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Do you need an email account and don’t want to pay for it? Sometimes “free” means great features, less hassle, and exactly what you need without the fluff. Here are six free email services to check out, ranked from best to excellent.
About our classification
If you search the web, you will find many lists of the best free email accounts. Of course, the truly best choice is subjective to the reader, except perhaps if you’re ranking for a particular attribute of the service, such as ease of use, security, or platform support. Even then, not everyone will agree that one attribute is the most important.
However, one thing that virtually all free email services have in common is a limited set of features compared to their expensive upgrades or paid alternative services. Additionally, each provider typically has a standout feature or offer that gives it an edge over its competitors.
So for our ranking, we list the free email accounts that give you the most profitability. Or, in this case, which provider gives you the most for free. You can review each list of features and determine which ones are important to you and your unique email needs.
1.Gmail
Gmail by Google is one of the best-known free email services for good reason. Google continues to improve its offerings for Gmail with new and improved features all the time.
RELATED: How to create a Gmail account
Gmail is at the top of this list due to its strong feature set. Email Scheduling? Yes. Remember email? Yes. But what else is there that makes Gmail such a winner? We’ll see.
notable features
- Automatic email filters
- confidential mode
- Smart compose and smart reply options
- Advanced search
- nudges to answer
- email translations
- postpone for later
- email templates
- Management of multiple email addresses.
- Customizable application interface
- Save attachments to Drive and images to Photos
- Integration with other Google applications
cons: Privacy concerns have increased over time for Google products, Gmail being one of them. Many users are concerned about email theft, lack of end-to-end encryption, and integration with other Google services making it easy for hackers to break in.
Use Gmail: Web, Android, iPhone (install a third-party app like Thunderbird for a desktop experience)
2. Outlook.com
You may think that you need Microsoft Office on your device to use Outlook. But Outlook.com is available with a free Microsoft account and accessible from any web browser.
RELATED: How to create a Microsoft account
While you may find limited features with Outlook.com compared to its desktop versions, you’ll still appreciate the many useful offerings you get for free.
notable features
- email scheduling
- Missing attachment reminders
- automatic rules
- message recovery
- clear conversations
- ignore conversations
- Important message alerts
- Mentions to highlight people
- email templates
- Management of multiple email addresses.
- Outlook Calendar integration for reservations
Remember that these features are available in Outlook.com. If you have the desktop version of Outlook, it has more features that aren’t listed here.
cons: The interface can seem overly complicated and sometimes retrieving old messages can be difficult.
Use Outlook.com: Web, Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac
3. Proton Mail
If email security is your top priority when looking for free email accounts, then you want ProtonMail. It uses end-to-end encryption for messages and zero-access encryption with digital signatures to keep your contacts safe.
RELATED: What is ProtonMail and why is it more private than Gmail?
The ProtonMail app is open source and third-party audited, offers PhishGuard phishing defense, link protection, device-level security, and much more.
notable features
cons: ProtonMail prides itself on your security and privacy. Therefore, you may not see as many features as other email services, such as message scheduling or email retrieval.
Use ProtonMail – Web, Android, iPhone, Bridge to use Protonmail with desktop email clients (requires a paid account)
4. Tutanote
A lesser-known service that also focuses on security and privacy is Tutanota. The free service uses end-to-end encryption on your emails, mailboxes, calendars, contacts, and other services.
RELATED: ProtonMail vs. Tutanota: What is the best secure email provider?
Tutanota provides an anonymous email service with no tracking. So you won’t find things like targeted ads in your inbox. Also, the company does not log your IP address, does not require a phone number, and is open source with its code on GitHub.
notable features
- Incoming Email Rules
- automatic responses
- email aliases
- Ad-free inbox
- offline support
- Email export options
- External email encryption
- Email encryption, including subject line, body, and attachments
- Plans for shared mailboxes, subfolders, conversation view, and a group send feature
cons: Tutanota is not as well known as the other services on this list and is still working on its feature set (above).
Use Tutanota: Web, Android, iPhone, Linux, Mac and Windows
5.Yahoo
Yahoo Mail has been offering free accounts for over 25 years and you will rarely find someone who hasn’t heard of Yahoo in general. Once one of the best-known search engines, Yahoo’s mail service remains strong with millions of active users.
RELATED: How to create a Yahoo! accounts
When it comes to your free email service, Yahoo Mail offers features and functionality that might be just what you’re looking for today.
notable features
- Disposable and send-only email addresses
- email signatures
- Stationery for writing emails
- Cloud storage sync for attachments with Google Drive and Dropbox
- Automatic responses with date range options
- Incoming email filters
- Email address and domain blocking
- Built-in contacts, calendar and notepad
- Report as spam and unsubscribe options
cons: Some users report problems with login, unresponsiveness, and long load times. And you will find a fair amount of ads in the inbox. Plus, Yahoo had its share of security breaches that still worry many people.
Use Yahoo Mail: Web, Android, iPhone
6. iCloud Mail
If you’re an Apple device user looking for a great free email service, iCloud (Apple) Mail is a no-brainer. However, anyone can take advantage of the free email account they receive with an Apple ID.
RELATED: How to access iCloud Mail from any web browser
Taking a page from Google’s book, Apple has been improving its email service over time with better and more useful features. Though more limited on the web than the desktop or mobile app, iCloud Mail is still great for Apple device users.
notable features
- Flags for tracking
- folders for organization
- Automatic resubmission with a delete option after submission
- Mail Drop to send large files
- Automatic responses with date range options
- Rules for incoming messages
- email signatures
- email aliases
- VIP inbox
Please note that the above features are specifically available on iCloud.com. If you own an Apple device, you have additional features in the Mail app.
Cons: One of the biggest issues for those considering an iCloud Mail account is the limited availability of the device. While you can access it on the web and on Apple devices, it is not available on platforms like Android. This can make the transition to iCloud Mail less appealing for those who primarily use mobile email.
Use iCloud Mail: Web, Mail app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
When you need an email account and don’t want to shell out cash for fancy features, these various options give you just what you need—and some give you even more. And while you’re considering a new email service, look for other ways to improve your productivity with a new to-do list app or note-taking app.
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