Gmail became the world’s most popular email provider, surpassing Hotmail in 2012 It has not lost its crown since. The service has more than 1.5 billion registered users today.
Yahoo Mail is the other free email service that you can trust. Yahoo Mail is still a well-known global brand.
What about other free email services? Here’s a list with the top email services that you can choose from if you don’t need a Yahoo or Gmail account.
1. Microsoft Outlook
Outlook terminology can be confusing. Microsoft has not done a good job distinguishing between its free email accounts and its Office 365 app. You don’t have to worry about the details if you only need a free email address. Simply go to Outlook.com to sign up for an @ Outlook.com account.
Yahoo has been surpassed by the service to make it the second most favored free email provider worldwide. An Outlook account offers many benefits. It’s fully integrated into Windows 10’s operating system because it’s managed by Microsoft. It integrates seamlessly with Outlook Office 365.
You can choose to use the desktop or web client. 16 percent of all emails are opened using one of these apps.
2. GMX Mail
GMX Mail, a subsidiary of United Internet is one of Germany’s most important internet service providers. Although the free mail service is gaining popularity in recent years, it has been available since 1997.
It is still a top ten free email provider in terms of users despite only 15 million monthly active users. This is a remarkable statistic that reveals the unassailable popularity and use of services such as Gmail, Yahoo!, and Outlook.
Feature-wise you can expect 1GB file storage, a 50MB limit on attachments, and support both POP and IMAP . It also offers 65GB email storage, which is sufficient to ensure that you never run out. It does not have an RSS reader or a conversation view.
3. Zoho Mail
Zoho Mail is among the newest providers. It has been around since October 2008.
The service quickly grew to be one of the most popular free email services outside of the Gmail, Yahoo!, and Outlook troika. It’s been able to grow to over 12 million users within a few years thanks to its ad-free webclient (even for users who are not paying).
You’d expect everything from a free email service, such as multi-level folders and conversation views, drag-and drop inbox organization, filters, and drag-and-drop messaging. Zoho Mail allows you to set up email at any domain for free. However, an integrated video chat tool is missing.
Zoho Mail is part a larger suite of office productivity tools. Zoho Docs, a Microsoft Office alternative, is closely integrated to the service. It allows you to create, edit and collaborate on text, spreadsheet, and presentation documents.
4. iCloud
Apple’s attempt to offer free email through iCloud. Most Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod users have an account. iCloud is a cloud service that provides a holistic view of your data. It is the foundation of other Apple services like Photo Stream, Keychain and Find My iPhone. Mail is only one aspect of the app.
Although the app has 850 million users, it is not clear how many are using @ iCloud.com emails addresses.
iCloud works seamlessly with both iOS and macOS’ default Apple mail client, Outlook.com. You can add as many email providers as you wish to the mobile app. You can only access your @ email address via the web client.
All iCloud users receive 5GB free storage. You can also store documents, photos, and any other data. Emails you receive will count towards the limit. If iCloud is your preferred provider, you may need to pay more storage.
5. AOL Email
AOL Mail is the granddad in free email services. It was launched in March 1993. This makes it three years older that Hotmail, four year older than Yahoo Mail and nearly ten years younger than Gmail.
It is a very old product with a large user base. However, these numbers have been declining in recent years. It had 50 million monthly active users in 2006 and was the third-largest global email provider as of 2010. The number of active users today is less than 5 million.
AOL Mail is a well-known brand with millions of users. However, it’s not advisable to rush to sign up. Recent research has shown that there is an “email bias”. Employers are less likely to hire someone if they have an AOL/Hotmail account. This suggests that you are stuck in 1996.
6. ProtonMail
ProtonMail, although a relative newcomer in the email world, has quickly become a well-known provider due to its strong emphasis on confidentiality.
CERN in Switzerland was the place where the company was established in 2014. It is still registered in the country. It is therefore eligible for Switerzland’s Federal Data Protection Act (and Federal Data Protection Ordinance) which offer some of the most robust privacy protections anywhere in the world.
ProtonMail uses client-side encryption to protect the content of a message before it hits its own servers. ProtonMail’s systems are designed so that the company doesn’t have access to your messages.
This eliminates the possibility that the provider will be forced to give the email contents to third parties. This is a completely different approach than the one used by mainstream providers such as Gmail or Outlook.
Other features include no registration information, no tracking and logging, and self-destructing emails. If you like the idea of secure email services, take a look.
Which email provider do you prefer?
Which alternative is better than Yahoo and Gmail? Although each has its own benefits, they all share the same theme: being popular with certain subsets.
It all depends on what operating system you are using, which apps you use and what features you value. It is a good idea to try out a few services before you make a decision.
