Discover the Leading Substitutes for Gmail - Top 8 Picks Revealed

Gmail is a popular email service provider, but an alternative email account might serve your needs better for privacy protection, data security, and other concerns. Here’s a look at our favorite Gmail alternatives and how each compares to Google’s service.

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Best for Sensitive Content: Hushmail

What We Like

• Sends encrypted emails.
• Supports your own domain names.
• Support for signing documents.

What We Don’t Like

• Overkill for many users.
• It’s not free.

Do you send a lot of sensitive files and documents? Hushmail prides itself on being a service many professionals use because of its encrypted security features and contract support. The latter means you can send through documents and use electronic signatures on contracts within the app, providing peace of mind.

It’s a bit over the top for the average user who wants to use an alternate email service, but it’s worthwhile for those looking for some high-end security. You can tie it into any domain name you own, too, so you won’t have to worry about an ugly email address. 10GB storage is a good starting point, too.

Visit Hushmail

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Best for Security: ProtonMail

What We Like

• Highly secure.
• Free option.
• Easy to use.

What We Don’t Like

• Paid service has the most features.
• Limited customer support on free service.

Read our Proton Mail Review

Over the years, ProtonMail has built up a reputation for being highly secure. Thanks to its end-to-end encryption feature and tightened password protection services, it’s often considered one of the most secure ways to send emails.

For free, you get 500MB of storage space with a limit of 150 messages per day, so the Plus service for a few dollars a month is superior. With the paid service, you can set up folders, labels, custom filters, and better customer support. Whatever you choose, though, ProtonMail is very secure. With a priority on security, you won’t have to worry about anyone accessing your emails. Even ProtonMail itself can’t read them.

Visit ProtonMail

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Best for iOS users: iCloud Mail

What We Like

• Apple users already have an account.
• Easy to use.
• Free.

What We Don’t Like

• Not available to Android users.

Read our iCloud Mail review

Own an iPhone or Mac? You almost certainly already have an iCloud email address from signing up for various services. The iCloud.com domain name could be more exciting, but it is free and convenient. The interface looks like a simpler version of Gmail, making it all the easier to use. That’s reflected in its features, which include no mention of solid encryption or anything more than the basics.

You only get 5GB of free iCloud storage, but it’s a decent plan entirely for free. Tied into all your Apple devices, you won’t have to worry about complex setups. It’s the perfect starting place for Apple owners to change email providers.

Visit iCloud

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Best for Personalization: Mail.com

What We Like

• Lots of choices for domain names.
• 30MB attachment limit.
• Spam filter.

What We Don’t Like

• Only 2GB storage on free plan.
• No POP3 support.

Read our Mail.com review

Mail.com is one of the oldest email services and has very cool personalization features. That’s down to the ability to choose from a vast selection of domains for your email address. You don’t have to be stuck with an @mail.com domain. Instead, you can reflect your personality with fun options like elvisfan.com, graduate.com, or techie.com.

The free plan works for many, but if you want more flexibility, like the ability to send emails from different apps or providers through POP3 support , you’ll need to pay. Mail.com also only has a 2GB file storage limit. Still, if you’re only planning on exchanging messages, the domain names are a great way to have a little fun. It’s ideal for a frivolous account.

Visit Mail.com

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Simplest to Use: Outlook

What We Like

• Simple interface.
• Integrates with Windows.
• Syncing options.

What We Don’t Like

• Low file size limit.
• Low storage.

Read our Microsoft Outlook review

The Windows equivalent of iCloud, Outlook keeps things simple. Its interface is straightforward, making it perfect for novices and those who want to send a few emails. It integrates with Windows well, so it’s an endearing product for an extensive Windows user. It also syncs your calendar, contacts, OneDrive, and OneNote, tying itself neatly into your daily activities.

As an email service, though, it’s sometimes a bit basic. It only has 5GB of storage, which isn’t the lowest here, but it still could be better. Also, you can only send files up to 5MB in size. For convenience, though, Windows users can’t go wrong here.

Visit Outlook

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Most Minimalist: Fastmail

What We Like

• Ad-free.
• Simple interface.
• Good spam filter.

What We Don’t Like

• Limited features.
• Not free.

Read our Fastmail review

Want an entirely ad-free service? Fastmail is perfect for this. It’s simple to use, and you won’t have to worry about your emails being sold for targeted advertisements. Fastmail also offers great spam filters that work and keep the unwelcome content out.

You do need to pay for the privilege, though. It’s a relatively small monthly fee, depending on how much storage space you want, but it means you won’t be using this as a throwaway account. A free trial means you can try it out, and we love the minimalist themes involved. Everything from set up to signing in takes seconds, which is excellent.

Visit Fastmail

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Best for Space: GMX Mail

What We Like

• Huge storage space.
• Allows large attachments.
• Mobile apps.

What We Don’t Like

• No encryption.
• Need to enter more details than other services.
• Lots of ads.

Read our GMX and Mail.com review

GMX is an entirely free email service that’s supported by a lot of advertisements. That means it’s not immediately appealing, but it offers plenty of storage space. That’s because it allows you to store over half a million emails at any time and accepts attachments up to 50MB. That’s far superior to many other email providers and will be helpful if you’re a heavy user.

It also works across almost every platform imaginable with mobile apps. Other features include an online calendar, so you get Gmail-style features. You canadd email aliases to GMX if desired. For simple, non-essential email, GMX has it covered.

Visit GMX

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Best Themes: Yahoo Mail

What We Like

• Plenty of customization features.
• Easy to use interface.
• Large attachments allowed.

What We Don’t Like

• Spam issues.
• Lots of ads.

Yahoo Mail is straightforward to use. Its interface is the closest to Gmail’s, ideal for simply sending a few emails. It also has plenty of different themes available, so you can get the interface looking just how you like it.

Yahoo Mail also allows up to 1000GB of emails and attachments up to 100MB, which is impressive.

Where it falters is its spam issues. Due to its age and mediocre spam filters, you’re liable to receive a lot of spam through the service. It’s also pretty heavy on ad content, which isn’t great.

Visit Yahoo Mail

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