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The Best Email Providers List: Free & Paid
Email is the most used mode of communication across the world. In 2020 there were 4.2 billion email users across the globe. Corporations, businesses, and individuals all use email in their daily lives.
There are tens of providers around the world offering email services. With so many options available, you might wonder, “what is the best free email account?”
Each provider offers the same service but has varying integration capabilities, storage capacities, and ease of use. Some providers keep their services behind a paywall, but there are plenty that do not and are free to use while being effective and efficient.
Check out this list of the best free and paid email accounts below to see what is the best option for you!
Table of Contents
Things to Consider When Choosing a Free Email Provider
Storage capacity: Adequate storage space for attachments and files is vital, but the necessary storage capacity varies depending on your occupation. | Integration capability: Integrating with other platforms is crucial and will save you time. Generally speaking, the more integrations, the better. |
Ease of use: Don’t waste your precious time with a cumbersome or glitchy email provider. Choose one that makes sense to you. | Pricing for additional storage: After you’ve had your email provider for years, you may need to purchase additional storage. Choose a provider that fits your budget. |
You should consider a few things when choosing a free email provider. These include:
Storage capacity
If your occupation requires you to receive large files, storage capacity is a requirement. AOL offers with most storage capacity– unlimited–while iCloud only offers 5GB.
Integration capability
Businesses thrive when they integrate with leading platforms. However, not every industry has the same integration requirements. Be sure to choose a provider that integrates with the platforms you need.
Ease of use
Some email providers are more complicated than others, relying on icons or colored buttons for functionality, while others have a more straightforward layout. Your email provider should make your job easy, so pick whichever provider makes sense to you.
Pricing for additional storage
Sometimes a few extra bucks can make a big difference. Choose a provider with a smaller monthly fee or unlimited storage capacity if you’re on a budget.
#1 Gmail – Our Top Pick
Gmail is possibly the most popular and widely used free email provider worldwide, with 1.8 billion users worldwide as of 2020!
A Gmail account allows people to communicate with business professionals and individuals easily. It streamlines the process of email communication on both sides.
You can also access the entire Google Suite with a Gmail account, including Google Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Meet, Drive, and more!
Gmail Storage Capacity
Every Gmail account comes with 15GB of storage for free. However, this storage includes all items in your other accounts within the Google Suite. Extra storage is available for purchase should you need more for a monthly fee.
#2 Outlook – Best for Corporations
Microsoft Outlook is another commonly used free email platform, mainly between businesses and corporations. Outlook has many more features for creating calendars, managing tasks, and more, making it the best business email accounts for free.
Features to help you stay on top of your inbox include:
- Setting message alerts from designated clients so you do not miss those messages.
- Using sticky notes as reminders within the email application.
- The ability to @ someone in mass emails. They get an alert that it is pertinent to them.
Outlook Storage Capacity
Outlook offers the same storage capacity as Google, with 15GB for every account. Unlike Gmail, the 15GB only applies to Outlook, so it may be a better storage deal for you.
#3 Yahoo! Mail – Best for Integrating Platforms
Yahoo! Mail has been around since 1997, with 225 million monthly users. This platform is best for individual email needs and allows users to customize their inbox theme and layout to make it uniquely theirs.
The best part about Yahoo! Mail is that you can easily integrate your Google Calendar, Gmail account, AOL account, or Outlook account, so you can manage all your email accounts in one place.
Yahoo! Mail Storage Capacity
Yahoo! Mail has a whopping 1000GB, or 1TB, of storage available to every user. This massive storage limit makes it one of the largest storage capacity offerings putting it just behind AOL.
#4 AOL – Best for Storage Capacity
Speaking of AOL, this is another free email provider that has been around since the beginning of email. Since 1993, AOL has been a staple in the free email provider space. AOL email has a 25MB attachment limit, which is higher than others on this list.
Overall, AOL email is the perfect service if you do not need a lot of bells and whistles. It is straightforward to use. It also has some customization options available, like creating personal email stationery.
AOL Storage Capacity
The storage capacity is the best part about AOL – unlimited storage capacity! It is the only free email provider with this function, so if you are concerned with storage capacity and do not need a lot of high-tech functions, this might be the best choice for you!
