Do you need to send someone sensitive information through email? Regular email is sent “in the clear” and therefore is subject to interception by hackers. However, there are many options for sending private, sensitive information securely through email.

• Best Free Email Accounts
• Free Online Email Receiver

We have collected some links to sites providing solutions for sending secure email, secure one-time messages, and secure instant messaging, and encrypting files to send through email.

Infoencrypt

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Infoencrypt is a free, web-based service for easily securing your messages. Simply enter the text of your message and the encryption password that will be used for both encryption and decryption. The program encrypts your message using a strong encryption algorithm, making it secure to send. Anyone who intercepts the encrypted message without the password will not be able to read the original message.

Free Fax to Email enables you to receive faxes in your email inbox. This means no more waiting for the fax machine to ring or having to replace ink cartridges!

Infoencrypt does not require installation on your PC.

SafeGmail

SafeGmail is a free extension for Google Chrome that allows you to send encrypted emails to anyone. The messages are encrypted and decrypted within the browser and remain encrypted in both the sender’s and receiver’s email inboxes. The messages also automatically expire after a random amount of time.

SafeGmail works with any recipient email provider. For more information about using SafeGmail [discontinued], see our article.

RMail

RMail allows you to easily send emails with end-to-end security and compliance. Send encrypted email from your current email address (10 free messages allowed per month) and automatically receive a Registered Receipt™ record proving encrypted delivery and compliance with open tracking.

Sendinc

Sendinc is a web-based service that makes it safe and simple to transmit sensitive information via email. You and your recipients can use Sendinc for free. No software is required.

Sendinc secures your message by ensuring that your data remains encrypted from the time it leaves your computer through the time your recipients retrieve it. At no point in the process is your message data transmitted or stored in an unencrypted format. Sendinc further ensures the safety of your messages by verifying your recipients are in fact your intended recipients.

Messages are encrypted with a powerful randomly-generated encryption key that is emailed to your recipients in the form of a link. Sendinc does not save a copy of your recipients’ encryption keys and your message can not be decrypted without the key – not even by Sendinc. This means only your recipients can decode the message data.

Hushmail

Hushmail is a secure web-based free email service that looks and feels just like any other web-mail site, but adds strong encryption to your emails to protect your secrets from prying eyes. It uses standards-compliant encryption and provides mobile access (Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, etc.).

Paid plans are also available that provide additional storage, unlimited email aliases, dedicated technical support, and desktop access.

Lockbin

Lockbin is a free web application for sending private email messages and files. Lockbin ends message persistence, which means your email message will not be backed up on email servers or stored in backup files. Network sniffers can also spy on your email traffic while in transit. Use Lockbin to obscure the content of your message and avoid these hazards to your privacy.

No registration is required to use Lockbin. Your message and file attachments are protected by strong AES-256 bit encryption and your secret password. You invent the password and deliver it to the recipient using a different secure method, not email.

The free plan allows one user to send secure messages with secure file attachments up to 15MB. Files are stored for up to one month. You can also download free Lockbin Java desktop software and a free Microsoft Outlook add-in for sending and receiving Lockbin messages. There are also paid plans providing more features and allowing for larger limits on file attachments and for more users

iSafeguard

iSafeguard is a software package that provides easy-to-use and highly secure encryption and digital signature solutions for everyone from big companies to individual users. The software allows you to sign and encrypt files, folders, and emails and verify digital signatures and countersignatures. It provides a secure text editor and allows you to wipe files, folders, and free disk space. It also integrates with the Windows shell.

The freeware edition of their software is for non-business, individual users. Although it lacks some of the features the enterprise and professional editions have it does provide powerful encryption and digital signatures capabilities, and security is as strong as the enterprise and professional editions.

All editions support using certificates from any Certificate Authorities, and handle certificate status checking automatically.

Sbwave Enkryptor

Sbwave Enkryptor is a free service that encrypts text messages for email delivery. The encrypted email is entered and sent via a web form. The recipient receives the encrypted message in a similar form, then simply enters the encryption code you chose and the message is decrypted.

There is no software to install, nothing to sign up for, and no ads attached to the messages. The service requires an encryption code that both you and the recipient know and a mail client that understands HTML such as Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, Hotmail, NetZero, Lycos or any number of free email systems.

Safe-mail.net

Safe-mail is a highly secure communication, storage, sharing and distribution system for the Internet. It provides email, instant messaging, data distribution, data storage, and file sharing tools in a suite of applications that enables businesses and individuals to communicate and store data with privacy and confidence. Every application is secured by state-of-the-art encryption ensuring the highest level protection and privacy to users. Within the overall system as with each application, security is not an add-on feature but has been designed into the fundamental architecture of the system.

The system is available at any time and from any location using any device or operating system, be it PC or Macintosh, Windows or Unix, Sun or i-mode enabled wireless device.

