Best Secure Email Providers (2023)

Check out our brief video on the most secure email providers below.

The best free anonymous email accounts in 2023

Strong encryption isn’t enough if you want to send truly anonymous emails. Your email service providers can still keep a record of your name, track your IP and your location, and see email subject lines and recipients. But what if you need to send and receive secret emails that won’t reveal your identity? Then you need a trusted anonymous email provider that won’t collect your data.

Jan 01, 2023
Время чтения: 18 мин.

• What is an anonymous email?
• Why do you need an anonymous email?
• What is a burner email service?
• Is there such a thing as an untraceable email?
• What should you consider when choosing an anonymous email account?
• Best anonymous email providers
  • ProtonMail
  • Tutanota
  • Secure Email
  • Guerilla Mail
  • AnonAddy
  • PrivateMail
  • Mailfence
  • CounterMail
  • StartMail
  • ZohoMail
  • Posteo
  • If you only need to send emails
  • If you only need to receive emails
  • If you can’t say goodbye to Google

  What is an anonymous email?

  Put simply, an anonymous email is one that hides the sender’s identity and doesn’t contain any personally identifiable information. An anonymous email can’t be traced back to you.

  Anonymous email services encrypt your messages, so, even if they were intercepted in transit, nobody could see their contents. Your email address, the time when the message was sent, your device’s name, and even your IP address will also be hidden from the recipient.

  Why do you need an anonymous email?

  There are lots of reasons why you might want to send and receive anonymous emails:

  • You might be a journalist writing about sensitive topics like riots or civil war.
  • You could be an activist fighting for freedom of speech or other human rights.
  • You might need to blow the whistle on an unethical company or a government.
  • You might live in a country with an oppressive regime where your emails and everything you do online is monitored.
  • You don’t want tech giants like Google to read your email and track your online behavior.
  • You care about privacy and security, and don’t want your emails to be personally identifiable in case of a breach.

  A lot of email providers offer secure email services but not all of them shield your identity. Some will only encrypt the content of your emails, so be sure to check whether it hides your IP address, whether it asks for your personal information when signing up, and whether it offers extra security features like burner emails.

  What is a burner email service?

  Burner email services recall disposable prepaid phones — they are temporarily used and then disposed of. They provide you with a temporary email address. While anonymous email services still require you to sign up, you can usually use burners immediately without any commitment. Burner email services usually don’t require an account, and their messages usually expire after a certain period. So they can’t be traced back to you.

  They can be useful to avoid spam when you visit unreliable websites, to stay anonymous, or to prevent your email correspondence from being read by a third party. You can use such temporary email addresses to communicate with someone and leave no trace of that communication.

  Is there such a thing as an untraceable email?

  While no one can guarantee you 100% intractability, you can significantly improve your privacy by using anonymous email accounts. They keep your address anonymous and encrypt your connections, and you can also use an alias system to create several profiles, thus protecting your identity.

  PRO TIP: Even the most robust security tool won’t protect you if you don’t protect yourself. So remember to use strong passwords, never click on suspicious links, and use NordVPN to protect your traffic everywhere. Common sense and awareness will make you much more untraceable.

  What should you consider when choosing an anonymous email account?

  Here are some aspects you should consider when choosing an anonymous email account:

  • The reliability of the provider. Always do some research to see whether the provider is trustworthy. Check out its security policies and whether it collects any data.
  • Jurisdiction. Make sure the provider belongs to a jurisdiction that doesn’t have laws requiring service providers to store and pass user data to government institutions.
  • Encryption. Make sure your chosen service has end-to-end encryption and encrypts your emails in transit. It’s also a great advantage if emails and attachments are encrypted at endpoints.
  • Additional features. Check if a service has additional features such as file storage, a contact list, calendars, collaboration tools, or other features.

  Best anonymous email providers

  To help you stay secure, we reviewed the best anonymous email providers that offer free encrypted email accounts and provide you with full anonymity.