#5 iCloud Mail – Best for Communication Between iOS Devices
iCloud Mail is a good option for those who exclusively use devices within the Apple family. You can connect your email to all your devices seamlessly, and the interface is easy to use.
iCloud Mail comes with no advertisements, it allows you to mark particular addresses as VIP, which will send them to a specific folder, so you never miss an email from those people, and it has a spam filtering function to keep your inbox free of spam.
iCloud Mail Storage Capacity
iCloud Mail does not have the best storage capacity for a free provider. Each user receives 5GB of free storage before being prompted to purchase more storage power for a monthly fee.
...paid providers offer benefits like more storage, automated email capabilities, and increased privacy and security for users. These features are what make them the perfect option for businesses.
Best Paid Email Providers
Though there are plenty of free email providers available, you might find it beneficial to pay for email services if you are involved with corporate or business email.
People who don’t use email every day or don’t use it for business likely do not need a paid provider. However, paid providers offer benefits like more storage, automated email capabilities, and increased privacy and security for users. These features are what make them the perfect option for businesses.
#1 Tutanota – Best for Privacy
Tutanota is a paid email service that automatically encrypts all data. It makes it nearly impossible for someone to hack in and snoop through your online communications. It is accessible through their website or on an app available for iOS and Android devices.
The Tutanota Premium plan for private individuals is $1.10/month. For businesses, the Premium plan is $2.20/month, and the Business Teams plan is $5.49/month.
Both plans include features like unlimited search, expandable aliases, inbox filtering, custom domain login, and priority customer support.
#2 MailChimp – Best for Marketing
You may have heard of MailChimp because it is a popular resource used by many businesses and companies to enhance their marketing efforts. It is a user-friendly service that allows you to create personalized emails that include integrations with all the major e-commerce sites.
Their most affordable Premium Plan is $9.99 per month. This plan includes comprehensive user reports, access to the powerful template editor, and Pro Support from MailChimp’s customer support team. You will likely need a paid plan from MailChimp if you send over 10,000 emails per month to more than 2,000 subscribers.
#3 Constant Contact – Best for Medium-Sized Businesses
Constant Contact is the perfect platform for medium-sized businesses because it is easy to use. Customers with little to no online marketing experience can still navigate and use Constant Contact flawlessly.
Their plans are a bit more expensive than others, but it is worth it for the flexible editing capabilities, event management features, and 98% delivery rate. For unlimited emails, it is $20/month per account.
#4 Titan – Most Affordable Email Provider
Titan is one of the most affordable email providers for businesses of all sizes. It offers tools that are helpful for growth and allow you to schedule emails. There are also follow-up reminders and read receipts, so you can stay on top of your email activity.
Titan offers two pricing plans, one being the Business Pro plan at $2 per month and the second being the Business Premium Plan at $2.45 per month. Both options have a free trial, so you can try each service before you buy.
#1 Zoho Mail – Best for Small Businesses and Home-Based Businesses
Zoho Mail allows users to migrate their G Suite and Office 365 accounts to Zoho Mail. It also works well with other applications similar to iCloud Mail and Outlook. It fully encrypts your data to increase privacy and includes an expense tracker where you can add other individuals to share folders with them.
It is free for five users, but if you have a business with more users, you need to choose between their three plans. Their Mail Lite plan is $1 per month, their Mail Premium is $4 per month, and their Workplace Plan is $3 per month. Each plan comes with all features mentioned above, but the Lite plan only has 5GB of storage, while the other two have 10GB.
Main Takeaways
Our top three picks for the best free email account providers in 2023 are Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo! Mail. Each option is user-friendly, offers plenty of storage for free, and can intertwine to keep your email experience streamlined.
The top three picks for a paid provider are Tutanota, MailChimp, and Constant Contact. Each of these services has features that are best for small or large businesses, but they all have proven results that customers rave about.
Hopefully, you can make a more informed decision after reading our list and be more confident in your choice if you have already made one. An email is an effective form of communication, so no matter what you use, you will be able to communicate efficiently.
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