Safe-mail’s free service contains ALL the functionality of the Safe-mail system but is limited to 3Mb of storage space, less names in the address book, less folders, filters, smaller mail quota and reduced frequency of backup. To increase access to these resources, they offer a range of Premium Services.

There are no advertisements, downloads or cookies. Safe-mail supports most hardware platforms and any operating system. Includes file storage, spam filters and anti virus protection. Full compatibility with most browsers, email clients and all relevant protocols including POP, SMTP, IMAP, S/MIME and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

Enigmail

Enigmail is a security extension to Mozilla Thunderbird and Seamonkey. It enables you to write and receive email messages signed and/or encrypted with the OpenPGP standard. Enigmail can also be used with Eudora OSE and Postbox (using a Postbox extension).

Enigmail is an email plugin. It cannot be run by itself. You need to use one of the supported email clients, the GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG), and a little patience. You may also need to install the proper Enigmail language pack.

Comodo Free Secure Email Certificate

Comodo Free Secure Email Certificate allows you to protect your digital communications. The digital signature ensures confidentiality and provides secure message encryption with up to 256-bit security. The Comodo Free Secure Email Certificate is free for personal use, integrates with Microsoft® Office and major applications, and is trusted by popular email clients.

Email certificates provide the strongest levels of confidentiality and security for your electronic communications by allowing you to digitally sign and encrypt your mail and attachments. Encryption means that only your intended recipient will be able to read the mail while digitally signing allows them to confirm you as the sender and verify the message was not tampered with en route. Comodo’s email certificates are free for personal/home users and are available from as little as $12 per year for business users.

Mobrien.com

Mobrien.com offers a free encrypted email service that transmit your email text message in an encrypted form so that it cannot be parsed for key words while en route. What happens once it is stored on the receiver’s computer is up to them and the protective security measures they have enabled.

Your e-mail remains encrypted from the time it is sent and until it is received and decrypted by the intended recipient. The recipient automatically receives instructions for decrypting messages. No unencrypted message is transmitted across the internet.

Between transmissions, when your e-mail is stored on mail servers, the message remains encrypted and the content cannot be “sniffed” for specific key words, which is the manner in which email “eavesdroppers” select the emails they want to read.

Using Mobrien.com’s encrypted email service, there is no need to exchange passwords or complex public key details with encrypted email recipients. The recipients are automatically sent instructions for deciphering the encrypted email. Sending an encrypted email message using Mobrien.com is as simple as sending an ordinary email with a web client. Other email encryption methods require the sender and receiver to exchange public keys which is complicated, inconvenient, and not very practical when spontaneously sending encoded email messages.

SafeMess

SafeMess allows you to encrypt any message text in a few seconds. After the encryption is done, your message will appear unreadable to the human eye. Then you can send your message to a friend or save it to a file for later use. Your friend will only be able to read the message if he or she enters the secret password that you have chosen.

SafeMess can be used on any message and is suitable when the communication is done via an unsecured channel (like mail, IM, chat, etc.) or when you want to hide information from robots or filters.

The encryption script always runs locally in the browser on your computer. Therefore, your secret password and message will never be sent over the Internet to the SafeMess server.

Currently, you cannot encrypt more than 32 kilobytes of data (that is more than 10 printed pages of text) using SafeMess. All character sets are supported, including US, European, Cyrillic, Chinese and Japanese as long as the browser has support for UTF-8 encoding.

You can use SafeMess in any modern web browser with JavaScript enabled. They have successfully tested it in Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Chrome 2+, Safari 3+ , Opera 9+ and Opera Mini. You should also be able to use SafeMess on advanced phones and PDAs, such as iPhone and Android devices. However, it does not work with older Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones.

Crypto Anywhere

Crypto Anywhere is a program that is small enough to fit on a USB flash drive, providing free secure email on the go. Don’t have a computer yourself but want to protect your web based e-mail at your local internet cafe? Crypto Anywhere is for you. If you run Crypto Anywhere from a USB flash drive, you can encrypt your email without even installing software on your workstation. With Crypto Anywhere you can send and receive secure email to and from anyone with an email account – the recipients do not have to have Crypto Anywhere themselves.

Crypto Anywhere is free for personal and corporate use.

Opolis Secure Email Service

Opolis is a high-security email service. Combining the latest E-Mail security technologies, Opolis transmits, processes and stores all your confidential messages in encrypted mode. Accessible from all over the world, Opolis operates on your PC in parallel to standard email applications, such as Microsoft’s Outlook or Apple’s Mail. The Opolis Mail Client runs on any machine and does not require any specific configuration.

Opolis is a fully integrated service provider for all your confidential emails, combining a global infrastructure, server systems, backup facilities, storage and customer service.

Mailvelope

Mailvelope is an easy-to-use Chrome extension that offers free, OpenPGP encryption for the most popular webmail services. It comes preconfigured for major webmail providers (Gmail/Google Apps, Outlook, Yahoo! and GMX) and integrates directly into the webmail user interface. It can also be configured to support other webmail services.

