e-Why, What & How · 2016-10-11

5 encrypted email services worth checking out

Despite the emergence of all the new messengers & chat tools, we can attest that email continues to remain an important tool of communication. Reportedly, there are over 2.5 billion email users worldwide.

With all this fuss over privacy, it’s important to consider how secure your email service provider is. More importantly, also find out if the service offers end-to-end encryption to ensure the security of your email & data.

 

 

 

 

Below, we look at 5 of the encrypted email services currently in the business:

  1. ProtonMail

Well, it has to be ProtonMail as the #1 on our list. ProtonMail has its servers In Switzerland. There were claims that it was the only email provider the National Security Agency could not access. It’s open source & offers end-to-end encryption for your email & data.

In addition, it uses a segregated authentication & decryption system. With this, you will have 2 passwords. You will use one to login into the service & the 2nd one to decrypt your email. ProtonMail’s app is available for both iOS & Android devices. They offer you a free account with 500MB storage, 1 email address, 150 messages/day & 20 labels to organise. Initially, it was an invite-only service until around March 2016.

  1. Tutanota

Tutanota is not new to many in the business. Just last year, it was featured on What’s New On the Net. It’s also an open source, encrypted mail service with its headquarters in Germany. Tutanota will allow you to send an email with end-to-end encryption to anyone in the world.

Also, this provider allows non-users to respond to your encrypted email securely. If you opt for a free account, it offers you 1GB of storage without any aliases. However, you can upgrade to premium for €1/ month. This will you to add up to 5 aliases & map your own domain.

It is available for both Android & iOS devices.

  1. Countermail

Next on the list is Countermail. In addition to end-to-end encryption, it uses openPGP encryption protocol with 4096 keys. It also offers a secure USB key option. This means you can’t access your account without your USB key inserted into a USB port.

Although it has no mobile app, it’s available for Windows, Linux & OS X. However, it supports IMAP hence you use across devices. Countermail has a 7-day free trial after which you can pay $6.33/month.

  1. Posteo.de

Like Tutanota, Posteo.de is based in Germany. It offers users an open source & secure email account along with comprehensive encryption. It offers a 2-factor authentication on all devices. Sign up as well as paying for the plans is anonymous.

Posteo.de offers 2 GB of storage & 2 aliases for €1/month. However, it does not offer mobile apps, although it supports POP3 & IMAP.

  1. Kolab Now

Finally, there’s Kolab Now. It’s also an open source secure email service with a guarantee of no data mining. Just like ProtonMail, it is situated in Switzerland. Do you have a small, medium-sized enterprise & want to pass on sensitive info through email? Well, Kolab Now can suit you best as their service target is just that.

It also has an integrated note-taking app, contacts & calendar, email tagging support among others. It does not have a free option. However, it charges its users directly with a pricing plan of an individual account starting around US $4.99. It does not have a mobile app but supports IMAP in addition to Web access.

Some of the other encrypted email service providers that didn’t make it to our shortlist but are worth a mention are: Scryptmail & Mailfence.

 

 

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