HN Explorer

Ask HN: What email service are you using these days?

16 points by voidhorse ↗ HN
I'm considering switching email providers and realized I don't really know what services people use these days, excluding the big one that begins with a g. What are the HN community's current recs when it comes to email?

25 comments

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coxomb
Fastmail, primarily for their 'masked e-mail' feature for signups where I don't want to hand out my main e-mail. I recently cancelled a sub to Tuta because their pricing increased and I would much prefer their old $12/year instead of $36/year. I might consider going with Tuta again though.
biglyburrito
+1 for Fastmail. I just switched over a few weeks ago, after my previous host announced it would be increasing the price of my hosted Exchange plan. They have a solid web client (to replace Outlook Web Access), & I use EM Client for desktop & mobile (iOS client is in beta but still perfect for my needs).

https://www.fastmail.com https://www.emclient.com

helph67
+1 for Fastmail, have been using them for many years and recommend them. Using aliases helps deal with (input) business emails, each assigned to specific Inbox.
flpm
+1 Also Fastmail, have used it for a few years now, you can add multiple domains and have all email end up into the same inbox with catch all addresses. When you reply you can pick which domain the response comes from.
billybuckwheat
Been a happy Fastmail customer for a number of years now. Several reasons for that, but mainly the service (aside from a couple of hiccups a while back) has been very reliable. And, as the commenter above pointed out, the masked email feature is great. Also like the calendar.

Don't use the file storage or notes features very often, though. But they're quick and easy to use when I need them.

jethronethro
Runbox. My needs around email are pretty simple, and Runbox check all of my boxes.
qup
I use fastmail with my own domain(s)

I chose it because it was recommended so often here, and I find it's an easy replacement for gmail and I no longer have a fear of my google account getting shut down.

Mainly I didn't want a 3rd party in control of my email. If I don't like fastmail in the future, I'll pick another provider and update the MX records. No big deal.

sqwrell
gmail
subtra3t
Of course the one comment (that is also true for 50+% of HN readers) that truthfully says gmail gets downvoted.
stryhx
almost 85% of the people probably use this itself. anybody who uses something other is a power user that's all.
cruano
I've been using iCloud[0] with a custom domain for over a year now and it's been pretty great. It's included with Apple One, so it may be "free" for you already.

I think the most important part is having your own domain so you can switch whenever you want, but that's also the most difficult part.

What I did is to keep both emails and slowly migrate service by service. Nowadays, my Gmail is mostly spam and all the important things are in my custom domain, so I just check my old email once or twice per month in case there's something I've missed.

[0] https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212514

throwaway435675
I used Google way back in the day for a custom domain, but eventually got off that bandwagon and decided to host my own. Found that hosting my own was great for receiving emails, but a huge pain for sending. Eventually had to give that up too. I've used ProtonMail with that same custom domain since 2016. The mobile apps, web interface, and features have all gotten much better over time. That being said, I don't use a lot of personal emails anymore, and am considering iCloud from Apple. The only reason where I think iCloud is an improvement is because when signing up for an account that requires an email, Apple will automatically generate a 'relay' address for me. These relay addresses can be deleted at anytime, which solves the "unsubscribe from mailing list" that no company has ever honored. And really, that's all I look for in personal email provider. A way to make sure I only get a handful of messages in my inbox a week, and all the spam gets trashed.
moronix
Been hosting on a VPS for a long time but moved to Migadu to test it. Been using them for a few months now and can't complain so far.
Quinzel
Multiple… I used protonmail for some personal stuff, Gmail for other personal stuff, iCloud for my self-employed stuff, and outlook for my day job because my work forces us to use outlook.
mikewarot
gmail for the daily stuff

1and1 for the backup address I almost never check

mikewarot
and of course now I notice that there are some things I've been paying for that inflated the bill unacceptably.... PHP 7.4 Extended support??
joshxyz
proton.me but it sucks their paid plans are too expensive i wanna move to fastmail
mdrzn
Fastmail or Protonmail, based on personal preferences.
izolate
hey.com

The ability to screen emails and approve new senders has been a game changer for me. I've managed to cut down on noise and actually hit Inbox Zero for the first time.

The spam protection isn't great, it relies on proprietary APIs, and I'm not super excited about the other features, but I'm sticking with Hey just for the screening feature.

p0d
Fastmail with Gmail as the client.

I don't trust the long term viability of Google products anymore, including Gmail.

I love that fastmail can handle any.name@my.domain