A Firefox version of Mailvelope is currently in development. An early preview can be found in the GitHub repository.

Trend Micro Email Encryption Client

Trend Micro Email Encryption Client is a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook that enables secure, confidential and private email communications between you and any of your Outlook contacts.

Since regular email is transmitted “in the clear,” it is vulnerable to interception and eavesdropping on the internet and by online email providers such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail. Safe, secure, and free for non-commercial use, Trend Micro Email Encryption Client ensures that no one except you and your recipients can read your encrypted email messages and attachments.

Simply click the “Send Private” button from Outlook to encrypt your email message and any attachments with 256-bit AES, the same encryption standard approved for used by US government agencies.

Crypt4Free

Crypt4Free is a free program that allows you to encrypt every kind of file on every kind of medium, whether floppy disk, removable hard drive, zip drive, tape drive or other, using the proven encryption algorithm, DESX. It offers full .zip support, providing the ability to browse for existing .zip archives, extract their contents, and even create new .zip archives.

The program also allows you to send encrypted files and messages via the internet and to encrypt email text (or any other text message) to send it securely via e-mail, chat, or instant messengers like ICQ, AOL Messenger, Microsoft Messenger, etc. The recipient must enter the password to read this message.

Crypt4Free provides a user privacy tool that removes all internet traces, such as URL history, typed URLs, Favorites, Recycle Bin, typed passwords in web forms, etc. There is also a built-in file shredder that allows you to wipe the contents of the original, pre-encrypted file.

The company that offers Crypt4Free, SecureAction, also sells a program called Advanced Encryption Package Professional for $49.95. The program offers features not available in the freeware version, such as creation of self-extracting archives, integration with Windows Explorer, complete command line support, RSA algorithm support, and 17 additional encryption algorithms and 19 additional secure files erasure algorithms.

dsCrypt

dsCrypt is an AES/Rijndael file encryption program with a simple, multi-file, drag-and-drop interface. It features optimal implementation, performance and safety measures. dsCrypt uses an advanced encryption algorithm and offers unique options for enhanced security. It is available as a small, self-contained, and dependency-free file you can run on your PC or on a USB flash drive.

Files you encrypt are converted into encrypted .dsc files. If you use dsCrypt to send a private message to someone via email, the recipient simply has to drag and drop a .dsc file onto the dsCrypt program window, type the correct password, and the file will be decrypted and made usable again.

MEO

MEO is file encryption software for Windows or Mac or Windows that allow you to encrypt and decrypt files of any type. Protect sensitive data against unauthorized viewers with the latest data encryption technologies to keep your documents safe and secure.

Use MEO to easily send encrypted emails, or create self-extracting encrypted files so the receiver can open the encrypted files on any Windows or Mac computer without needing to install the encryption software on their machine. MEO also provides context menu integration so you can encrypt files outside of the MEO program.

The free version is available for non-commercial use.

Encrypt Files

Encrypt Files is a free, lightweight but powerful program that allows you to encrypt your files and folders and password protect them. It supports 13 encryption methods. You have the option to shred the original files after encryption or to make the files hidden after encryption. The software must be installed on both the sender’s and recipient’s computers. When you encrypt a file, a new copy of the file is created that is encrypted, leaving the original file alone. You can then choose leave, delete, or shred the original file.

ThreadThat

ThreadThat is a free web-based service that allows you to easily conduct online, bi-directional, passkey-protected, anonymous communication using secure threads in your own private, encrypted message center. A secure thread is a series of exchanges between two or more individuals arranged in one convenient continuous conversation that can be accessed with a single mouse click. There is no limit to the number of messages or files on a Thread and no limitation on the length of time the conversation spans. All messages and files are encrypted while in-transit and while at-rest and can only be accessed by other invited ThreadThat users. Threads only exist on ThreadThat servers, never on an end-user computing device.

ThreadThat does not require that you download and install any software and there is no advertising, games, SPAM, or malware.

Burn Note

Burn Note is a free web application that allows you to have private conversations online. Enter a note and protect it with a password. When you click Send, a link is generated. Send the link and communicate the password to the recipient. Once they have read the note, or the specified time period has passed, the note self destructs. The recipient can securely reply to your note.

Every message on Burn Note is automatically deleted and uses patent-pending technology to prevent copying. Deleted Burn Notes are completely erased from the Burn Note servers after a certain amount of time you specify, so it is impossible for anyone to retrieve them.

QuickForget.com

QuickForget.com is a free, web-based service that allows you to share secret messages that self destruct after a set amount of time. Enter a message and get a link you can share with the recipient of your message. You can set the number of views allowed and also the amount of time before the message self-destructs. Once a message is deleted, it is gone forever. If you try to access to access the message after it is deleted, a message displays, saying, “Sorry, I’ve already forgotten the secret.”

