Secure Email Providers: Everything You Need to Know

Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo are among the most popular webmail providers, and they offer a wide variety of features, which is why most people don’t even bother to look any further. And that’s just fine unless you really care about the privacy and security of your sensitive information. Few Gmail users know that by opting for one of those providers, you grant Google and the US government access to your email data.

In other words, although these systems are so widely used, they leave much to be desired in terms of protecting user privacy and security. And this isn’t something you should sign up for, no matter whether you plan to use them for personal or business purposes.

But, there’s no need to panic – there’s plenty of other, more secure email providers that will protect your sensitive data and offer you top-notch security. Our list contains both free and paid solutions, together with some of the most important features we think you should have in mind when making a decision about which one to pick.

Key Features of Secure Email Providers

• Encryption
  The process of encoding messages and information to render them completely useless to everyone except the intended recipients. In essence, encryption prevents hackers who intercept your email message from interpreting its content. There are different encryption protocols, with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) being one of the most trusted.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA)
  This process is used for adding an extra layer of protection to your online email accounts. This is achieved by requiring an additional log-in credential for identity verification apart from the username and password.
• End-to-end encryption (E2EE)
  A secure communication system that only allows the device to which the message was sent to decipher it. This way, third parties are prevented from accessing and secretly modifying data.
• Integration with other email providers

Top Secure Email Providers

ProtonMail

ProtonMail is the top contender in terms of email security. This Swiss-based email provider was created by CERN researchers and offers zero-access encryption. As Switzerland boasts strict privacy laws, you can be sure your sensitive data will be treated in a similar manner.

Moreover, thanks to E2EE and strong privacy standards, even the company itself can’t decipher your email messages. The protection protocols go to such an extent that you can have a problem if you can’t remember your password or need to recover your data.

Source: ProtonMail

The company data centers are safeguarded within nuclear bunkers that were used by the Swiss government in the past. So, all user data is stored on servers, consisting of fully encrypted hard disks protected by several password layers, that are physically located in Switzerland, which ensures data sovereignty.

It’s a plus that ProtonMail has an interface similar to Gmail’s, which allows for a seamless transition. ProtonMail comes in four pricing plans:

Hushmail

Hushmail is another solid webmail provider that offers a high level of security through encryption and OpenPGP standards. Its users can both send to and receive secure emails from people who use any other webmail client. It also allows its users to add another layer of protection by setting up security questions on outgoing emails they send to recipients who don’t use Hushmail.

Source: Hushmail

Simplicity is at the core of Hushmail. According to the company, their webmail service is simple to use, understand, and secure. Therefore, new users need only a couple of minutes to create and set up a Hushmail account. After the account is ready to use, Hushmail can be accessed via dedicated desktop webmail and native iPhone apps. Other options include accessing through a supported desktop or smartphone email application.

Hushmail offers the basic plan for free, but you can pick among six different paid versions for specific purposes:

CounterMail

Although its website doesn’t look too fancy, make no mistake — CounterMail is among the leading secure email providers. Just like Hushmail, CounterMail leverages OpenPGP standards and, like ProtonMail, it comes with complete E2EE. CounterMail servers are based in Sweden, and they’re diskless – the company uses a CD-ROM to start them. This way CounterMail prevents potential data leaks.

CounterMail uses SSL server encryption and robust Man-in-the-Middle protection. It also allows users to keep their own domain name, and provides 2FA via either a USB key dongle or TOTP. The company plans to add different advanced features, including an encrypted chat client, password-based encryption, time-delayed sending, and one-time messages to the service’s feature roster.

CounterMail offers three subscription plans:

Extra storage space is available for an additional one-time fee, a domain option for a $15 one-time setup fee, while USB credits are included in all premium subscriptions.

Tutanota

The name Tutanota was coined by blending two Latin words, “tuta” and “nota,” and means “secure message.” This email provider doesn’t fall short of expectations as it implements both E2EE and 2FA security protocols. Tutanota is based in Germany, which means that your data will be safeguarded by the country’s strict privacy laws.

Unlike some other secure email providers on this list, Tutanota opted for the AES-128 encryption standard instead of PGP, which has drawn user complaints. PGP provides better security since it’s an asymmetric key encryption algorithm, meaning that it doesn’t use the same key for both encrypting and decrypting data. On the other hand, AES uses only symmetric key encryption, which lacks an extra layer of security.

