Posteo vs Stalwart
In short: Posteo wins on privacy, Posteo wins on price, and Posteo wins on features. The full comparison is below, last checked 25 October 2026.
Which should you choose?
- Posteo suits you best if you want your mail kept in Germany; to sign up without proving who you are; and a provider that's been going since 2009.
- Stalwart is the better pick if you want a free plan before you pay anything and an address on your own domain.
| Feature | Posteo | Stalwart |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.5 | Not rated |
| Privacy | 4.5 | Not rated |
| Price | 5.0 | Not rated |
| Features | 3.0 | Not rated |
| Cheapest plan | Posteo €1 a month | Community Free (Enterprise from €2 per mailbox a year) |
| Free plan | No | Yes, open source |
| Storage | 4 GB | Not confirmed |
| Your own domain | No | ✓ Yes |
| End-to-end encryption | Optional (PGP or encrypted storage) | No |
| Company based in | Germany | United Kingdom |
| Your data is kept in | Germany | Your own server |
| Founded | 2009 | 2019 |
| Free trial | No, €1 a month from the start | Free to download |
| Funded by advertising | No | No |
| Works in any mail app | ✓ IMAP and SMTP | ✓ IMAP and SMTP |
| Calendar and contacts | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Aliases | Yes (posteo.de only) | Yes |
| Open-source apps | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| 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.
The key differences
- Posteo's cheapest plan is Posteo (€1 a month); Stalwart's is Community (Free (Enterprise from €2 per mailbox a year)).
- For free, Posteo gives you no free plan, and Stalwart a free plan (open source).
- Posteo comes with 4 GB of storage and Stalwart with storage not confirmed.
- Posteo keeps your mail in Germany, while Stalwart keeps it in Your own server.
- Posteo is based in Germany and Stalwart in the United Kingdom, so different privacy laws apply.
- Posteo offers optional encryption (PGP or encrypted storage); Stalwart doesn't encrypt mail end to end.
- Stalwart lets you bring your own domain name; Posteo doesn't.
- For extra addresses, Posteo has yes (posteo.de only) and Stalwart has yes.
Common questions
Do Posteo and Stalwart work with my own domain?
Only Stalwart does (Yes). With Posteo your address stays on its own domain.
Where do Posteo and Stalwart keep my email?
Posteo keeps it in Germany. Stalwart keeps it in Your own server.
Recent price changes
No price changes for either since 22 October 2026. I check regularly and add any change here with its date.
The latest headlines: Posteo news · Stalwart news.
Alternatives to Posteo and Stalwart
Posteo vs mailbox.org · Stalwart vs mailbox.org · Posteo vs Proton Mail · Stalwart vs Proton Mail · Posteo vs Tuta · Stalwart vs Tuta
Switching between them
Moving to Posteo · Moving from Posteo. Or see all my switching guides.