Privnote

Privnote is a free service that allows you to send private message that self-destruct after being read once. You do not need to register or create a password. You simply write your note, click the red button to create a link, and then send that link to the desired recipient. When the person accesses that link, they will see the note in their browser, and the note automatically self-destructs. No one, not even the same person who viewed the note, can access the note again.

There is no time limit by which the link must be viewed or it will be self-destructed. The one feature Privnote has that OneShar.es does not is a check box that allows you to receive notification when the message has been read.

OneShar.es

OneShar.es is a free service that allows you to share confidential information with others that you don’t want to send through email or post on instant messaging services. The information shared is encrypted from you to OneShar.es and stored encrypted. OneShar.es cannot read your information. It is assigned a unique URL that you can share. The provided URL can only be accessed once. Once someone visits the URL you send them, the information is unlocked so they can view it, and then the message is deleted. You can specify minutes, hours, or days by which the message will be self-destructed if not viewed. The maximum amount of time is 3 days.

OneShar.es does not require a password or registration and can also be used on Android and iOS devices.

How-To Geek previously showed you how to use OneShar.es to send self-destructing sensitive information to someone.

Steganos LockNote

Steganos LockNote is a small, simple program that allows you to store private text in filessecurely. For example, if you purchase a download-only program, you can use LockNote to store the product key or serial number that goes with that program in the same folder, so you always know where to find it. The program works like Windows Notepad, but when you save the file, you’ll be prompted for a password.

In addition to using LockNote to store personal, private data, you can use LockNote to send someone a private message. Enter your message in LockNote, password-protect the message, and then send the LockNote file to your recipient via email. When your recipient opens the LockNote file on their PC, all they have to do is enter the password and they can read your message.

You can also add protection to the file by putting it in a secure, encrypted vault using an encryption program. We list some options for that later in this article.

For more information about using LockNote, see our article.

Free File Camouflage

Free File Camouflage is a free program that allows you to hide your files inside a jpeg image. The software can be used with the main interface or via the Windows Explorer “send to” context menu (the first time you only need to select a directory with some images).

All the files are encrypted using AES and hidden inside an image. If someone tried to open your camouflaged image, all they see is the image.

If you use this method to send someone a private text message in a file hidden inside an image, the recipient must use Free File Camouflage to de-camouflage the file. If sending the camouflaged image through email, we recommend that you add a password when encrypting the file into an image.

For more information about using Free File Camouflage, see our article.

The remaining two options for securing data allow you to create encrypted file vaults in which you can store private files. As long as your recipient knows the password required to open the vault, you can use this method to send private information to people via email. Simply attach the encrypted vault file to an email message.

TrueCrypt

If you are looking for a simple and powerful way to encrypt everything from system drives to backup discs to everything in between, TrueCrypt is a free, open-source tool that will help you lock up your files. It is an on-the-fly encryption application that allows you to work with encrypted files as you would work on files located on a regular drive. TrueCrypt allows you to create a virtual, encrypted disk within a file and mounts it like a real hard drive. Encryption in TrueCrypt is automatic and transparent, as well as real-time.

Once you have created your virtual, encrypted disk in a file, you can email that file. The recipient needs to have the TrueCrypt software installed and the password used to protect the file.

For more information, see our guides on getting started with TrueCrypt and hiding your data in a TrueCrypt hidden volume.

SafeHouse Explorer

SafeHouse Explorer is a free, portable encryption program available to everyone as a free download in order to promote data privacy and to help you to protect your confidential files. It makes your secret files invisible and hides them from snoopers, intruders and anyone else who doesn’t have your permission to view them. Use SafeHouse Explorer to create private storage vaults to store sensitive files. These vaults can be as large as 2GB each.

SafeHouse Explorer uses passwords and maximum-strength 256-bit Twofish advanced encryption to protect your storage vaults, completely hiding and defending your sensitive files, including photos, videos, spreadsheets, databases and just about any other kind of file that you might have. The program can protect files residing on any drive, including memory sticks, external USB drives, network servers, CD/DVDs, and even iPods. SafeHouse Explorer is easy to use, providing a Windows Explorer-like drag-and-drop interface.

If you use SafeHouse Explorer to send someone private information via email, your recipient can access the SafeHouse storage vault using the free SafeHouse Explorer program. However, you can also create a self-extracting .exe encrypted storage vault that your recipient can simply run to open and access the files within the vault. Creating a self-extracting .exe file automatically includes the SafeHouse Explorer program in the storage vault file. When you run the file and enter the password, SafeHouse Explorer starts and the storage vault is automatically opened.

SafeHouse Explorer is a full featured program and will never expire.

Sophos Free Encryption

Sophos Free Encryption is a program that allows you to send encrypted data by creating password-protected archives you can send using most email programs. When you encrypt your data, the files are automatically compressed and the archives are automatically added to new email messages. Encrypted files can be self-extracting so recipients don’t need special software to open the file; all they will need is the password.

