Proton Mail
🇨🇭Proton
📖Open source✓Free plan
Replaces
freemium
European Email Services Alternatives
Email providers from European companies, as alternatives to Gmail and Outlook, from end-to-end encrypted services such as Proton Mail and Tuta Mail to classic webmail.
Quick answer: There are 23 European alternatives in Email Services from 8 countries. 2 are open source, 10 have a free plan and 1 can be self-hosted.
23 European alternativesSee the shortlist
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10 Free Options
2 Open Source
1 Self-Hosted
8 Countries
Email Services alternatives at a glance
| Product | Country | Pricing | Free plan | Open source | Self-host | Replaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton Mail | 🇨🇭Switzerland | Freemium | Yes | Yes | No | Outlook, Gmail +1 |
| mail.de | 🇩🇪Germany | Freemium | Yes | No | No | Outlook, Yahoo Mail +1 |
| Mailo | 🇫🇷France | Freemium | Yes | No | No | Outlook, Yahoo Mail +1 |
| eclipso | 🇩🇪Germany | Freemium | Yes | Not verified | No | Yahoo Mail, Outlook +1 |
| Kolab Now | 🇨🇭Switzerland | Subscription | No | Not verified | No | Yahoo Mail, Outlook +1 |
| Posteo | 🇩🇪Germany | Subscription | No | No | No | Yahoo Mail, Gmail +1 |
| Runbox | 🇳🇴Norway | Subscription | No | No | No | Yahoo Mail, Gmail +1 |
| mailbox.org | 🇩🇪Germany | Subscription | No | No | No | Gmail, Yahoo Mail +1 |
| Soverin | 🇳🇱Netherlands | Paid | No | No | No | Outlook, Yahoo Mail +1 |
| Migadu | 🇨🇭Switzerland | Paid | No | Not verified | No | Outlook, Yahoo Mail +1 |
| netim | 🇫🇷France | Paid | Yes | No | No | Yahoo Mail, Gmail +1 |
| inbox.eu | 🇱🇻Latvia | Freemium | No | No | No | Outlook, Gmail +1 |
A dash means we have not verified that attribute. Details and sources are on each product page.
What actually separates these email providers
What does encryption mean at each provider?
The same word covers different things. Tuta says all user data is stored end-to-end encrypted, except metadata such as the addresses of senders and recipients, which the email protocol needs; it does not use PGP but its own implementation, and you can send an encrypted email to someone outside Tuta by setting a password. Proton Mail says end-to-end encryption makes messages accessible only to you and your recipients. Mailfence, mailbox.org and eclipso build on OpenPGP in the webmail (mailbox.org and eclipso also on S/MIME), so you create or import keys without installing anything; eclipso includes this in its free plan. Posteo offers inbound encryption with PGP or S/MIME. At GMX, end-to-end encryption is an option you choose per email.
Sources: Tuta: security, Proton: trust, Mailfence, mailbox.org: security, eclipso, Posteo, GMX: security
Can you keep using your own mail app?
Tuta states that it does not offer IMAP, so you use its own apps. Proton Mail lists email client support via IMAP and SMTP. Posteo, mailbox.org, Mailfence, Migadu, Soverin, inbox.eu, Mailo and eclipso all name IMAP access on their own pages.
Sources: Tuta: security, Proton: pricing, Posteo, Migadu, Soverin, mailbox.org: terms, Mailfence, eclipso, inbox.eu: mail, Mailo: terms of use
Can you bring your own domain?
Posteo says own domains cannot be used with it. Most others allow it, usually on a paid plan: mailbox.org on its Standard and Premium plans, Proton Mail from Mail Plus with one custom domain, Tuta with unlimited aliases and a catch-all on the Revolutionary and Legend plans. Runbox, Mailfence and Soverin also support your own domain, and Hostpoint sells email on your own domain name bundled with a drive and a calendar.
Sources: Posteo: FAQ, mailbox.org: private, Proton: pricing, Tuta: pricing, Runbox: pricing, Mailfence, Soverin, Hostpoint
What do the free plans give you?
Most free plans give about 1 GB: Proton Mail, Tuta, Mailfence and Mailo all state 1 GB, and Proton's free plan has one address. eclipso Freemail has 4 GB, one address and no aliases, and may show ads. mail.de has two free options: FreeMail with 1 GB and advertising, or FreeMail Zero without advertising, with 500 MB and a limit of 25 sent emails a day. WEB.DE can be used free of charge if you consent to advertising tracking and personalised advertising, and it may delete the contents of free mailboxes not logged into for more than 180 days. Among paid plans, mail.de starts at €0.99 per month.
