this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2025
120 points (98.4% liked)

Privacy

43464 readers
780 users here now

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] timmytbt@sh.itjust.works 57 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Have a look at Proton and Tuta (used to be Tutanova)

[–] GreyCat@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] timmytbt@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 weeks ago

Oops. Correct 👍

[–] Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 54 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

EMAIL PROVIDERS:

  1. Posteo - Their choice of domain
  2. Mailbox - Custom domain, free trial
  3. Runbox - Custom domain, free trial

DEFINITELY FREE TIERS:

  1. Tuta - Focused on security and resisting influence, but incoming mail can only be accessed by the Tuta client (because of their e2ee)
  2. GMX - Apparently has ads
  3. Zoho - Business focused
  4. Proton - Feels walled garden-esque, has one email for free, may cooperate with governments
[–] TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.ca 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Been with Posteo for years now. They're very solid.

[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 7 points 3 weeks ago

I've been with Mailbox for years now too. Also very solid.

[–] majster@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 weeks ago

I'm using runbox with custom domain. No issues.

[–] PiraHxCx@lemmy.ml 32 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Afaik, Proton and Tuta are the only free ones with zero-knowledge encryption

[–] Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Proton allows only one free email address, which is what taught me to be wary of unexpected restrictions on services. I've got to say the only one I trust fully is my own, with complete certainty of security and features are all only limited by the hardware. Whenever someone talks about paying per month to get more addresses, aliases, calendar or storage - nah. Self-host. DuckDuckGo email is a good firewall layer as well - it forwards all mail to your chosen actual address after trying its best to strip the mail of trackers.

[–] PiraHxCx@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago

Login into Proton-Pass for 10 free aliases... but, it doesn't require your ID or anything to create an email, you can create how many you want :S

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Feddinat0r@feddit.org 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I am using mailbox.org for years now.

[–] Cricket@lemmy.zip 10 points 3 weeks ago

One thing to consider about mailbox.org is that if you don't use your own custom domain and keep an @mailbox.org address (which afaik is considered a best practice for privacy because it lets you "hide" in the crowd), if you decide to move on later they will make your old address available to others later.

[–] Jerry@feddit.online 19 points 3 weeks ago

Proton Mail, Tuta mail, runbox.com, to name three.

[–] DieserTypMatthias@lemmy.ml 15 points 3 weeks ago

Proton mail.

[–] glitzer_gadze@feddit.org 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Cricket@lemmy.zip 8 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I considered them, but had a problem with two things about them: they both a) don't allow custom domains (which is fine for privacy) and b) recycle email addresses, meaning that if you move on later they will make your old email address available to others.

[–] Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's going to be very interesting with persistent spam senders.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago
[–] solrize@lemmy.ml 9 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

I've been using fastmail.com for a long time and am satisfied, though it's on the expensive side and I haven't looked into every alternative.

If you want cheap email hosting for your own domain, mxroute.com has been around for a while and cranemail.com is new, but both are small companies run by people who know what they are doing (online acquaintances of mine if that matters).

[–] antithetical@lemmy.deedium.nl 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

For my own domains I'm using Migadu since they support unlimited domains per account. Quite happy with them..

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
[–] herseycokguzelolacak@lemmy.ml 9 points 3 weeks ago

proton.me is not bad.

[–] Libb@piefed.social 9 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

'Safe' is a bit too vague: what are you looking for?

  • If you just need an email that doesn't belong to GAFAM and is not subjected to US privacy-less laws but need no extra security (no end to end encryption): Infomaniak KSuite(Swiss) is available both as a free plan (20GB email + 15GB Cloud free) and as a paid version (unlimited email storage and 1To Cloud). They also offer just the email, if you don't need cloud: Kmail ;) . There is also mailbox.org (Germany)
  • End to end encryption: Tuta (German), Proton (Swiss).

Edit: moved mailbox out of the E2EE section.

[–] UnsavoryMollusk@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)
[–] TheAgeOfSuperboredom@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 weeks ago

I've started using Disroot recently and I'm satisfied so far.

[–] JASN_DE@feddit.org 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Like, preferably not spied on like with Gmail or whatever the MS one is.

[–] liliumstar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 weeks ago

Purelymail. Really good and cheap it all you need is email. No extra cost to bring your own domain.

[–] sidebro@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

I've been using Tuta for almost two years now and I can't recommend it enough. It's really good. Check out tutanota@lemmy.world or https://tuta.com/

It's hosted in Germany and is very privacy-focused

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)
[–] Cricket@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

I'm far from a privacy expert, but here are some things that I have been considering while researching this for myself:

  • Zero-knowledge encryption providers like Proton and Tuta are great for privacy at the expense of convenience, like possibly not being able to use common IMAP email clients. Proton has a bridge app for their paid plans that allows this on Windows and Mac but not ~~Linux or~~ mobile, and last time I checked, Tuta doesn't have this on any platform. This means that your email can only be accessed from their client, and more importantly, if a bridge app is not available for your provider on your preferred platform, all your email will be stuck in your mailbox forever with no ability to archive locally.
  • What are the privacy, security, and law enforcement/intelligence cooperation policies of the provider and country where the provider's legal entity and IT infrastructure are located? If located in a country with bad policies, spying on your email is much easier, especially if it's not a zero-knowledge encryption provider.
  • While using the provider's own domain for your address is better than using a custom domain, most providers appear to have a policy of making your address available to others after you leave them. Mailbox, Posteo, and Fastmail do this. One of the only providers I've found that has a policy of not doing this is Runbox.
  • Does the provider have a good reputation for email deliverability? This is a tricky one that requires some research. First, look at the provider's DMARC policies with a tool like DMARC Check Tool. Mailbox and Runbox appear to pass all tests, but Posteo and Fastmail fail the DMARC quarantine/reject policy test, which apparently makes it easier to spoof your email and could make your emails less likely to be delivered. Also search the web for comments on users' experience with email delivery, like " email delivery issues", to find out what people have said.
[–] chonomaiwokurae@sopuli.xyz 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Proton bridge is available for Linux as well.

[–] Cricket@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 weeks ago

Thanks for the correction, I didn't see it mentioned on their page. I've edited my post.

[–] zeca@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Not a recomendation... i just like to recall that it seems pointless to me to use a private/secure mail provider just to end up communicating with gmail users. There are other private/secure means of communication over the internet, just not so much through emails.

[–] Tenderizer78@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Proton Mail is good, just don't use the paid version of any Proton service. The paid version will delete your email address if you don't keep up with payments.

You can get a lifetime subscription to Proton Pass sometimes, and that's what I did. I suspect that may protect my account from deletion due to inactivity if I'm picked up by ICE or hit by a car and put in a coma (just examples, I'm not American). I'm not sure if it has that effect though.

[–] pika@lemmy.today 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The paid version will delete your email address if you don't keep up with payments.

I emailed them a little over a year ago about this because the terms of service were unclear. I was told by support that my main address wouldn't be deleted, but I would be moved down to the free tier in every way -- so I would lose my extra addresses and aliases, as well as extra storage space. I was also told that there was a 30-day grace period in case my renewal payment didn't go through for some reason.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] rammjet@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

I can't attest to privacy, but I have used Zoho for years with my domains.

load more comments
view more: next ›