If you have discovered other useful methods of sending sensitive information through email, let us know in the comments.

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Free email accounts may seem like a dime a dozen, but there are some free services that stand way above the rest. This article will help guide you through the best free email accounts and which features make them the best.

When choosing a free email account, you want to look for a few characteristics to help you determine which one is best for you. The accounts will differ in how much email storage you get, what the interface looks like and how it can be customized, and what types of advanced features are included, like messaging, filters, and the ability to import other data.

It also is probably important to you what your actual email address is. If your first pick doesn't give you the address you're looking for, just move on to the next one in the list. Remember to try different combinations and variations to get an address that's not taken. If you have to, try a username generator.

Never reveal personal information in your email address, like your home address or phone number. It's common for email addresses to be a name with a couple numbers, or a word or phrase that means something.

If you're signing up for a new email account because you don't know your current one, it might be easier to just find out what your email address is so that you can avoid making a brand new account.

See these secure email services if you're concerned about privacy, but remember that even an encrypted email service isn't enough to hide your identity. Depending on how you use your email online, someone might be able to find your email address and tie it back to you.

Gmail

What We Like

• Includes private messaging features

• Wonderful spam protection

• Gives you 15 GB of space for emails and other files

• Integrates closely with other Google services like Google Drive and Google Pay

What We Don't Like

• It's often slow to load

• Dealing with folders/labels can be confusing

It's probably not a surprise that Gmail makes the top of this list for one of the best free email accounts. Gmail is Google's free email service that has a nice and modern feel to it, is tightly integrated with other Google services, and does pretty well at blocking spam.

makes the top of this list for one of the best free email accounts. Gmail is Google's free email service that has a nice and modern feel to it, is tightly integrated with other Google services, and does pretty well at blocking spam.

Gmail has some other awesome features, too, like the option to snooze emails for later, send and request money via Google Pay, schedule emails to be sent later, and send emails that expire and can only be opened with a special code.

There are also different themes you can apply to Gmail's interface to customize how it appears, tons of advanced settings, and the ability to create filters and labels, import email in from other email accounts, use a chat client, and, among other features, install gadgets (add-ons) to extend Gmail's functionality.

• Lets you read emails offline with Gmail Offline
• Shares a huge 15 GB of email storage with other Google services through Google Drive, making it easy to share files from your Google account right in an email (even files as large as 10 GB!)
• Can undo an email if you send it by accident (and catch it in time)
• There are numerous keyboard shortcuts for Gmail that you can use to make the service even easier to work with.
• Since Google Calendar is another part of Google's list of services, it's equally as easy to integrate it with your emails, like to instantly add events taken from messages.
• Lets you set up a vacation responder to auto-send emails when you're away.
• You can use advanced search options to find emails in your Gmail account.
• A mobile app is available for iOS and Android.

All Gmail email addresses end in @gmail.com. However, messages can be sent to other addresses, too, and they'll still arrive in the same account.

This is really useful if you want to use your Gmail account to sign up for multiple accounts at the same website. The site will see each iteration as different even though they're still connected to your primary email account.

If you have a YouTube account, you can log in to Gmail with the same information since YouTube is another Google service that's accessed through a Google account.

Here are some examples of Gmail addresses that are all technically the same:

• example@gmail.com
• example@googlemail.com
• example+anything@gmail.com
• exa.mp.le@gmail.com

Outlook Mail

What We Like

• Clean interface that's easy to use

• Works closely with other Microsoft services like Skype and Outlook Calendar

• Organizes mail automatically

• Supports lots of email rules

• Lets you use multiple account aliases to hide your real email address

Outlook Mail (often called Outlook.com) is Microsoft's free email service that, like Gmail, has a solid interface that's easy to work with. It's easily second to Gmail or even tied as the best free email provider.

Changing how you use Outlook Mail couldn't be easier. You can very quickly change the color scheme of the page and choose where the reading pane should display.

Outlook is really intuitive — it's as easy as right-clicking an email to find further options like moving/deleting messages and searching for every email from that one sender, for example.

Email rules are supported with Outlook Mail which means you can set new messages to automatically move to a specified folder, be categorized, flagged or even forwarded if certain conditions are met.

Outlook Mail has some other features worth mentioning, too:

• You can connect directly to Skype through your email.
• It's closely related to Outlook Calendar so that events can be shared between the two.
• Add-ins are supported, like ones for PayPal, DocuSign, Trello, Boomerang, GIPHY, and many others.
• Users can enjoy easy access to other free Microsoft services through Outlook Mail because it's part of Microsoft Office Online.
• Microsoft has an official Outlook app for Android and iOS.

When you create an Outlook.com account, your email can end in @outlook.com or @hotmail.com.

