Email has become a primary form of communication for work, family and friends. It is the cornerstone of everything from keeping up with loved ones to confirming purchases. We are all walking around with priority access to our email accounts at all times.
With so many email options it may be hard to pick one email provider. Which one is the best for your priorities and needs? I always recommend everyone have at least 2 email addresses. One for important accounts and security that you only use for personal and financial accounts. Then a second one you use to register for Netflix, social media, communicating with family and spam registrations.
Getting hold of an email account is easy. Getting the right email account is more difficult, as there’s a lot to consider. What are the spam filters like? How easy is it to keep your inbox organized? Can you access the account from other email clients? Keep reading and we’ll highlight some of the best email providers around. Here are the Top 5 Email Providers!
1.Gmail
Google’s webmail juggernaut needs no introduction. It’s easy, reliable and most importantly free. Your Gmail email address gives you access to a plethora of Google apps and functions. There is no reason not to have at least one and it’s great as your primary email address. First released back in 2004, Google’s Gmail has become the market leader in free email services with more than a billion users across the globe.
Gmail’s stripped-back web interface is a highlight. Most of the screen is devoted to your inbox, with a minimum of toolbar and other clutter. Messages are neatly organized via conversations for easier viewing, and you can read and reply to emails with ease, even as a first-time user.
2. Outlook
Outlook provides plenty of power and features, especially for Office 365 users. Focused inbox, powerful events and calendar abilities and litany of app based integrations are some of the great features of Outlook.
Outlook’s web interface follows the same familiar style as its desktop incarnation, and most other email clients: folders and organizational tools on the left, the contents of the current folder in the center, and a simple preview pane on the right (with adverts in the case of the free account).
A toolbar gives you speedy access to common features, and right-clicking folders or messages shows you just about everything else. If you’ve ever used another email client, you’ll figure out the key details in moments.
If that’s still not enough, Microsoft offers a bunch of app-based integrations to take the service further. You get built-in Skype support via the beta, and apps give you easier access to Evernote, PayPal, GIPHY, Yelp, Uber and more.
3. Yahoo
Yahoo mail has a powerful offering with some surprisingly neat extras. Useful extras like disposable email addresses, 1 TB of inbox storage and limited low level options. Yahoo Mail doesn’t make the headlines so much, these days, but its latest version is a polished and professional service which stands up well against the top competition.
The well-designed interface resembles Gmail, at least initially, with a large view of your inbox, one-click filters for common messages and content (Photos, Documents, Travel), and easy browsing of all the emails in a conversation. But you can also organize mails into custom folders, and the layout can be tweaked to display a message preview in a couple of clicks.
4. Proton Mail
Proton Mail is email with an emphasis on security and privacy. It includes tight privacy features and end to end encryption for messages. Signing up with an email provider will often involve some privacy compromises. Yahoo Mail asks for your name and mobile number, for instance. Gmail and other services might scan your messages to carry out useful actions (such as adding events to calendars), and just about everyone serves you with ads.
ProtonMail is a Swiss-based email service which focuses on privacy above all else. You can sign up anonymously, there’s no logging of IP addresses, and all your emails are end-to-end encrypted, which means there’s no way ProtonMail (or anyone else) can read their contents. Also, address verification (which allows you to be sure you are securely communicating with the right person) and full support for PGP email encryption is available.
In reality, ProtonMail is a specialist tool which is intended for use alongside services like Gmail – not to replace them – and overall it performs its core tasks very well.
5. Mail.com
Mail.com offers most of the important email features that you might be thinking about. Most importantly, you can select the email domain name that will suit you best from over 200 domain names. They provide unlimited email storage capacity and you can attach up to 50MB of file in one attachment.
You can also set up your email to receive and reply all your emails from this one address. They also provide mobile support. You can use your email on BlackBerry, iDevices and Android devices. You also have an online calendar to use.
