germany. Accounts start with 1GB storage with their free plan.
Tutanota doesn't allow the use of third-party email clients. There are plans to allow Tutanota pull email from external email accounts using the IMAP protocol. Email import is currently not possible.
Emails can be exported individually or by bulk selection. Tutanota does not allow for subfolders as you might expect with other email providers.
Tutanota is working on a desktop client and they have an app available in F-Droid. They also have their app in conventional stores such as App Store on iOS and Google Play for Android.
Domains and Aliases
Paid Tutanota accounts can use up to 5 aliases and custom domains. Tutanota doesn't allow for subaddressing (plus addresses), but you can use a catch-all with a custom domain.
Payment Methods
Tutanota accepts only credit cards and PayPal.
Account Security
Tutanota supports two factor authentication. Users can either use TOTP or U2F. U2F support is not yet available on Android.
Data Security
Tutanota has zero access encryption at rest for your emails, address book contacts, and calendars. This means the messages and other data stored in your account are only readable by you.
Email Encryption
Tutanota does not use OpenPGP. Tutanota users can only receive encrypted emails when external users send them through a temporary Tutanota mailbox.
Tutanota does have plans to support AutoCrypt. This would allow for external users to send encrypted emails to Tutanota users as long as their email client supports the AutoCrypt headers.
.onion Service
Tutanota does not operate a .onion service but may consider it in the future.
Extra Functionality
Tutanota offers the business version of Tutanota to non-profit organizations for free or with a heavy discount.
Tutanota also has a business feature called Secure Connect. This ensures customer contact to the business uses E2EE. The feature costs €240/year.