Posteo vs Purelymail
In short: Posteo wins on privacy, they tie on price, and Purelymail wins on features. The full comparison is below, last checked 25 October 2026.
Posteo or Purelymail: which should you choose?
- Posteo is the better pick if you want your mailbox stored in Germany; a calendar and contacts alongside your mail; and open-source apps anyone can check.
- Purelymail is the better pick if you want the lower price ($10 a year, any number of users and domains) and email at your own domain name.
| Feature | Posteo | Purelymail |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.5 | 2.5 |
| Privacy | 4.5 | 0.5 |
| Price | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Features | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Cheapest plan | Posteo €1 a month | Simple $10 a year, any number of users and domains |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Storage | 4 GB | Not confirmed |
| Your own domain | No | ✓ Unlimited |
| End-to-end encryption | Optional (PGP or encrypted storage) | No |
| Company based in | Germany | United States |
| Your data is kept in | Germany | United States |
| Founded | 2009 | Unknown |
| Free trial | No, €1 a month from the start | 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 (posteo.de only) | Yes |
| Open-source apps | ✓ Yes | No |
| Sign up without ID | ✓ Yes | 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.
How Posteo and Purelymail differ
- On price: Posteo Posteo at €1 a month, against Purelymail Simple at $10 a year, any number of users and domains.
- Posteo comes with 4 GB of storage and Purelymail with storage not confirmed.
- Your mail is stored in Germany with Posteo, and in the United States with Purelymail.
- Posteo is based in Germany and Purelymail in the United States, so different privacy laws apply.
- Posteo offers optional encryption (PGP or encrypted storage); Purelymail doesn't encrypt mail end to end.
- Purelymail lets you bring your own domain name; Posteo doesn't.
- For extra addresses, Posteo has yes (posteo.de only) and Purelymail has yes.
Common questions
Which is more private, Posteo or Purelymail?
Posteo scores 4.5 out of 5 for privacy and Purelymail 0.5. Posteo gives you your mailbox stored in Germany, open-source apps anyone can check and an account that doesn't need your phone number or ID.
Which is cheaper, Posteo or Purelymail?
Purelymail is cheaper. Its Simple plan is $10 a year, any number of users and domains, against €1 a month for Posteo's Posteo. Check the renewal price before you pay, as some first-year prices go up.
Do Posteo and Purelymail work with my own domain?
Only Purelymail does (Unlimited). With Posteo your address stays on its own domain.
Where do Posteo and Purelymail keep my email?
Posteo keeps it in Germany. Purelymail keeps it in the United States.
Recent price changes
Neither price has changed since my first check on 22 October 2026.
The latest headlines: Posteo news · Purelymail news.
Not sold on either? Try these
Posteo vs mailbox.org · Purelymail vs mailbox.org · Posteo vs Proton Mail · Purelymail vs Proton Mail · Posteo vs Tuta · Purelymail vs Tuta
Switching between them
Moving to Posteo · Moving from Posteo. Or see all my switching guides.