The most secure email providers

Ranked on security: end-to-end encryption first, then two-step sign-in and passkeys, then open-source apps anyone can check. Only providers with end-to-end encryption, built in or optional, are listed.

Most secure and most privateProton MailMail Plus · $3.99 a month, yearly ($4.99 monthly)Best valuePosteoPosteo · €1 a month

1
Proton MailOfferMail Plus · $3.99 a month, yearly ($4.99 monthly)

Overall4.5
Privacy5.0
Price4.0
Features4.5
2
Proton Mail for BusinessMail Essentials · $6.99 per user a month

Overall4.0
Privacy4.5
Price2.5
Features4.5
3
PreVeilIndividual · $25 a month, yearly

Overall2.0
Privacy2.0
Price2.0
Features2.5
4
TutaRevolutionary · About €3 a month, yearly

Overall4.5
Privacy4.5
Price4.0
Features4.0
5
PosteoPosteo · €1 a month

Overall4.5
Privacy4.5
Price5.0
Features3.0
6
Tuta BusinessEssential · About €6 per user a month

Overall4.0
Privacy4.5
Price2.5
Features4.0
7
CounterMailPremium, 12 months · $4 a month, paid yearly ($49)

Overall4.0
Privacy4.0
Price4.0
Features4.0
8
mail.dePureMail · €0.99 a month

Overall3.5
Privacy3.0
Price5.0
Features3.0
9
WEB.DEWEB.DE Club · €6.49 a month

Overall3.0
Privacy3.0
Price2.5
Features3.5
10
Atomic MailPlus · From $5 a month

Overall2.5
Privacy2.0
Price3.5
Features1.5
11
PauboxStandard · $32 a month for up to 5 users

Overall2.0
Privacy1.5
Price2.0
Features3.5
12
mailbox.orgStandard · €3 a month, yearly (from summer 2026)

Overall4.5
Privacy4.5
Price4.0
Features5.0
13
Forward EmailEnhanced Protection · $3 a month

Overall3.0
Privacy2.0
Price4.0
Features4.5
14
MailfenceEntry · €3.50 a month

Overall4.0
Privacy3.5
Price4.0
Features4.5
15
StartMailOfferPersonal · $4.99 a month

Overall4.0
Privacy3.5
Price3.5
Features5.0
16
LavabitPaid plans · Not confirmed

OverallNot rated
Privacy2.0
PriceNot rated
Features1.5
17
HushmailSmall Business · From $10.79 a month (Small Business)

Overall2.5
Privacy1.5
Price2.0
Features4.5
18
NeomailboxPaid plans · Not confirmed

OverallNot rated
Privacy3.5
PriceNot rated
Features3.5
19
Mailfence for businessBusiness email · Not confirmed

OverallNot rated
Privacy3.5
PriceNot rated
Features4.5
20
SecureMyEmailPaid plan · $3.99 a month or $29 a year

Overall3.0
Privacy1.5
Price4.5
Features3.5
21
LuxSciBusiness email · Not confirmed

OverallNot rated
Privacy1.5
PriceNot rated
Features4.5

What end-to-end encryption protects, and what it doesn't

With end-to-end encryption, your messages are locked on your device and only the right person can unlock them. The provider stores your mail but can't read it, so a break-in at the provider, or a demand for your data, gives away far less.

It has limits worth knowing:

Not everything is encrypted. Subject lines and who you wrote to are often left readable, so the provider can see them. Each provider's page shows what I've found.
Mail to other providers. A message to someone on Gmail or Outlook is usually only fully protected if you send it as a password-protected message or with PGP.
Your account is the weak point. Encryption doesn't help if someone signs in as you, so two-step sign-in and passkeys matter as much as encryption.

How I rank security

Each provider gets 2 points for end-to-end encryption built in, or 1 if it's optional, 1 point each for two-step sign-in and passkeys, and half a point for open-source apps that anyone can check. Ties go to my privacy score. A feature I haven't confirmed yet scores nothing, so a provider can move up as I check more.

21 providers. Last checked 23 October 2026. How I score. Commission never changes a star or the order. More lists: Best email providers · Private email providers · Gmail alternatives · Outlook alternatives · Email with UK or EU data storage · Email with your own domain · Cheapest email for your own domain · Free email providers · Business email providers · Email alias services · Self-hosted email software.