Yahoo Mail

What We Like

• Tons of email storage space

• Lets you make hundreds of free disposable email addresses

• Includes a built-in GIF database

• Using Yahoo Calendar from the email area is easy

What We Don't Like

• Only one option for the email domain

• Local files can be chosen for attachments, but not files from online storage services

• Not as many filters/rules as other email providers

As would seem obvious, Yahoo Mail is the free email account offered by Yahoo. Each new user gets a whopping 1 TB of free storage for email!

The compose window when making new emails is a bit similar to Gmail, but one useful difference is that it's easy to switch between inline image attachments and normal file attachments. This means you can switch a file attachment to be embedded in the email and just as easily reverse it to make it a file attachment.

Yahoo Mail is probably the best email service when it comes to alternate identities, or aliases. You can also create up to 500 disposable addresses that are linked to your main email address but don't contain your name or any other personal data.

This is extremely useful if you're often signing up for web accounts and don't wish to have your regular inbox spammed or filled with useless email; just delete the disposable address if the spam becomes too overwhelming.

• You can insert GIFs directly from a built-in GIF collection, and stationery with a similar stationery browser.
• Several awesome themes are available that changes the entire background and color scheme of the website, which makes for a pretty unique design.
• Supports the option to import contacts from a file on your computer as well as from your Facebook, Google or Outlook.com account. This makes it easy to transfer contacts from a different email provider to Yahoo Mail.
• Has a built-in news reader and notepad. You can switch to those views in seconds, and then just as easily move back to reading and sending emails.
• Yahoo Mail gives you access to an online calendar and an instant messaging service.
• You can connect external email accounts to Yahoo Mail so you can use one interface to manage all your mail, even from services like Gmail and Outlook Mail.
• Yahoo Mail can be used through the Yahoo Mail mobile app for iOS and Android.

Yahoo Mail email addresses are set up as example@yahoo.com.

AOL Mail

What We Like

• A calendar and to-do list is easily accessible from the email page

• Has the ability to customize lots of settings

• Lots of themes to choose from

• Can check spelling before sending every email

What We Don't Like

• It's easy to accidentally open the news section instead of your email

• Can't attach files from online storage sites (only your own local computer)

• Lots of ads

• Missing filtering settings supported by other providers

AOL Mail is another free email account option. The main page where you find your email also includes Today on AOL which shows top stories from AOL.com, which can either be viewed as a nice addition or seem cluttered depending on personal preference.

Like some email providers, you can quickly filter your messages to only show unread or read emails, or flagged or unflagged messages.

Many advanced settings are customizable like changing the spam filter's sensitivity, controlling who (if anyone) can you send you mail, enabling a reading pane, and blocking mail containing specific words.

In your mail settings, you can clearly read the IMAP and POP server settings, which are very useful if you're using your AOL email address with offline email clients. Some of the other best email services don't display this information, so that's a positive for sure.

AOL Mail is not the same thing as the now-discontinued AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). AIM was an instant messaging service and AOL Mail is an email service.

• You can configure an alert to have AOL send you a text message when certain criteria are met, such as if an email from a specific contact that includes a certain word in the subject or body is delivered to your inbox.
• In-browser sound alerts are supported, and there are several options you can choose from. This sort of flexibility is usually not available with web mail accounts, but AOL Mail is an exception.
• There's a to-do list and calendar with the ability to make events right from emails.
• The background changer lets your emails have a nice background image.
• You can import contacts in the CSV, TXT, or LDIF file formats.
• If you want to use AOL Mail through the official app, you can get it on your Android or iOS device.

An AOL email address gives you an email like example@aol.com, but you can also receive mail if someone sends you messages at example@aim.com.

Yandex Mail

What We Like

• 10 GB of storage to share with email and other Yandex services

• Lets you sign up with an existing Facebook, Twitter, or Gmail account

• Auto-sorts emails into useful categories

• Can notify you when an email has been received by the recipient

• Can remind you if the recipient doesn't respond after so-many days

• Includes a built-in translator

• Shows detailed information on your account's access log

• Lets you customize a lot of the settings

What We Don't Like

• Two-factor authentication works from a special Yandex app (most email services support 2FA through Google Authenticator)

• The time format is in 24-hour time, and you can't change it

• Email accounts all end in the same domain

Yandex is a Russian company that provides many tools in addition to free email accounts, such as 10 GB of cloud storage service, Yandex.Calendar, and a search engine.

Similar to Google, your Yandex email account makes it possible to access all of these services using one login.

The interface for Yandex Mail is very nice to work with. It's easy to read and provides a very simple layout while still keeping all the necessary tools intact.

