You’ve got mail! The email was one of the first functionalities of the early internet which has now existed for over thirty years (crazy! Is it not?). Along with rudimentary forms of getting messages across, email was the earliest way to communicate with someone on another computer, remotely.
To this day, all of us use email in one way or another. Although instant messaging apps and social media have overtaken email for the vast majority of communications, particularly because a DM is instant and there is no delay, email is still the official choice for billions of people.
However, just as with any mainstream software, it isn’t a bad idea to move away from classical email solutions like Gmail and try a secure email provider instead. Why? There are several reasons for this, which we will get to in just a minute. First, let’s discuss why email is still here and some statistics.
The email Is Still Here!
According to statistics in general, over four billion people use email. In fact, the number of users has steadily risen over the years, despite it now being an antiquated way of communicating. Most of that will be Gmail (Google’s service) and Outlook and Exchange for enterprises. The remaining few percent will have some of the more alternative and private solutions we’ll cover below.
With three-hundred billion emails sent per day, and the average person has about two accounts on average, the end of the email is not on the horizon just yet. The figures are even more staggering when it comes to businesses, which send over one hundred emails on average, per day.
But, did you know that using email has several issues? One of these is the fact that over half of all emails are spam emails. Of these spam emails, a large percentage are actually dangerous because they can contain malware, phishing links, and things of that nature. Furthermore, since most of us prefer to use a smartphone these days, over half of all email transactions take place via a smartphone or mobile device.
Then, there is the issue of the safety of your data and privacy of your data. Both of these are issues for big tech companies which have been involved in several data breaches and privacy scandals. These are the main reasons why millions are making the switch to a more sanitized method of communication by selecting small, boutique companies and their products.
With that said, let’s look at some of the top most private, and secure email providers out there that you may have not heard about before!
The Most Secure and Private Email Providers Out There
The targeting of email account consumers has increased dramatically over the past few years. When you consider all the private and confidential information that is kept in your email, this is hardly surprising. Despite significant improvements in mail security made by well-known services like Gmail, Apple’s iCloud, Yahoo, and others, these services still fall short of other specialized secure email providers.
However, there is no reason to worry. Below you will find a selection of the 17 most safe email providers for 2023. You can check them out while the big players you are used to using get their software straight and regain the confidence of customers once again.
What other Reads?
Without further ado, the top secure email providers are;
- ProtonMali
- Mailfence
- StartMail
- Tutanota
- Librem Mail
- Thexyz
- CounterMail
- Soverin
- Zoho Mail
- RMail
- Hushmail
- Kolab Now
- Posteo
- Mailbox.org
- ServerMX
- Private-mail
- Runbox
Now, there is no reason to go out and research every one of these. At the time of writing this, these email services work, while several others have been shut down. It is always your responsibility to find out whether there is any alarming news regarding an alternative email provider.
Let’s continue. So, below you will find the top three that will take care of your needs! However, do take note that, if you decide on another product, a secure email provider should offer you the following;
- The OpenPGP gold standard encryption system
- No logging of your activity
- The provider is located outside of a “5 Eyes” surveillance alliance
- The provider’s software is intuitive and easy to use
- The price and features are acceptable
In the eyes of most seasoned privacy and cyber security experts, the email providers that provide a good mix of the above criteria are;
- ProtonMail
- Mailfence
- StartMail
First off, ProtonMail is a big one. It has gained a lot of popularity with its distinctive purple color theme and design. More importantly, ProtonMail offers you cutting-edge safety features, has a free option, and is easy to register with. It is not affiliated with any surveillance alliance.
Secondly, Mailfence is slightly less popular but OpenPGP encryption is still present. It is also compliant with the GDPR but some worry that its presence in the 14 Eyes alliance might mean anonymity is not as good as ProtonMali. And, that may be true! Third, there is StartMail, again, a lesser-known email provider. However, StartMail is made by the same company that runs the popular Startpage secure search engine.
Unless you want to hide your communications, you won’t go wrong with any of the email providers in the top seventeen list. In that case, go with ProtonMail and use a virtual private network while using it. Register an account with the suffix “protonmail.ch” for added security, too. A VPN will encrypt you once more on top of ProtonMail’s encryption, making it practically impossible for someone to intercept your communications.
Then again, keep in mind that all of these companies will share your data if requested to do so via law enforcement. If you want the full-blown anonymity you see in movies, communicate exclusively on the dark web by using the Tor browser! In any case, any of the options in the above list is better than relying on a big tech company like Google to store your most sensitive data!
