I use Fastmail as well and like it quite a bit.
$50/yr for the normal service that gives you tons of storage, custom domain use, and ability to use it through Outlook or iMail. Cheaper than Microsoft and you get more privacy too.
They do have a $30/yr plan for webmail only and just barely enough space to work with. The main thing here is a cheap, reliable email for someone who doesn’t want their data going to Google, Amazon, or Microsoft.
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Absolutely. It’s fascinating to me to read about the different perspectives on email nowadays. E.g. my kids don’t touch it at all
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Personally, from the very beginning, when I started my adventure with the Internet in the 90s, I used an e-mail client before the first free webmail was created. And for years, only this approach suited me, but over time, the work environment forced me to use webmail and at first I was very dissatisfied with it, but somehow I got used to living with webmail from time to time. 
Although I fully understand the need for a client on a desktop and not webmail in a browser. 
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There’s been a fair share of controversy over Protonmail.
One example
Well, now I read the above concerns people had. Tbh, I had never any issues with Proton. Only thing I use it for is mostly receiving emails. I like the part that Microsoft emails are considered spam
But the issue seems to be that there is no proper anonymous email service that can, even if only to other same service users, send encrypted emails.
There are many more email providers that I will list now:
I'm not recommending any of the following but research if u interested or like the domain
https://www.luukku.com/
E-Mail: mit @magenta.de sicher mailen | Telekom
WEB.DE - E-Mail-Adresse kostenlos, FreeMail, De-Mail & Nachrichten
https://www.mail.com/
https://tutanota.com/
https://www.gmx.fr/
http://mail2tor.com/
http://en.onionmail.info/
Email Login Page
https://mail.yandex.com/
https://tempmail.email/
https://webmail.bell.net/bell/
Générateur d'email
Email service from Spark | Xtra Mail | Spark NZ
https://skiff.com/crypto
Anyone know about Skiff? I already had a discussion on the forum, how would Web3 email even work?
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I used to be a big protonmail guy but they really lack any tools for integrating the service and the aforementioned questionable advertising and privacy claims they make as well as the cost.
If you really want a secure email then you will need to encrypt your emails with gpg keys and exchange them with all of your people you want to have secure email convo with. At that point it would be much more prudent to use Signal.
With email what I am mostly concerned with is reliability and integration. I want to be able to use it with a desktop/phone client if I so choose and I don’t want to be blacklisted or get DDoS’ed.
I have just been using MS365 Outlook for the last year and have been reasonably happy with it. Debating switching to something cheaper/simpler as I don’t really use all the features of a MS account.
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signal is nice but its really really shady that github pushes and request to use it without phone number get buried
also their focus on intel enclave cpus is strange
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I would say that Signal is currently the only battle tested encrypted messaging application that is available broadly atm that any normie can download and use.
Almost every other has fallen to backdoors and insecure protocols or the parent company has sold out.
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still it falls like a stone since its not usable without a sim / phonenumber 
i totaly agree with you but i can clone any simcard and every atack vector is ignored.
And i dont get why every of those commits is closed without explenation.
jut let folks at least get signal accounts via eMail 
Would make it the best messenger
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All completely valid but again, it is the best and most convenient we have. Like, I am not going to convince my mom and grandma to start using gpg encrypted emails to communicate with me. I have successfully gotten them to use Signal.
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I would say that the most secure would be Silence. As it doesn’t need weird server handshakes and what not. Just exactly what I want, simple encrypted SMS, I really would like to get a caller app that would do the same, the classic Mission Impossible “Go secure” moment.
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I’ll check it out. Haven’t heard of it before.
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It should be automatically secure. Like sending a pre-mail note to the recipient to “go secure”. And receive the email encrypted.
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isn’t silence the predecessor of signal?
@ucav117 https://getsession.org/ is a signal fork without phonenumber - but on blockhain? o.o
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Regardless, getting a bit off topic from email service.
TLDR: Email isn’t secure, you should value reliability and 3rd party integration whichever service you use imo.
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Really like all the discussion going on! Maybe I should open it up to Google even. I wouldn’t be interested but others might. Personally I would rather avoid known evil corps like Google, Microsoft and AT&T. Don’t want them to have access to my data it may be a useless gesture but still. One reason for leaving yahoo is my doubts about their standards. Just been lazy and put it off for too long. Finally got Starlink so can ditch my AT&T Cell internet. Thought it might be a good time to ditch Yahoo too. Perhaps one day we will have a real option to ditch windows and Microsoft too.
As for Proton after reading what others are saying. I’m still interested in a free personal account (that is all I really need) but definitely would want to steer clear of upgrading.
As for Signal if it takes a phone number I wouldn’t be interested. I barely know how to use a cell phone and prefer a computer. But your welcome to keep discussing those options as it looks like several have taken an interest in the discussion.
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To those that complain that Signal requires a phone number, there appears to be a new messaging software with an interesting spin (yes it ia open source and audited):
It solves your phone number requirement, it has hardening against metadata analysis because the send server and receive servers are separate and decentralized.
It doesnt even have a unique identifiable number. You just send links and make profiles per chat. Very beta right now and with barebone features, but it seems to work with some issues. Very keenly watching its progress.
Anyway to pull back into topic. Since there seems to be no best provider and shenanigans could happen, it may be better to get and pay for a custom domain that you own and pipe the email to whatever is the current best provider.
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Just as an FYI. Signal has a desktop client that you authenticate using the app on your phone. The main reason I pressure people to use it since then you can send text, pics, video, files, etc from your computer to someones phone quite easily.
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This is what I did. It is very nice being able to switch email providers basically on a whim.
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