  ProtonMail

  ProtonMail is one of the most popular secure email providers. It uses PGP encryption to encrypt your emails before they leave your device and at rest. ProtonMail also has a zero-knowledge policy, meaning that no one, not even ProtonMail employees, can snoop on your messages. Unfortunately, ProtonMail doesn’t encrypt your metadata, headers or subject lines.

  You don’t need to enter any personally identifiable information to create an account either. However, you have the option to link a recovery email in case you forget your password. You can also send self-destructing messages and determine their lifespan.

  A free account will give you 500MB of storage and you will be able to send up to 150 messages a day. For more storage and extra features, you can opt for a paid service. However, ProtonMail may ask you to enter your phone number to receive an SMS message to create or confirm your account. This may not be relevant for most users, but depending on your potential vulnerability, a free email that doesn’t require a phone number might be a safer option.

  Tutanota

  Tutanota is another popular choice amongst online security and privacy experts. They use their own encryption standard to encrypt your entire inbox, including your emails’ subject lines and your contacts list. Tutanota provides end-to-end encryption between users but you can also send encrypted messages to non-users, all they’ll need is a pre-shared password to decrypt them.

  You don’t need to enter any personally identifiable information to create your account and the free plan gives you a generous 1GB of storage. Tutanota also strips your IP from your emails so that even if someone manages to snoop on your traffic they will not be able to locate you. Tutanota’s software is also open source, which means that anyone can look into its code to confirm its security.

  Secure Email

  Secure Email is a great anonymous email service provider that encrypts your emails with powerful 4096-bit key encryption and then uses SSL encryption to make sure that no one can snoop on them in transit. You don’t need to share any personal information to create your Secure Email account, either.

  Secure Email doesn’t cooperate with the US PRISM surveillance program and is very open about their privacy policy. They don’t log your IP address, meaning that they have no personally identifiable information about you and cannot pass any information on to governments or snoopers.

  Guerilla Mail

  Guerilla Mail is another great encrypted email provider. It has been around for over a decade, providing users with free and disposable email address that can be used to send and receive anonymous emails. You can even create your own email address or use their “scramble address” feature to create a randomized address.

  No personal data is required to create an account, but if you’re still worried about it being traced back to you, Guerilla Mail will let you send anonymous messages without an email account. Another great feature is their self-timing messages, which means that any messages you receive last an hour, for extra protection against breaches.

  AnonAddy

  AnonAddy stands for “Anonymous Email Address”, and this pretty much describes what it does. It’s a transparent and open-source email-forwarding service that encrypts your emails and doesn’t track you. It also doesn’t use ad targeting.

  AnonAddy uses an aliases system to allow you to host multiple emails and thus protects your privacy. It also has tons of useful functions, including protecting your email address from unsolicited spam by deactivating aliases and identifying who sold your data by using different email addresses for every site.

  AnonAddy can also protect you from cross-referencing, which may reveal your identity in case of a data breach. You can also reply to emails without revealing your true address.

  PrivateMail

  PrivateMail offers an anonymous encrypted email service. It uses end-to-end OpenPGP encryption, encrypts your stored files, and allows you to enable the self-destruction of emails and contacts. The service is also convenient for secure file sharing. It doesn’t encrypt data on its servers, so personal info never gets into employees’ hands. PrivateMail boasts extensive functionality and multi-platform support, so it is an email service definitely worth checking out.

  Mailfence

  Mailfence is another email system offering OpenPGP based on end-to-end encryption. It provides secure email services but also offers other email features such as calendar, contacts, documents, etc. You can also use aliases for managing your different identities and filter your incoming emails to protect privacy and avoid spam.

  Mailfence also maintains transparency reports and warrant canaries. Its servers are located in Belgium, so it doesn’t have to adhere to US gag orders, extradition treaties, or national security letters.

  To keep your internet activity private use the NordVPN app. It’ll add an extra layer of identity protection and security, by encrypting your traffic.

