The Best Email Service Provider For Data Privacy In 2024

In this modern world of the internet and hyper-communication, nothing seems to be private. Every now or then, big giants find ways to grab your private data and use it for business. In this era, few companies give us hope of privacy. So, this is the list of the best email providers for privacy.

But before we get to the list, let’s understand what ‘secure email’ means. I mean, you get it—an email service that a hacker cannot hack. But let’s dive into its mechanism.

Secure email vs encrypted email

You might think it’s the same thing. But these are two very different concepts.

Both have their potencies, no doubt. But in the case of a secure email service, your email is safe as long as it’s in your account. But the minute it left the account, it became unprotected. That means the secure email system only secures your email account, not your content.

So, when it comes to data protection and how secure the email is, we need to talk about the second kind. The encrypted email.

5 best encrypted and secure email providers

Here are the five alternatives to Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail you can choose for better data privacy.

1. ProtonMail

ProtomMail is a Switzerland-based company. That means it follows the Swiss data privacy law. Which is the strongest privacy law in the world. If you purchase the unlimited version, you can create unlimited aliases. Which is vital for protecting your identity in cases of public email address sharing.

It is an open-source (well, partially) service that is publicly audited. This system is a zero-knowledge architecture system. That means if you somehow lose access to the account, even the company cannot restore it for you.

For securing your account login, it supports 2FA, or two-factor authentication. To give you the full experience of data security, it also has both a drive and a calendar with encryption facilities. 

Price starts at : 4.99€ per month

2. Tuta

Tuta is a Germany-based company that falls under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is considered to be one of the best for data privacy. The Tuta business version provides unlimited aliases for privacy.

It is another open-source system and was also built using a zero-knowledge architecture. It also supports 2FA and offers fully encrypted storage and calendar sharing features.

Price starts at : 3€ per month

3. Mailfence

Mailfence is based in Belgium, which means this too falls under the GDPR law. This, by the way, does not provide unlimited aliases. You have to step up the price range for more.

Unlike the previous one on the list, this one is not an open-source product. That means it goes through a very structured system of regulation by the company itself. This is also a zero-knowledge architecture system. But it favors privacy. It means there are no ads, no third-party tracking, or user profiling.

Besides being equipped with end-to-end encryption and 2FA login facility, this secure email provider also provides secure document storage, calendar sharing, and messaging. The service also comes with other important features, such as digital signatures, custom domains, specific use passwords, and group collaborations. Protocols like POP, IMAP, and SMTP are also supported.

Price starts at : 2.50$ per month

4. Startmail

Startmail is a Netherlands-based company, which means it also falls under the GDPR law system. It’s custom domain version has unlimited aliases, but you have to pay a bit extra to get it along with the custom domain feature.

This is not an open-source system. And this system is built using an end-to-end encryption system. That means if you lose your account for some reason, the company can help you restore the data. It’s one of the biggest advantages of not having a zero-knowledge architecture. But some may argue about it.

This also has the 2FA login system and has encrypted storage. But this email provider does not have a calendar feature. 

Price starts at : 5$ per month

5. Hushmail

Hushmail is a Canadian company and follows the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”). On paper, it is better than the US data protection law.

This non open-source product has unlimited aliases and uses the zero-knowledge architecture system for data protection. It also has two-step verification for login. But they do not provide any storage or calendars for their users.

Price starts at : 4.17$ per month

Compare Email Provider For Privacy

Here is a comparison among the best secure email providers.

Final verdict

When it comes to business, we need a secure email system. Because in the modern world, a lot depends on email, including marketing, sales, customer support strategies, and so on.

From the list of highly secure and well-encrypted email service providers, we may go with ProtonMail. Because it has all the features, including a modern interface, unlimited aliases, an app, a zero-knowledge architecture, and support for physical keys or U2F. 

So, which one will you choose from this list of the best email providers for privacy?