AOL Mail vs IONOS Mail
IONOS Mail wins on privacy, AOL Mail wins on price and AOL Mail wins on features. Every fact below was checked on or before 22 October 2026.
AOL Mail or IONOS Mail: which should you choose?
- AOL Mail suits you best if you want a mailbox that costs nothing; to try it free first; and calendar and contacts in the same account.
- IONOS Mail suits you best if you want your mailbox stored in the UK data centre in Worcester; where email sits not confirmed; email from a company that doesn't make money from adverts; and to use your own domain, like you@yourname.co.uk.
| Feature | AOL Mail | IONOS Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Privacy | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Price | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Features | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Cheapest plan | Free Free | Mail Basic About £1–£2 a month (not confirmed) |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Storage | Not confirmed | 2 GB |
| Your own domain | No | ✓ Yes |
| End-to-end encryption | No | No |
| Company based in | United States | Germany |
| Your data is kept in | United States | UK data centre in Worcester; where email sits not confirmed |
| Founded | 1993 | 1988 |
| Free trial | Free | Unknown |
| Funded by advertising | Yes, or its parent company is | No |
| Works in any mail app | ✓ IMAP and SMTP | ✓ IMAP and SMTP |
| Calendar and contacts | ✓ Yes | No |
| Aliases | Yes | Yes |
| Open-source apps | No | No |
| Sign up without ID | No | No |
| White label | No | Unknown |
| Reader offer | None | None |
| Last checked | 22 October 2026 | 22 October 2026 |
Want to add another? Open this in the compare tool.
Where they differ
- AOL Mail's cheapest plan is Free (Free); IONOS Mail's is Mail Basic (About £1–£2 a month (not confirmed)).
- For free, AOL Mail gives you a free plan (), and IONOS Mail no free plan.
- AOL Mail comes with storage not confirmed and IONOS Mail with 2 GB of storage.
- Data location: United States for AOL Mail, UK data centre in Worcester; where email sits not confirmed for IONOS Mail.
- AOL Mail is based in the United States and IONOS Mail in Germany, so different privacy laws apply.
- IONOS Mail lets you bring your own domain name; AOL Mail doesn't.
- Only AOL Mail is part of an advertising business.
Questions people ask
Which is more private, AOL Mail or IONOS Mail?
IONOS Mail scores 2.5 out of 5 for privacy and AOL Mail 0. IONOS Mail gives you your mailbox stored in the UK data centre in Worcester; where email sits not confirmed and email from a company that doesn't make money from adverts.
Which is cheaper, AOL Mail or IONOS Mail?
AOL Mail costs nothing to start (Free). IONOS Mail's cheapest plan, Mail Basic, is About £1–£2 a month (not confirmed).
Do AOL Mail and IONOS Mail work with my own domain?
Only IONOS Mail does (Yes). With AOL Mail your address stays on its own domain.
Where do AOL Mail and IONOS Mail keep my email?
AOL Mail keeps it in the United States. IONOS Mail keeps it in the UK data centre in Worcester; where email sits not confirmed.
Prices and the latest news
I haven't seen either change its price since I started checking on 22 October 2026.
The latest headlines: AOL Mail news · IONOS Mail news.
Also worth a look
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Switching between them
Whichever you choose, the move follows the same steps. Pick your two providers for the steps.