  Best paid anonymous email providers

  CounterMail

  CounterMail is an anonymous email service with lots of extra features. It offers four layers of encryption: SSL, OpenPGP end-to-end encryption, session encryption, and server-side disk encryption. CounterMail also has anonymous email headers, a password manager, an autoresponder, secure forms, and other useful features. It doesn’t store logs or use cookies.

  It’s very simple and easy to use. However, CounterMail is not free and is an invitation-only service.

  StartMail

  StartMail is a web-only privacy-focused email service. It also supports the burner function, so you can easily get rid of your email address if it ends up on a spam address list. StartMail handles encryption server-side rather than in the browser.

  You can use PGP encryption with StartMail, and your emails are encrypted at rest in their Dutch servers. StartMail also has the burner function that allows you to create temporary and disposable emails. It strips headers and IP addresses from your emails.

  ZohoMail

  ZohoMail is a B2B secure email service provider. ZohoMail uses SSL for transport-level encryption between the device and the server. All your messages are also encrypted at endpoints in servers in undisclosed locations.

  ZohoMail has a well-defined and user-friendly interface. It has useful extra features like malware detection, spam filtering, and two-factor authentication (2FA).

  Posteo

  Posteo is a German secure email service provider that resembles Mailbox.org because it is a full-featured service with PGP encryption. However, Posteo doesn’t support custom domains, has no spam folder, and doesn’t offer a free trial.

  Posteo is a good option privacy-wise — it offers strong encryption, strips IP addresses from emails, and doesn’t keep logs. You can also register completely anonymously and send emails without leaving digital traces. Posteo doesn’t serve you ads, offers 2FA, and has daily information backups.

  A nice plus is that the company is 100% powered by Greenpeace Energy’s green electricity, and it serves vegetarian food to its employees.

  Free vs. paid options

  Because there are few good free services, we recommend spending a few bucks and opting for a paid service for the following reasons:

  • More features. Paid services usually offer more features.
  • Transparency. Paid anonymous email accounts tend to be more transparent. Some of them also have customer support services if you encounter a problem.
  • Unreliable free services. Some free anonymous email accounts can be unreliable — they can log your data or flood you with ads, or they simply don’t function properly.
  • Value for money. Many anonymous email accounts are inexpensive, so it is worth spending an extra dollar for better security.

  Check out our brief video on the most secure email providers below.

  Best Secure Email Providers (2023)

  We might receive compensation from the companies whose products we review. The opinions here are our own.

  Our top pick!

  

  • Always evades internet control in the PRC
  • Keeps ahead of the Netflix VPN detection algorithm
  • Benchmark tests show excellent speed

  

  • Smart DNS service, understands the technology
  • Comprehensive security add-on package.
  • No data throughput limits and has a no-logs policy
  • More US city locations than its rivals
  • Includes malware protection
  • No-logs policy

  Table of Contents

  Of the many technological advances brought about by the internet, email is probably one of the most impactful. Over 300 billion emails are sent every day, containing everything from polite conversation to huge financial transactions. But despite the popularity and ubiquity of emails, the medium has not changed much since its advent in 1971 and can often pose a serious security risk to users.

  The concept of secure email has gained attention recently as a way to avoid these vulnerabilities, and while there are many providers out there, we have compiled the best options.

  Why secure email is important

  When email was invented, there was no way anyone could have predicted the way it is used today. The majority of emails were personal correspondence between friends and family for many years, with some advertisements slipping in. Because of the low-stakes use cases, email was never designed to be secure and there was little thought put into privacy or email encryption for many years. Anyone watching a network could easily see the plain text being sent.

  Today, email is slightly more secure, but there are still vulnerabilities.

  Sensitive information is sent via email

  At the same time, we use emails for sensitive information often. Contracts, invoices, medical information, personal information, sensitive documents, and more are sent through email servers that can easily be hacked by both individuals and malicious applications. When this happens, the information available can be used to carry out all kinds of activities, like identity theft, theft of funds, blackmail, and more.