Source: Tutanota

It’s also worth noting that you can send an unlimited number of messages on both free and premium plans.

Tutanota offers three pricing plans:

Mailfence

Founded in 1999, Mailfence is a secure webmail provider with a mission to protect user privacy. That’s why it doesn’t use third-party marketing trackers or display ads. This also means that your data won’t be sold to various companies for advertising purposes. At the same time, Mailfence is a staunch supporter of transparency and it maintains and provides detailed reports.

Source: Mailfence

In terms of security, Mailfence leverages OpenPGP E2EE, SSL/TSL encryption, and 2FA. Also, since it enables digital signatures and implements the Sender Policy Framework and Domain Keys Identified Mail verification systems, it’s possible to verify the sender’s identity and prevent any kind of data tampering.

Mailfence offers four pricing plans:

Runbox

Norwegian-based Runbox is an employee-owned company which explains its superb customer service.

But top-notch customer service isn’t the only reason why Runbox is on this list. Namely, this email provider allows for Web, IMAP, POP3, SMTP (and more) access and integrates seamlessly with other email providers. Besides that, it doesn’t display third-party ads and allows its users to keep and use their existing email addresses.

However, Runbox doesn’t come with E2EE, and although this is somewhat of a shortcoming, there’s no reason to worry since the company servers and all the data are situated in a maximum-security DigiPlex data center. This facility offers electromagnetic and fire protection, as well as 24/7 manned security.

Software-wise, Runbox provides 2FA, SSL encryption, intelligent virus and spam filtering systems, as well as IP address whitelisting.

Runbox has a slightly different pricing plan. The first account you purchase is called the Main account, and it’s intended for one person. In case you need more accounts, it’s possible to purchase additional sub-accounts. You pay the full price for the main account, while sub-accounts are more affordable.

Posteo

Posteo is an ultra secure email service powered entirely by green energy, and it’s also one of the most affordable solutions on the market, but not at the expense of privacy and security.

A feature that makes Posteo email provider unique among other contenders is that it allows users to sign up and pay anonymously. Besides that, you can also expect TLS-encrypted access and transmission with Perfect Forward Secrecy, HTTP Strict Transport Security HSTS, SSH, 2FA, spam and filtering functionality, and more.

Source: Posteo

In addition to that, it’s also possible to enable PGP and encrypt your mailbox. Support for POP, SMTP, and IMAP protocols is another plus. However, despite all these advantages, Posteo lacks E2EE, and that’s a shortcoming you should bear in mind if you’re considering this provider.

Posteo offers the following pricing plans:

• Full account (includes two aliases, three calendars): €1 monthly
• Additional storage: €0.25 per GB/mo
• Additional alias addresses: €0.10/ monthly
• Additional calendars: €0.10/ monthly

Kolab Now

Another Swiss-based service, Kolab Now provides secure email solutions to SMBs. The company insists on the transparency of users’ data, but it’s still very secretive regarding the security measures it implements. The only thing we know is that it leverages S/MIME, OpenPGP, and Perfect Forward Secrecy.

Still, Kolab Now covers all the bases when it comes to protecting their users’ sensitive data, which makes it popular with the target audience.
The pricing is pretty simple – it costs $4.42 monthly for individual users, while a group account costs $5.39 monthly.

Best Secure Email Providers: Side-by-Side Comparison

When we’re talking about secure email providers, email archiving is a topic that has to be included in the conversation. While the systems we discussed make sure the sensitive data you send in your email messages is protected, implementing a reliable email archiving solution is an equally crucial step if you want to stay on the safe side.

Jatheon is a comprehensive email archiving platform that will safely index, store and organize your business emails so that you can easily search and retrieve them using 20+ criteria for compliance, ediscovery and FOIA management.

To learn how your organization can archive email using Jatheon’s on-premise and cloud email archiving solutions, contact us or book a 30-minute, no commitment demo of our platform.

About the Author

Steven Tobolar

Steven Tobolar is Jatheon’s Head of Tech Support and an experienced engineer specializing in large-scale migration projects, AWS, Exchange Servers, and Microsoft Azure. Outside work, he enjoys reading, movies, off-road driving, and mountain biking.