Fastmail vs CounterMail
CounterMail wins on privacy, CounterMail wins on price and Fastmail wins on features. Every fact below was checked on or before 25 October 2026.
Fastmail or CounterMail: which should you choose?
- Go for Fastmail if you'd like more room (50 GB, against 4 GB).
- Go for CounterMail if you'd like encryption that means even the provider can't read your mail and the lower price ($4 a month, paid yearly ($49)).
| Feature | Fastmail | CounterMail |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| Privacy | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Price | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Features | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Cheapest plan | Individual $5 a month, yearly | Premium, 12 months $4 a month, paid yearly ($49) |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Storage | 50 GB | 4 GB |
| Your own domain | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| End-to-end encryption | No | ✓ Built in |
| Company based in | Australia | Sweden |
| Your data is kept in | EU (Amsterdam) for UK customers, with a US replica and US backups | Sweden |
| Founded | 1999 | Unknown |
| Free trial | 30 days free | Unknown |
| Funded by advertising | No | No |
| Works in any mail app | ✓ IMAP and SMTP | ✓ IMAP and SMTP |
| Calendar and contacts | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Aliases | Masked email and aliases | Yes |
| Open-source apps | No | No |
| Sign up without ID | No | No |
| White label | No | Unknown |
| Reader offer | Offer 10% off your first year, plus a free trial of up to 30 days | None |
| Last checked | 22 October 2026 | 25 October 2026 |
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Where they differ
- Cheapest plans: Fastmail Individual, $5 a month, yearly. CounterMail Premium, 12 months, $4 a month, paid yearly ($49).
- Fastmail comes with 50 GB of storage and CounterMail with 4 GB of storage.
- Data location: EU (Amsterdam) for UK customers, with a US replica and US backups for Fastmail, Sweden for CounterMail.
- Fastmail is based in Australia and CounterMail in Sweden, so different privacy laws apply.
- Fastmail doesn't encrypt mail end to end; CounterMail encrypts mail end to end.
- For extra addresses, Fastmail has masked email and aliases and CounterMail has yes.
Fastmail and CounterMail: your questions
Which is more private, Fastmail or CounterMail?
CounterMail scores 4 out of 5 for privacy and Fastmail 2. CounterMail gives you encryption that means even the provider can't read your mail.
Which is cheaper, Fastmail or CounterMail?
CounterMail is cheaper. Its Premium, 12 months plan is $4 a month, paid yearly ($49), against $5 a month, yearly for Fastmail's Individual. Check the renewal price before you pay, as some first-year prices go up.
Do Fastmail and CounterMail work with my own domain?
Yes, both do. Fastmail: Yes. CounterMail: Yes.
Where do Fastmail and CounterMail keep my email?
Fastmail keeps it in the EU (Amsterdam) for UK customers, with a US replica and US backups. CounterMail keeps it in Sweden.
Recent price changes
Neither price has changed since my first check on 22 October 2026.
The latest headlines: Fastmail news · CounterMail news.
Also worth a look
Fastmail vs mailbox.org · CounterMail vs mailbox.org · Fastmail vs Posteo · CounterMail vs Posteo · Fastmail vs Proton Mail · CounterMail vs Proton Mail
Switching between them
Moving to Fastmail · Moving from Fastmail. Or see all my switching guides.