  Personal data is vulnerable

  Even if you don’t send any sensitive data, there is likely something in your email that would be valuable to a bad actor. At the very least, personal email accounts are typically unencrypted, which leaves them vulnerable. Choosing a secure email service allows you to protect yourself and your data without losing access to this form of communication.

  What is a secure email and how does it work?

  A secure email experience, much like your typical one, allows you to send and receive messages from named addresses, but it also incorporates extra safeguards for your protection. Beyond the basics of strong passwords and two-factor authentication, the aim is to use traditional email while keeping out bad actors and preserving your data and identity. This involves a delicate task for your email account’s spam filter, which has to block all spam messages and guard against sophisticated phishing scams (which is why it’s important to know why an email could go to the spam folder). Despite the challenge of correctly flagging suspicious messages without false positives, achieving this balance could be the defining factor between a good and a great email provider.

  End-to-end encryption

  The key to a secure email experience is end-to-end encryption that goes beyond the norm. A traditional email provider will encrypt data between your computer and the server, but any information sent to the server (including your messages themselves) is not encrypted when it arrives. That means the provider has access to your data, and while they may not use it, it could be subject to a data leak without needing to be decrypted to be read. Secure providers encrypt data on the server so that it is useless to a third party.

  Metadata protection

  Another key facet of secure email is how it deals with metadata. This is information logged alongside your email, like timestamps or information about the browser you are using. Most people don’t consciously generate metadata and would never know what it says, but it can become a paper trail in certain cases. A secure email provider takes care to strip as much metadata as possible from the email, making it harder to trace the origin of a message and the identity of the sender.

  Server locations

  Secure email providers may also pay special attention to the location of their servers, and the most secure are often located in remote or historically neutral countries. Countries like Switzerland with very strict privacy laws are an ideal locations for these providers, as they would rarely be mandated to share personal data by law enforcement.

  Are Gmail and popular email providers secure? Why or why not?

  There is no formal definition of a secure provider or certification to help you understand who is and isn’t one. However, the term is generally understood by companies to mean things like end-to-end encryption are in place. For this reason, you will not see most mainstream services like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo call themselves secure email providers.

  Most popular email providers would call themselves secure and have some level of security in place to protect email clients. But without end-to-end encryption and management of metadata, these would not be considered secure email providers to the same standard as others.

  Is my work email secure? Can my boss read it?

  The term secure email is generally used to refer to the backend technical structure of email systems. Some companies may use a secure provider or create their own in-house security protocol to protect emails, especially those that contain sensitive data. Common platforms like Outlook do not have enough measures in place to be considered a secure email, but each company’s structure will vary.

  If you are using a work-issued device or account, it is likely that your boss is legally able to read your emails. This would be true even with a secure email provider, as the company would own access to the account and they could access your information. However, a third party would not be able to access your email with a secure provider in place.

  What makes a provider secure?

  We talked about how a secure provider works above, but here’s a closer look at what makes a provider secure.

  Encrypted messages and servers

  The biggest consideration when looking at the security of email is how and where messages are encrypted. Encrypted messages mean data is converted into a code and only those with the private key can interpret it. Major email service providers typically do not do this when storing information on their servers, so your exact emails are stored on hardware they own that may be easy to breach.

  A secure provider will encrypt your emails at every step, including on their servers. This means that even if someone were to gain unfettered access to their server, your emails would be meaningless to them. An email could contain state secrets and winning lottery numbers, but someone could not understand them after encryption. End-to-end encryption means that no third party will ever be able to read the contents of the email when they are in transit, offering the greatest protection possible.

  Metadata is stripped from emails

  The way metadata is handled can also indicate how secure a provider is when it comes to emails. The pieces of information that sit alongside your data, like timestamps and browser information, can be used against you in a variety of ways or provide identifying information. Metadata as simple as the sender, recipient, date, and subject line can be useful for any bad actor. A secure provider takes care to strip out as much of this data as possible before storing it so that there is less vulnerable information out there.