Like most of the other email providers on this list, Yandex.Mail supports email filters, contact importing and exporting, tasks, and hotkeys. However, it's also unique in many ways that makes it one of the better email providers:

• You can forward multiple messages with ease; they'll send as file attachments.
• Files can be imported directly from Yandex.Disk.
• You can send an SMS copy of an email.
• Images can be imported into an email by their URL.
• There's an option to download emails as EML files.
• Emails can be sent on a delay.
• You can get notified when a message sends and even be reminded later if you don't get a reply.
• There are also dozens of themes you can choose from to instantly transform the entire page. Some of the themes can even be interacted with, such as the Weather theme, which shows local weather below your mail.
• You can add other email accounts to Yandex.Mail if you prefer to read all your mail here. This means you could make a Gmail and Yahoo Mail account, for example, and just read all of them at Yandex Mail.
• You can make free email accounts with your website domain name.
• A Yandex Mail app is available for both iOS and Android.

Email accounts created at Yandex end with @yandex.com. Sign up for Yandex Mail through the link below or follow these signup steps if you need help.

ProtonMail

What We Like

• Relies heavily on encrypting email data

• Lets you send encrypted emails to anyone, even if they don't use ProtonMail

• New accounts can end in one of two domains

• Lets you choose when an email will expire

What We Don't Like

• Limits you to 500 MB of mail storage

• Lets you send just 150 messages per day

• Can't remove the email signature

• Vacation replies aren't supported

• You can make only three folders/labels

The main difference between ProtonMail and the other email services above is that this one is centered around encryption. The idea is that you can send mail without fear that the people at ProtonMail, or anyone else besides the recipient, can read the message.

When you're ready to send an encrypted message, be sure to click that button before you send the email. That is, unless you send a message to another ProtonMail user, in which case it's always encrypted.

If you choose to encrypt the message, you can also set an expiration time so that the message is destroyed and unreadable after the duration you specify (the time starts the moment you send the message).

The maximum expiration time is four weeks (28 days) but you can choose something sooner, too, like 1–6 days or 1–23 hours, or a combination of both (e.g., one day and four hours, or just one hour).

If you send the message to a non-ProtonMail user and don't define an expiration time, the message will still expire in 28 days.

Recipients who receive encrypted messages open the message through a link that asks for the password, where it's decrypted and displayed in the browser. They can reply through an encrypted channel via the same message they decrypted, and don't even need to have a ProtonMail account.

Another privacy-minded feature of ProtonMail is Link Confirmation, which helps guard against phishing attacks by displaying a popup window when you select a link, letting you confirm where it goes before actually going there.

ProtonMail also works from mobile devices. You can install the app on your Android or iOS phone or tablet.

You can choose to have a @protonmail.com or @protonmail.ch email address.

You can pay for ProtonMail to remove the restrictions mentioned above.

Zoho Mail

What We Like

• Works well for teams

• Supports tabbed email windows

• Connecting to other Zoho apps is easy

• The design is clean and minimal

• Supports email filters

What We Don't Like

• All the other Zoho apps that are interconnected might be overwhelming

• It's primarily centered around business use

Although Zoho Mail does have a free email service, Zoho as a whole is like an online suite of several apps that are centered around business use.

The first thing you might notice about Zoho Mail when composing a message is how minimal the design is, which can be a great thing. When you make a new message, you can quickly switch between the new message and the rest of your mail through the small tabs at the top of the page.

Streams is a feature in Zoho Mail that makes it easy to create groups where you and your team members can interact with shared messages and attachments. It works a bit like a private social media site.

• All the standard compose tools are included in Zoho Mail but you can also add images from Zoho Docs, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, and other services, as well as include tables in your messages.
• It's easy to create new notes, tasks, calendar events, contacts, and bookmarks in Zoho Mail since it's closely connected with some of those other Zoho apps.
• You can customize a lot of what you see on the page.
• Keyboard shortcuts are supported.
• You can use filters in this email service.
• Vacation replies let you send emails when you're away.
• Custom domains can be added to the white list and/or black list.
• An Android and iOS app are available to access Zoho Mail on the go.

Mail.com

What We Like

• Lets you pick a custom domain from a big list

• Supports email aliases

• Email filtering is supported

• Includes a built-in calendar

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What We Don't Like

• Missing features found in some other email services

• Doesn't provide much email storage space

The major difference between Mail.com and the other providers in this list is that you can choose between over 200 free domains. Instead of being stuck with one, like @outlook.com or @gmail.com, you can pick from a huge list.

The email domains are categorized into sections so it's easy to find one that relates to certain jobs, hobbies, tech, and music. There are also US, world, and spiritual domains.

Best Free Email Accounts

Some of the top choices include mail.com, email.com, usa.com, myself.com, post.com, dr.com, techie.com, engineer.com, cheerful.com and writeme.com.

Once you create your email account, you can build up to 10 alias addresses that work with your primary address. For example, if you were to build a doglover.com address as your main one, and then use an asia.com address as an alias, any messages sent to either address will go to your doglover.com inbox.

The extreme flexibility to choose a custom domain name for your email address is what makes Mail.com one of the best email services, but that's about the only perk. There really isn't much else to be excited about when it comes to creating a Mail.com email account..

