Are your emails safe from the ever-growing prying eyes? Unfortunately, the answer is ‘No’ unless you’re using a secure email service from providers respecting your privacy.
It is a bit surprising that emails remain one of the primary forms of digital communication worldwide even in this age of social media and IM apps.
Unfortunately, you may not have much privacy on the all-seeing internet of today. Governments, hackers, big corporations, and everyone is going after you online, which is certainly not acceptable.
You don’t have to be a criminal to mind your emails being watched. However, there are many reasons why you should care about email privacy.
By protecting your email communications, you ensure that your personal data can not be misused ever.
The good news is that you can get a secure email service to protect your email activities.
So, if you want your email messages and conversations to remain as private as possible, you’re at the right place. This article lists 15 trusted providers offering the best email services to take your email security to the next level.
Top 5 secure email providers – quick list
If you’re in a rush to subscribe to one of the secure email services, here are the five best options you can choose from.
- ProtonMail – An open-source, end-to-end encrypted, freemium platform with zero-knowledge and zero access technology.
- Tutanota – Top-notch encryption standards with a user-friendly interface. However, lacks inclusive search features.
- Mailfence – End-to-end encrypted email service supporting encrypted email messages to non-PGP recipients too.
- CounterMail – Stores emails on temporary servers in encrypted form; supports additional protection with USB key. Paid service only.
- Hushmail – Easy-to-use encrypted email service with a premium model and free trial; supports personal and business uses alike.
Factors to consider before going with a secure email service
Many secure email providers are available today, making it overwhelming for anyone to choose the best service.
Some of you may seek a service with the most significant security or robust encryption. In contrast, others may fancy simplicity and convenience.
Thus, to help you pick the best secure email service, here are some factors you need to consider.
- Email Encryption – Before switching to a provider, ensure that the emails are end-to-end encrypted, including attachments.
- Jurisdiction – You should be aware of the service’s location and where it stores your data. These things directly affect user privacy.
- Security and Privacy – Make sure you know the provider’s security standards and policies regarding your data. That is, whether or not it logs your data, why, how, and for how long it stores it.
- Features – Look for some essential features such as calendars, inbox search, contacts, and file storage. A secure email provider should also support DAV services and collaboration tools.
- PGP Support – Some services support PGP, while some don’t use PGP due to the vulnerabilities. It is recommended to go with a PGP-supported secure email provider.
- Key Feature – Check if you can import existing contacts and emails. There is no harm in compromising this essential feature for security. But if you get both (email security plus essential features) with one provider, that is an excellent win for you.
- Email Apps – Most email services, due to encryption, won’t be used with third-party email clients. Yet, some offer dedicated apps; prefer such services.
20 most secure email service providers for privacy in 2023
So, now you know what to consider before opting for any secure email service provider. But of course, it will take a lot of time for you to keep analyzing the bulk of available email services on these parameters.
So, to save you time, below are some of the most secure email providers to choose from.
The list contains both the free and paid providers. So, you can pick any one of these top 15 best email services to protect your email privacy.