  Measures beyond spam filtering

  To be considered secure, a provider should be focused not just on basic email security like spam filtering and SSL certificates, but take steps to protect data in all stages of life.

  Security features to look for in an email

  Each secure email provider will emphasize different elements of security, so it is important to understand which are most important to you when choosing a provider. You will need to consider the security features themselves, along with functionality, user-friendly navigation, mobile apps, and file storage space for your general email use.

  Server location and data centers

  Many countries, including the United States, collect and share data gathered through email servers and are legally protected in this area. This is not necessarily a concern if you are trying to avoid hackers, but when the concern is government agencies, it may be important. Activists in particular may want to avoid giving the government access to their personal and business emails. Countries with strict privacy laws are often the choice of secure email providers, including Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

  Encryption

  The basic expectation of a secure email provider should be end-to-end encryption. The way this is done can differ- symmetric encryption involves a single key, while asymmetric encryption uses two sets of keys. The latter is more complex and can add time to an email exchange, but some prefer the added security.

  Two-factor authentication (2FA)

  It is equally important to protect your account from being accessed by an outside party. With 2FA, a password is not enough to get into your account. The password is the first factor, but once that has been verified, the second method of authentication is used. This is typically a phone number or email address.

  Metadata header stripping

  Emails usually contain metadata about the recipient and sender, including browser and network information. Many providers strip this data out before storing the emails so it cannot be accessed later, which is considered “zero-access.“

  Usability and function

  A secure email tool will not be impactful if it is so difficult no one can use it or if it doesn’t have all the necessary features. Some providers have a full suite similar to Office 365, which may be important to a business. It is also useful to know if the tool is available on mobile and on which devices.

  The best secure email providers available

  1. CounterMail

  

  CounterMail is a provider that uses PGP encryption alongside AES and RSA algorithms, and also allows for a USB key to be configured as a part of two-factor authentication. The servers are Swiss and don’t have hard drives, instead, they use CD-ROMs for added security. CounterMail also offers a password manager that uses a master password to protect all login information.

  2. ProtonMail

  

  One of the most popular encrypted email providers, ProtonMail has a very mature program built on open-source technology. The encrypted data sits on serves in Switzerland, where the company performs routine audits that ensure the protections are as robust as necessary. While ProtonMail does not support default mail applications, a dedicated app is available for both iPhone and Android devices. Free versions of this email are available to users.

  3. Hushmail

  One of the original providers of secure email, Hushmail is known for being simple to use and a focus on HIPAA compliance. A specific healthcare plan lets users encrypt personal health information, though there are plans available for lawyers, small businesses, and personal use as well. Hushmail also creates a separate archive account to keep track of emails sent or received by all users in your custom domain in case of audits.

  4. Tutanota

  

  This popular provider is an open-source option that has strong encryption practices and two-factor authentication that make it a market leader. Rather than the common PGP encryption, Tutanona uses AES and RSA encryption for an extra layer of security, as they combine both symmetric and asymmetric keys. They also offer image blocking, header stripping, and warnings about potential phishing attacks.

  5. Runbox

  

  While Runbox uses standard-issue PGP encryption and two-factor authentication to offer security, it is unique for its commitment to being an ethical and environmentally friendly organization. Its Norway-based servers are powered by renewable energy from hydroelectric power plants. Runbox also allows IP addresses to access your account and see a list of successful and failed login attempts.

  6. Kolab Now

  

  Based in Switzerland, Kolab Now offers a full suite of tools like calendars, notes, and video conferencing alongside its email capability. In addition to typical end-to-end encryption, Kolab Now offers the benefit of being compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI laws.

  7. Mailfence

  

  This provider is a good middle-ground for someone who wants a more secure email than the typical providers, but also needs features like a password manager, calendar, or messaging. The usability of Mailfence is a strong feature, and they also offer free plans with 500 MB of email storage. The tool is based on OpenPGP encryption and digital signatures.

