How We Test Email Providers
Every review on EmailExplained is based on an email service I have signed up for, paid for with my own money and used myself. This page explains what I look at, how I test and score each service, and how the site earns money, so you can judge my reviews for yourself.
There is no single best email provider
“Best” always depends on what you need. I pay for Proton Unlimited and use it every day, so for me Proton is the best service available. Someone who only wants straightforward, privacy-focused email might be happier with Posteo or mailbox.org’s Light plan, both from €1 a month. Someone else might only want a free account, which Proton and Tuta both offer.
That is why every review explains who a service suits and who might prefer something else, rather than only giving it a score. My list of the best private email providers works the same way, matching each service to the kind of person it suits.
What I look at
Ease of use
How easy is it to sign up, pay and get started? I look at whether the important settings are easy to find, and whether someone new to the service could start sending emails without help.
Everyday usability
This is what the service is like to live with. I send and receive emails, use attachments, create extra addresses and try the calendar and contacts. I also check how it works on a phone as well as a computer, and whether the provider offers its own app.
Security and privacy
I explain in plain words what is protected and what is not, including whether stronger protection is on by default or something you have to set up yourself. Where a provider makes promises about what it collects or keeps, I describe them as its stated policy, because nobody outside the company can fully check them.
Value for money
I look at the real cost, not only the headline price. That includes renewal prices, minimum payments and what each plan actually includes, compared with similar services.
Why I take points off for extra setup
In my experience, most people want an email service that works straight away. If you need to change settings, install a browser extension or use an outside service to get an important feature working, I take points off.
That does not mean the feature is bad. It means fewer people will end up using it, and the service asks more of you than one that does the same job automatically.
How I test
I sign up for the plan named in the review and go through the normal payment process, so I see exactly what a new customer sees. I then send emails to and from my own Gmail and Proton accounts, test attachments in both directions, create an extra address and send from it, and try the calendar and other included tools.
Where I can, I test security features too, such as sending a protected email to someone on a different service. The screenshots in my reviews come from my own accounts, with personal details hidden.
Prices and features are checked on the provider’s own website when I write or update a review. If I have not tested something myself, the review says so.
What my tests do not cover
I am not a security auditor, and I do not try to break a provider’s encryption. I only comment on customer support if I have contacted it myself.
How the scores work
Each review gives two scores out of 10. The overall score covers all four areas above. The value score looks only at what you get for the price.
This means a service can score very highly for value and lower overall. Posteo is a good example: I gave it 10/10 for value and 7/10 overall, because it is excellent for €1 a month but has a dated design and no support for your own domain. You can read why in my Posteo review.
How EmailExplained makes money
I do not accept free accounts from email providers, and no provider pays me to publish a review. Every account I review is one I have paid for myself, on the same terms as any other customer.
Some links on this site are affiliate links, including links to Proton, Fastmail and StartMail. If you sign up through one of them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Every page that contains affiliate links shows a notice at the top.
Commissions never change a score. Posteo and mailbox.org pay me nothing, and I am happy to recommend them when they suit you better. At €1 a month, I would personally choose mailbox.org’s Light plan, as I explain in my mailbox.org review.
Keeping reviews up to date
Email providers change their prices, plans and features regularly, so I go back to each service every few months and test it again. I recheck the facts on the provider’s website, add anything new I have found from using it for longer, and update the scores if the service has improved or got worse.
My aim is to be fair and honest about every service, including the ones I use and the ones that pay this site. If a review helps you choose a provider that suits you, even one I would not pick myself, it has done its job.