Sources: Proton: pricing, Tuta: pricing, Mailfence, eclipso, mail.de, WEB.DE: Datenschutz, Mailo, eclipso: European Gmail alternative
Is it a mailbox or an alias service?
SimpleLogin is not a mailbox. It forwards mail sent to your aliases to an inbox you already have, and replies go out from the alias so your real address stays hidden. Its free plan has 10 aliases and one mailbox.
Sources: SimpleLogin, SimpleLogin: pricing
Checked in September 2026 against the sources linked under each answer.
Notable
- Protects the content of messages with end-to-end encryption, making them accessible only to you and your recipient
- Automatically encrypts all emails exchanged within your business by default, with no add-on or plugin required
- PGP encryption is applied automatically within email clients like Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird
- 1 GB storage, 1 user and 1 encrypted email address on the Free plan
- 15 GB storage, 10 encrypted email addresses and 1 custom email domain on the Mail Plus plan
Pick Proton Mail if you want encryption by default on all emails exchanged within your business, no plugin required.(our assessment)
Checked against Proton Mail's homepage, security page, privacy policy, pricing page and about page.
mail.de
🇩🇪mail.de
✓Free plan
Replaces
freemium
Notable
- Webmail has built-in end-to-end encryption for sending confidential messages
- Two-factor authentication using U2F or an authenticator
- Log in with biometric authentication on one of your devices, for example fingerprint or Face ID
Pricing: from €0.99 per month (homepage)
- 1 GB of storage on the free Freemail account
- FreeMail Zero: 500 MB storage for email and online storage, and a sending limit of 25 emails per day
Pick mail.de if you want to log in with a fingerprint or Face ID.(our assessment)
Checked against mail.de's homepage, sicherheit page, legal notice and datenschutz page.
Mailo
🇫🇷Mailo
✓Free plan
Replaces
freemium
Notable
- Email boxes, online document storage, address books, calendars, an office suite, chat, videoconferencing, SMS, domain name purchase and web hosting
- Sends registered emails and shows whether and when recipients read them
- Sends larger files as download links added to the message
Where it falls short
Pricing: from €1.50 / month (homepage)
- 1 GB for e-mails on Mailo Free
- Total email attachment size limited to 25 MB on Mailo Free accounts
Checked against Mailo's homepage, legal notice and privacy policy.
eclipso
🇩🇪eclipso Mail Europe
✓Free plan
Replaces
freemium
Notable
- A wizard guides the user through generating their own PGP key pair in 4 steps
- Compatible with Thunderbird, Outlook with Gpg4win, and K-9 Mail
- Sends physical mail, faxes and SMS directly from the browser
Where it falls short
- Ad-free only on the Connect, Premium and Business plans; the basic Freemail plan may contain advertisements. source
Pricing: from 1.49 € per month (homepage)
- The Freemail plan includes 4 GB storage, 1 email address and no aliases
- The Connect plan includes 20 GB storage and 11 email addresses
Pick eclipso if you want to send physical mail, faxes and SMS from the browser.(our assessment)
Checked against eclipso's european gmail alternative page, homepage, security page, about page, tos page and legal notice.
Posteo
🇩🇪Posteo
Replaces
subscription
Notable
- Synchronises calendars via CalDAV and shares them via ICS link
- Address book synchronisation via CardDAV for iOS and Android
- Crypto mail storage for the entire mailbox
Where it falls short
Pricing: from 1 EUR per month (homepage)
- 4 GB email account, upgradeable
- 3 additional email addresses included with each account
Pick Posteo if you want migration of up to three external email accounts, including folder structures.(our assessment)
Checked against Posteo's about page, faq page, homepage, privacy policy and legal notice.