  8. Posteo

  While there is no free version of Posteo available, its fee is lower than the paid version of popular options like Protonmail. In addition to Germany-based servers with end-to-end encryption, Posteo supports PGP implementation. Many people choose this provider because creating an account does not require you to provide a name, backup email, email aliases, or any other identifying information.

  9. Startmail

  Managed by the same team behind the private search engine Startpage, Startmail is an encrypted email service that uses PGP encryption and can work with other PGP clients. You can communicate with non-PGP users by having them provide answers to predefined secret questions. Startmail also obscures IP addresses and hostnames for extra security.

  10. Mailbox.org

  Aimed at business users, mailbox.org is a common alternative to tools like Microsoft Outlook or Gmail. Along with email, they offer encrypted cloud storage, video conferencing, contact management, calendars, and a task planner. This suite of products sits under PGP encryption and can be paid through an anonymous email. Mailbox.org is also powered by eco-friendly energy, making it the choice of sustainability experts.

  Summary

  While emails revolutionized communication, the concept behind them has not evolved greatly since they became widely available. Most popular email platforms implement only basic security measures that aren’t sufficient to protect the sensitive data sent through email every day. To offer more protection for the public, secure email providers are available. These options provide robust encryption, metadata management, and a renewed focus on protecting the contents of your emails from malicious attacks.

  FAQs

  Who needs a secure email?

  Anyone who uses email can benefit from secure email. With things like financial transactions and sensitive documents, even personal emails contain data that needs to be protected to avoid things like identity theft.

  Do certain people need more security features than others?

  Certain segments of the population like activists or journalists may need additional security. Some businesses also require a secure email to remain compliant with laws like HIPAA or GDPR or to protect sensitive client data.

  Do you need a secure email provider to encrypt your emails?

  It is possible to encrypt emails manually without finding or paying for a service. However, encrypting your own emails with a method like PGP will not be effective unless everyone you communicate with has their own email account encrypted as well.

  Does it matter where a secure email provider has servers?

  The location of servers can have a big impact on your data security when it comes to emails. United States’ privacy laws are not very strict and when your data is stored domestically, it can be accessed by government agencies in many scenarios.

  Which countries provide the most secure servers?

  Most providers have servers in neutral countries with strict privacy laws to prevent this from happening. Common locations include Germany, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden.

  Do I have to change my email address to use a secure provider?

  In most cases, you will need an entirely new email address when you switch to a secure email provider. You can have your old emails forwarded to the new address, but they will still be processed through the old account’s servers and therefore not encrypted.

  Are Gmail and Outlook secure email providers?

  While popular providers like Gmail and Outlook offer some security features, they do not meet the standards of a secure email provider. This is because they do not have end-to-end encryption, metadata stripping, and other features that add security.

  Are emails used for ad targeting?

  Most well-known email platforms do scan your messages for targeted ads, which helps them generate revenue since free accounts are available.

  Is secure email free?

  Each secure email provider has a different plan. Most do have a free plan for private email users, which includes a smaller amount of file storage and basic capabilities. You can then upgrade based on your exact needs. Other providers have only paid plans.

  Can I use secure email in my default mail app?

  This will depend on which provider you choose. Some providers are able to be connected to the default mail app on a mobile device, while others restrict this. It may also depend on if your mobile device is an Android or an Apple device. Typically, when this is not allowed, there is an independent app you can use.

  What is the best secure email provider?

  There is no single best secure email provider, as it will depend on your exact needs. It is important to consider all of your needs, not just security features when making this decision.

  Is secure email HIPAA compliant?

  Many providers are compliant with specific privacy laws like HIPAA, but if this is important to you, check the individual provider’s information.

  What does it mean to encrypt an email?

  Encryption refers to taking data and using a code to hide its plain meaning. In an email, this means the contents of your messages are converted to a code that a person would not understand if they did access it.

  Is PGP the best encryption for secure email?

  PGP, or Pretty Good Privacy, is one of the most popular forms of encryption for secure email providers. This is because it uses a two-key system with data compression, supports digital signatures, and is open-source.