• You can connect other email addresses to it so that you can send and receive those messages through Mail.com.
• There's an email filter built-in.
• You can access a calendar to keep track of events.
• A file storage vault accepts up to 2 GB of free space.
• Attachments can be as big as 50 MB.
• Mobile apps can be installed on Android and iOS devices.

Mail.com uses the exact same interface and features as GMX.com. You can create an email account at GMX as well but you're only given the option to have it end in @gmx.us or @gmx.com. However, you do get unlimited storage space with GMX.

Tutanota

What We Like

• Lets you encrypt email automatically

• You can send encrypted emails to non-users

• There are several domain options when making a new account

• Requires a strong email password

What We Don't Like

• Gives out just 1 GB of storage space

• Some features can be used only with a paid account

Tutanota (Latin for 'tuta nota', meaning 'secure message') is similar to the ProtonMail service above in that it automatically encrypts all your emails. However, you're welcome disable end-to-end encryption if you'd like.

One of the first things to stand out with this email service is that you can't proceed with creating your account until you make a really secure password. Some places will urge you to make your password stronger but still accept it; Tutanota requires it.

The web interface is really easy to use and provides nice menu transitions that really bring together the mail folders and email settings.

When sending messages to non-Tutanota users, you can choose to make them password protected or to keep them unencrypted. If a password is chosen, the recipient will get a custom link to open the message, where they must enter the password to read and reply.

Probably the nicest feature about this is that when the Tutanota user responds back to the user not using Tutanota, the messages are still contained within the temporary account. This means you can have back and forth communication with any other email service and they can keep the link open the whole time.

Even though it isn't as well known as Gmail, Yahoo, etc., Tutanota still supports the following:

• You can have an email signature.
• 1 GB of email storage is provided.
• Contacts you email automatically become recipients.
• There are spam rules in place.
• Mobile apps are available for Android and iOS.
• Premium features can be had for a cost.

You can make an account with any of these domains: tutanota.com, tutanota.de, tutamail.com, tuta.io, keemail.me.

iCloud Mail

What We Like

• Easy to set up for iOS users

• Makes unsubscribing from email lists really easy

• Includes 5 GB of free online storage

• Works from a computer or mobile device

iCloud Mail is an interesting email service because many people don't even realize that they're just a few steps away from having one. It's for this reason that iCloud Mail is one of the better email providers: for most people, they can set on up in seconds.

Free Online Email Receiver

However, iCloud Mail is only accessible to people with an Apple device, so while many people do have an iPad, iPhone, Mac, etc., not everybody does, so unlike the other services in this list, this one is very restrictive.

Once you've made an iCloud account, you can log in from a computer and access a suite of products in addition to your mail, like notes, reminders, photos, iCloud Drive content, contacts, calendar events, and anything else that's been synced to iCloud from your iOS device.

The iCloud Mail portion of iCloud isn't super advanced and probably won't serve you well if you want lots of options in your email. However, it's very easy to set up for iOS users without having to go through an often tedious process of adding your name, choosing a password, etc. All of this works well with your existing Apple ID.

• Access to 5 GB of free storage space for emails and other iCloud files.
• Can be accessed via IMAP.
• Supports keyboard shortcuts.
• All mail sent to your iCloud Mail account can be set up to be automatically forwarded to a different address.
• Files a large as 5 GB can be emailed through iCloud Mail through Mail Drop, which essentially sends a link to the files stored on your iCloud Drive.
• It's easy to unsubscribe from emails in just one or two clicks.

To make an iCloud Mail account from an iPhone or iPad, go into Settings and tap your name. Then choose iCloud and enable Mail. Use the Create button to sign up for iCloud Mail.

Then, you can log in to iCloud on a computer via your Apple ID and then open Mail to access iCloud Mail.

10 Minute Mail

What We Like

• Gives you an email address in seconds

• You can get an account without making a user account

• Accounts dissolve automatically after 10 minutes

What We Don't Like

• There's a 10 minute limit for every email account

10 Minute Mail is by far one of the best email services if you need an email address right now, temporarily, and without having to go through all the typical user registration steps.

Just as the name suggests, 10 Minute Mail is not really a full-fledged email provider since it gives you an account for only 10 minutes. However, we've added it here because it's absolutely perfect for those times when you need a temporary email account.

Instead of providing your primary email that you use for everything else, plug in a disposable address from 10 Minute Mail. You'll get emails just like a regular email account, but it's not tied to your identity at all, and when the time is up, you don't have to worry about closing the account, deleting the emails, or anything — just exit the page or let the time expire.

10 Minute Mail is perfect for those times you're just testing out a service and don't want to get emails in your regular Inbox. It's also useful if you're sharing your email address with someone you don't trust. It's a valid email account that you can get verification emails on and can reply from, but it disappears after 10 minutes.

Of course, you could use 10 Minute Mail for longer than 10 minutes if you need to, but you'll have to use the refresh button on the email page to reset the clock to count down from 10 minutes.