Runbox
🇳🇴Runbox Solutions AS
Replaces
subscription
Notable
- Import and migration tools that move all or part of existing email, contacts and calendars to Runbox
- Create and manage multiple additional sub-accounts under a main account for a team or family
- Two-factor authentication and compatibility with browser PGP end-to-end encryption
Where it falls short
- More bandwidth cannot be purchased; it can only be increased by upgrading to another subscription plan. source
Pricing: from €19.95 per year (pricing page)
- Bandwidth quota of 10 GB per week for subscriptions and 250 MB per week for trial accounts
- Medium plan: 25 GB email storage, 2 GB file storage and 10 email domain names
Pick Runbox if you want import tools that move all or part of existing email, contacts and calendars.(our assessment)
Checked against Runbox's homepage, pricing page and about page.
mailbox.org
🇩🇪mailbox.org
Replaces
subscription
Notable
- Combines Mail, Drive, Meet and Office in one digital workspace
- Disposable addresses and individual aliases to protect the main address from spam and unwanted contacts
- Multi-stage filters block spam before it reaches the mailbox
Where it falls short
Pricing: from € 1 per month (pricing page)
- Light: 2 GB mail storage and 3 aliases @mailbox.org
- Standard: 20 GB mail storage and 25 aliases @mailbox.org
Pick mailbox.org if you want disposable addresses to protect your main address from spam and unwanted contacts.(our assessment)
Checked against mailbox.org's private page, homepage, security page, t cs cancellation policy page, pricing page, legal notice and certified quality page.
Soverin
🇳🇱Soverin
Replaces
paid
Notable
- As many aliases as wanted on your own domain, free of charge
- A free randomly generated alias on the @sinenomine.email domain that cannot be traced back to the real email address
- Removes the sender's personal IP address from email headers
Where it falls short
Pricing: from €3.25 per month, billed annually (pricing page)
- The Private Mailbox includes 25 GB storage and unlimited aliases
Pick Soverin if you want email headers without your personal IP address.(our assessment)
Checked against Soverin's homepage and pricing page.
Migadu
🇨🇭Migadu
Replaces
paid
Notable
- No limits on the number of addresses or domains an account can have
- Received messages can be automatically forwarded to up to 25 secondary addresses
- Filter incoming messages with SIEVE scripts managed using the ManageSieve protocol
Where it falls short
- No phone or chat support; support is by email and ticketing. source
Pricing: from $ 19 / year (pricing page)
Pick Migadu if you want no hard storage quotas, so mail never bounces back.(our assessment)
Checked against Migadu's homepage, pricing page, legal notice, privacy policy and about page.
netim
🇫🇷netim
✓Free plan
Replaces
paid
Notable
- Email hosting with up to 50 addresses and 250GB of configurable quota
- Email address migration tool for moving addresses hosted by another registrar or provider
- On the Mail20+ and Mail50+ packages, storage space can be distributed among email addresses as needed
- 1GB email address on the free Lite offer
Pick netim if you want storage space distributed among email addresses as needed.(our assessment)
Checked against netim's homepage, comparison chart page and legal notice.
inbox.eu
🇱🇻inbox.eu
Replaces
freemium
Notable
- Shares large files up to 2.5GB via download links
- Mounts cloud files as a network drive on a Windows or macOS computer via WebDAV
- Single sign-on (SSO) with LDAP and SAML2
Pricing: from €9.99 / year per user (pricing page)
- Business account: 100 GB of shared storage per domain plus 100 GB for each account user
- Personal account: 100 GB of storage
Pick inbox.eu if you want single sign-on with LDAP and SAML2.(our assessment)
Checked against inbox.eu's homepage, secure file storage page, pricing page, inbox eu mail page, privacy policy and legal notice.
Looking for alternatives to a specific product?
Which should you choose?
- Pick eclipso if you want to send physical mail, faxes and SMS from the browser.
- Pick inbox.eu if you want single sign-on with LDAP and SAML2.
- Pick mail.de if you want to log in with a fingerprint or Face ID.
- Pick mailbox.org if you want disposable addresses to protect your main address from spam and unwanted contacts.
- Pick Migadu if you want no hard storage quotas, so mail never bounces back.
- Pick netim if you want storage space distributed among email addresses as needed.
Our assessment, based only on the checked statements above.
How we checked this
We checked 11 of the 12 alternatives on this page against each company's own website in September 2026. Every line in the grey panels comes from that company’s own site, and a second check tried to disprove it before we kept it. A dash in the table means we could not verify that detail. "Pick it if" lines are our own assessment, based only on those checked statements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there free European email services?
Yes. SimpleLogin, netim, GMX Email, WEB.DE E-Mail, Mailo, Mailfence, mail.de, eclipso and 2 more (see the table) are free or have a free plan, according to the pricing each company publishes. Free plans usually carry limits; each product page links to the company's terms.
Which European email services are open source?
Tuta Mail and Proton Mail publish their source code under an open-source licence. Each product page shows the licence and where the code is.
Which European email services can you host yourself?
SimpleLogin can be run on your own servers, according to its own documentation.