Best email provider

Don’t use Gmail. Here are several alternatives that are not run by a surveillance monopolist:

• Fastmail, my personal favorite, an email service based in Australia that doesn’t spy on you.
• Proton Mail, another popular option, “an encrypted email service based in Switzerland.”
• Tuta Mail, privacy-focused email provider from Tutanota, based in Germany. (Also from Tuta: the ultimate list to deGoogle in 2025.)
• Runbox, a privacy-focused email provider based in Norway.
• Hey, a US-based service from the founders of Basecamp.
• Purelymail, a low-cost email provider created by an independent programmer and now run by a small team.

Finally, an alternative email protocol: OpenEmail, which is “decentralized and secure by default. . . . An inbox without surveillance.”

Also - from the NYT, A.I. Has Arrived in Gmail. Here’s What to Know (Jan 15, 2026): “Google’s A.I. assistant, Gemini, can create a to-do list based on recent emails, among other new tricks. There are implications for your privacy.”

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