StartMail vs CounterMail
In short: CounterMail wins on privacy, CounterMail wins on price, and StartMail wins on features. The full comparison is below, last checked 25 October 2026.
Should you pick StartMail or CounterMail?
- Go for StartMail if you'd like more room (20 GB, against 4 GB).
- Go for CounterMail if you'd like end-to-end encryption built in and the lower price ($4 a month, paid yearly ($49)).
| Feature | StartMail | CounterMail |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Privacy | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Price | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Features | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Cheapest plan | Personal $4.99 a month | Premium, 12 months $4 a month, paid yearly ($49) |
| Free plan | No (7-day trial) | No |
| Storage | 20 GB | 4 GB |
| Your own domain | ✓ 1 | ✓ Yes |
| End-to-end encryption | Optional (PGP or encrypted storage) | ✓ Built in |
| Company based in | Netherlands | Sweden |
| Your data is kept in | Netherlands | Sweden |
| Founded | 2014 | Unknown |
| Free trial | 7 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 | Unlimited throwaway addresses | Yes |
| Open-source apps | No | No |
| Sign up without ID | No | No |
| White label | No | Unknown |
| Reader offer | Offer 50% off | None |
| Last checked | 22 October 2026 | 25 October 2026 |
Want to add another? Open this in the compare tool.
How StartMail and CounterMail differ
- Cheapest plans: StartMail Personal, $4.99 a month. CounterMail Premium, 12 months, $4 a month, paid yearly ($49).
- For free, StartMail gives you no free plan, and CounterMail no free plan.
- StartMail comes with 20 GB of storage and CounterMail with 4 GB of storage.
- Data location: Netherlands for StartMail, Sweden for CounterMail.
- StartMail is based in the Netherlands and CounterMail in Sweden, so different privacy laws apply.
- StartMail offers optional encryption (PGP or encrypted storage); CounterMail encrypts mail end to end.
- For extra addresses, StartMail has unlimited throwaway addresses and CounterMail has yes.
Questions people ask
Which is more private, StartMail or CounterMail?
CounterMail scores 4 out of 5 for privacy and StartMail 3.5. CounterMail gives you end-to-end encryption built in.
Which is cheaper, StartMail or CounterMail?
CounterMail is cheaper. Its Premium, 12 months plan is $4 a month, paid yearly ($49), against $4.99 a month for StartMail's Personal. Check the renewal price before you pay, as some first-year prices go up.
Do StartMail and CounterMail work with my own domain?
Yes, both do. StartMail: 1 domain on its cheapest plan that allows one. CounterMail: Yes.
Where do StartMail and CounterMail keep my email?
StartMail keeps it in the Netherlands. CounterMail keeps it in Sweden.
Price changes and news
I haven't seen either change its price since I started checking on 22 October 2026.
The latest headlines: StartMail news · CounterMail news.
Not sold on either? Try these
StartMail vs mailbox.org · CounterMail vs mailbox.org · StartMail vs Posteo · CounterMail vs Posteo · StartMail vs Proton Mail · CounterMail vs Proton Mail
Switching between them
Moving to StartMail · Moving from StartMail. Or see all my switching guides.