Mailfence vs Purelymail
Mailfence wins on privacy, Purelymail wins on price and Mailfence wins on features. Every fact below was checked on or before 25 October 2026.
Which should you choose?
- Mailfence is the better pick if you want your email to stay in Belgium; a free plan before you pay anything; and calendar and contacts in the same account.
- Purelymail is the better pick if you want the lower price ($10 a year, any number of users and domains).
| Feature | Mailfence | Purelymail |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.0 | 2.5 |
| Privacy | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| Price | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Features | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Cheapest plan | Entry €3.50 a month | Simple $10 a year, any number of users and domains |
| Free plan | Yes, 500 MB–1 GB, no own domain | No |
| Storage | 10 GB | Not confirmed |
| Your own domain | ✓ Yes | ✓ Unlimited |
| End-to-end encryption | Optional (PGP or encrypted storage) | No |
| Company based in | Belgium | United States |
| Your data is kept in | Belgium | United States |
| Founded | 2013 | Unknown |
| Free trial | Free plan | Free trial with a small amount of credit (about a month of light use) |
| Funded by advertising | No | 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 | 25 October 2026 |
Want to add another? Open this in the compare tool.
The key differences
- On price: Mailfence Entry at €3.50 a month, against Purelymail Simple at $10 a year, any number of users and domains.
- For free, Mailfence gives you a free plan (500 MB–1 GB, no own domain), and Purelymail no free plan.
- Mailfence comes with 10 GB of storage and Purelymail with storage not confirmed.
- Data location: Belgium for Mailfence, United States for Purelymail.
- Mailfence is based in Belgium and Purelymail in the United States, so different privacy laws apply.
- Mailfence offers optional encryption (PGP or encrypted storage); Purelymail doesn't encrypt mail end to end.
Mailfence and Purelymail: your questions
Which is more private, Mailfence or Purelymail?
Mailfence scores 3.5 out of 5 for privacy and Purelymail 0.5. Mailfence gives you your email to stay in Belgium.
Which is cheaper, Mailfence or Purelymail?
Purelymail is cheaper. Its Simple plan is $10 a year, any number of users and domains, against €3.50 a month for Mailfence's Entry. Mailfence also has a free plan. Check the renewal price before you pay, as some first-year prices go up.
Do Mailfence and Purelymail work with my own domain?
Yes, both do. Mailfence: Yes. Purelymail: Unlimited.
Where do Mailfence and Purelymail keep my email?
Mailfence keeps it in Belgium. Purelymail keeps it in the United States.
Price changes and news
Neither price has changed since my first check on 22 October 2026.
The latest headlines: Mailfence news · Purelymail news.
Also worth a look
Mailfence vs mailbox.org · Purelymail vs mailbox.org · Mailfence vs Posteo · Purelymail vs Posteo · Mailfence vs Proton Mail · Purelymail vs Proton Mail
How to switch
Moving to Mailfence · Moving from Mailfence. Or see all my switching guides.