The Best Private Email Services if You're Done With Gmail

Gmail is secure in the sense that it's hard to hack. But Google is an advertising company, your mailbox isn't end-to-end encrypted, and your email is tied into a huge profile of everything else you do with Google.

If that bothers you, here are the three best alternatives, and an honest look at what "private email" can and can't do.

Quick picks

• Best overall for privacy: Proton Mail
• Cheapest encrypted option: Tuta
• Best email experience (not end-to-end encrypted): Fastmail

What "encrypted email" actually means

With end-to-end encryption, your messages are stored in a way the email company itself can't read. Proton Mail and Tuta work this way.

The big catch: when you email someone on Gmail or Outlook, that copy sits in their inbox, readable by their provider. Full end-to-end encryption only works when both people use an encrypted service, or when you send a password-protected message.

So private email protects your mailbox, your stored history and your contacts. It doesn't make the whole email system private. Nothing can.

Proton Mail: the best all-rounder

Proton is based in Switzerland, and its encrypted mailbox is the best-known alternative to Gmail. There's a free plan (with limited storage), plus apps for phones, a web app and desktop apps. Proton also offers calendar, drive, password manager and VPN in bundles.

Mail Plus costs around $4 to $5 a month depending on billing, and adds custom domains (you@yourname.com), more storage and more addresses.

Pick it if: you want strong privacy without giving up a modern, polished app.

Tuta: the budget champion

Tuta (formerly Tutanota) is German, encrypts more of your mailbox by default (including subject lines and contacts), and is very affordable. The Revolutionary plan costs about €3 a month on a yearly plan and includes 20 GB of storage, extra addresses and custom domains.

Pick it if: you want encrypted email at the lowest price and don't mind a slightly plainer app.

Fastmail: the best experience, with a different kind of privacy

Fastmail is a paid, ad-free email service that doesn't scan your email for advertising. It's not end-to-end encrypted like Proton or Tuta. The trade-off is that it's fast, works with every email app via standard protocols, and has excellent search, calendar and custom-domain support.

Prices vary by plan and region, so check its site.

Pick it if: you want a great, ad-free email service and value "they don't want your data" over "they technically can't read it".

Comparison

	Proton Mail	Tuta	Fastmail
End-to-end encrypted mailbox	Yes	Yes	No
Free plan	Yes	Yes	Trial only
Custom domain	Paid plans	Paid plans	Yes
Works with any email app	Via Proton Bridge on paid plans	Tuta apps only	Yes
Based in	Switzerland	Germany	Australia

How to switch without losing anything

1. Sign up and import your old mail. Proton and others have import tools.
2. Forward Gmail to your new address so nothing gets missed.
3. Update your important accounts (bank, utilities, work) to the new address first.
4. Use a custom domain if you can. Then you'll never have to change your address again, even if you switch providers.
5. Keep the old Gmail account for a year, and turn on two-factor authentication so it stays secure.

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Sources

• Listicler: Proton Mail pricing breakdown
• Toolradar: Tuta pricing