The 10 Best Ways To Get A Free Email Address

• Most people don’t need a custom domain as part of their email address. A free service will suffice in most scenarios.
• While Gmail is undoubtedly the most popular provider, there are many other options that have notable benefits.
• Consideration should be given to storage space, features, and integration with other tools, but being able to get a clean, useable address is important as well.

Even with the rise of chat platforms, email remains one of the most effective methods of communication. You can use an email service for both personal and business communications, and need an email account for many regular activities, from booking a plane ticket to online shopping.

While there are email services that charge a monthly or annual fee, there are plenty of free email service providers that you can open and use. The free email accounts have various add-on features such as email scheduling, folders, background customizations, storage, and security. In this guide, we look at the best email providers and the pros and cons of each service.

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1. Gmail

Gmail is one of the most popular email service providers, with an estimated 1.5 billion users around the world. It is a preferred choice many due to its modern interface, customization options, and the fact that it gives users access to the full Google Workspace. Users get a free email address for personal and business use, with up to 15 GB of storage space.

Some of the Gmail features that stand out from its rivals include the ability to snooze an email, an option to recall a sent email and a confidential mode that protects the email contents from being downloaded or copied by the recipient. A recent addition to Gmail features is the auto-complete feature, which predicts phrases you might write while drafting the email.

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2. Yahoo Mail

With over 225 million users, Yahoo Mail is another popular choice and one of the oldest email service providers. Users get 1 TB of free online storage, making it a great option for those who send and receive larger file formats via email. Yahoo Mail has an advanced search feature that allows users to search email contents using a date, email address, or keyword, which is extremely convenient.

Another unique feature of Yahoo Mail is the ability to create up to 500 disposable aliases linked to your email, without sharing the actual address. These aliases can be used to avoid getting spam sent directly to your inbox. Other features include a built-in GIF collection, mobile access, virus protection and email forwarding.

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3. Outlook

Like Gmail, Microsoft Outlook is integrated with other Microsoft tools, and you can access these services easily via their free email service.

Outlook has a clean interface, and users get access to dozens of helpful features such as Skype, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Excel, and third-party tools like Trello. You get 15 GB of cloud storage, and up to 50 GB if you are a subscriber. Outlook also allows users to organize emails into folders, set out-of-office replies, snooze emails for later and schedule emails to be sent later. It has automatic email filtering that organizes important emails in a Focused Inbox, and other emails in the “Other Inbox”.

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4. AOL Mail

If you are looking for a dependable email provider with 250 GB of storage, AOL Mail is an option worth considering. It is a free web-based email service that is provided by AOL, a division of Verizon Communications. While it used to be extremely popular, it’s fallen quite a bit in rank. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t adequate.

You can use your free email address to manage events via your calendar and set reminder notifications. Other features of AOL Mail include a clean interface, instant notifications, virus protection, to-do list, etc. You can also manage your AOL Mail via third-party email service providers such as Outlook.

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5. iCloud Mail

iCloud Mail is a free email service by Apple, and is a popular option among Mac users. You can get a free email when you sign up for an Apple ID on your MacBook, iPad, or iPhone. However, iCloud is not limited to Apple users only; anyone can access iCloud Mail, even on a Windows laptop.

When you sign up on iCloud, you can access various products such as calendar events, reminders, iCloud Drive Content, and VIP labeling options. Users get 5GB of storage space that they can use to store emails and media such as photos and videos. It has the streamlined functionality that’s common with Apple products.

Screenshot: iCloud.com

6. ProtonMail

If you are particularly concerned about the security and privacy of your communications, ProtonMail may be. Good fit. ProtonMail is an end-to-end encryption email service that allows you to send encrypted emails. This way, you can be sure that no one other than the intended recipient will read the message.

When you encrypt a message, you can set an expiration time so that the message becomes unreadable when the period expires. You can set the expiration period to be 24 hours, 1 to 6 days, or a maximum of four weeks. Users get 500 MB storage and up to 150 messages per day. If you want more storage space or a higher email limit, you can buy one of the ProtonMail plans for €5 to €40 a month.

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7. Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is offered as part of the Zoho Workplace, which is a suite of tools available for business use. It features a simplistic design that allows users to switch between active windows through the small tabs located at the top of the page.

Business owners and freelancers get access to multiple tools such as office applications, collaboration tools, and other mobile apps. Users can set up out-of-office replies, create new notes, enable filters, and use keyboard shortcuts for various functions. A Zoho Mail account is free for up to 25 users, and each user gets 5 GB of storage space.

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8. Yandex Mail

Yandex Mail is a smart mail service that allows users to access Yandex’s suite of products, a productivity solution that is similar to Google Suite. Users get 10 GB of cloud storage to store emails and attachments.

Yandex Mail provides enhanced email security through its spam and fraud protection, by scanning all mail in your inbox for viruses and moving suspicious files to the spam folder. Other features of Yandex Mail include email scheduling options, notifications, contact imports, and email filters.

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9. Tutanota

If you care about privacy and want your email to stay ad-free, Tutanota is a good option. It is similar to ProtonMail, with email protection through end-to-end encryption. When you send an email to a non-Tutanota user, you can encrypt the email with a password, and the recipient will receive a custom link to open the email.

The free Tutanota account gives users access to a single account with limited features. You get 1 GB of cloud storage, an email signature, and a choice of five domain extensions. If you want custom domains, unlimited searches and multiple aliases, you can buy one of the available pricing plans that start at €1.

Screenshot: Tutanota

10. Mail.com

Although Mail.com is not as popular as Gmail, it stands out due to its multiple custom domain options for new email addresses. When you open a free email address on Mail.com, you can choose a domain option from a list of over 200 custom domains. You can get brand-specific domains such as engineer.com, Europe.com, teachers.org, accountant.com, and other interesting options.

Users get 2 GB of storage space, and email attachments are limited to 30MB per mail. Other features include antivirus protection, spam blocker, and message forwarding.

Screenshot: Mail.com

Pick a Provider

If you are looking for a free email address, you have dozens of options to consider. You can choose between top options like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, Yandex, and Proton Mail, among others, depending on the features you are interested in. You can compare these options based on key features such as the amount of cloud storage space available, advanced filters, end-to-end encryption, virus and malware protection, scheduling options, and filtering options.

Another consideration is where you can get a professional enough email address that’s still available. Even if you aren’t planning on using this email for work, it should be formal enough. If you have to add half a dozen numbers to your address just to find one that hasn’t yet been claimed, you might consider a different provider.