7 Best Fastmail Alternatives (2026): Prices Compared

Short answer: Proton Mail is the best Fastmail alternative if you want end-to-end encryption, and mailbox.org is the closest like-for-like swap: custom domains, IMAP and PGP for about half Fastmail's price. Tuta is the cheapest encrypted option, iCloud+ makes sense if you live on Apple devices, and Zoho Mail can host a small custom domain for free. If you like Fastmail itself but not its app, keep the account and change the app instead.

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail, an email app that appears at the end of this list. It isn't an email provider, so it can't replace Fastmail on its own. Every price below was checked on the provider's own site on October 16, 2026.

Why people look for a Fastmail alternative

Fastmail is a well-run, ad-free email service, and plenty of people who try alternatives come back to it. The reasons people leave tend to be specific:

Price. There is no free plan. The Individual plan costs $6 a month, or $60 a year paid annually, after a trial of up to 30 days.
No end-to-end encryption. Fastmail encrypts mail at rest and in transit, but says plainly that it doesn't offer end-to-end encryption in its own apps. You can add PGP or S/MIME in a third-party app.
Jurisdiction. Fastmail Pty Ltd is an Australian company subject to Australian law, although you can now choose EU or US data residency.
The cheapest business plan is limited. Basic ($3 per user a month, billed yearly) doesn't let you use Fastmail in other email apps such as Outlook or iPhone Mail; that needs Standard or Professional.

If one of those is your reason, the right replacement depends on which one. Here is how the main options compare.

Fastmail alternatives compared

Service	Best for	Free plan	Paid from	Own domain	End-to-end encryption
Fastmail (for reference)	Fast, ad-free mail	No (30-day trial)	$5/month billed yearly	Yes	No
Proton Mail	Privacy and encryption	Yes, up to 1 GB	$3.99/month billed yearly	Paid plans	Yes, between Proton users
mailbox.org	Closest like-for-like swap	No (30-day trial)	€1/month (Light); €3/month for domains	Standard and up	Optional PGP
Tuta	Cheapest encrypted mail	Yes, 1 GB	€3/month billed yearly	Paid plans	Yes, subject lines too
iCloud Mail (iCloud+)	Apple users	Yes, 5 GB	$0.99/month	iCloud+	No
Zoho Mail	A free custom domain	Yes, 5 users on 1 domain	Paid per user	Yes, even free	No
Posteo	Anonymous sign-up	No	€1/month	No	Optional
Canary Mail	A better app, any provider	Yes	$36/year	Uses your provider	PGP on Pro+

Prices in euros are charged in euros. Proton, Tuta and Zoho also have business plans; this table shows the personal entry points.

The 7 best Fastmail alternatives in 2026

1. Proton Mail: Best for privacy and encryption

Proton Mail web app with folders, a message list and an open email

Proton is the obvious move if Fastmail's lack of end-to-end encryption is what bothers you. Mail between Proton users is end-to-end encrypted, you can send password-protected messages to anyone else, and your stored mail is encrypted so Proton can't read it. Proton is based in Switzerland and has apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux. Its Easy Switch tool imports mail from any provider that supports IMAP, Fastmail included.

Who it's for: people leaving Fastmail mainly for privacy reasons
Price: free (up to 1 GB, 150 messages a day); Mail Plus $4.99 a month or $47.88 a year (15 GB, 1 custom domain); Unlimited $12.99 a month or $119.88 a year
Platforms: web, iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux
Downside: the free plan is small (up to 1 GB, 150 messages a day), other email apps only work through Proton Mail Bridge on a paid plan, and subject lines aren't end-to-end encrypted.

More: Canary Mail vs Proton Mail and Proton Mail alternatives.

2. mailbox.org: Best like-for-like replacement

mailbox.org works the way Fastmail does: standard IMAP, so any email app works, plus calendar, contacts, cloud storage and custom domains. It goes a step further on privacy with optional PGP and S/MIME in the webmail and an option to encrypt your whole inbox with your PGP key. It's run from Berlin.

Who it's for: Fastmail users who want the same setup in the EU for less money
Price: Light €1 a month (yearly only, 2 GB, no own domain); Standard €3 a month yearly or €4 monthly (20 GB, custom domains); Premium €9 a month yearly; 30-day free trial
Platforms: web; works in any IMAP app on desktop and mobile
Downside: there's no free plan, and the €1 Light plan has only 2 GB and no custom domains; you need Standard for those.

3. Tuta: Best cheap encrypted email

Tuta (formerly Tutanota) encrypts more than Proton does: emails, subject lines, attachments, calendar and contacts are all stored end-to-end encrypted. It's based in Germany and has a usable free plan for private use.

Who it's for: people who want encryption by default at the lowest price
Price: free (1 GB); Revolutionary €3 a month yearly (20 GB, 3 custom domains); Legend €8 a month yearly (500 GB)
Platforms: web, iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux
Downside: no IMAP, so you can only use Tuta's own apps, not Apple Mail, Outlook or any other client.

More: Tuta Mail alternatives.

4. iCloud Mail with iCloud+: Best for Apple users

If you already pay for iCloud storage, you may already have a Fastmail replacement. iCloud+ lets you use up to five custom domains with up to 10 addresses each, share a domain with up to five people, and create Hide My Email addresses that forward to your inbox, much like Fastmail's Masked Email.

Who it's for: people on iPhone, iPad and Mac who mainly need a personal or family domain
Price: 5 GB free; iCloud+ from $0.99 a month (50 GB) in the US
Platforms: Apple Mail on Apple devices, icloud.com on the web; any IMAP app elsewhere
Downside: iCloud Mail isn't end-to-end encrypted, and it has far fewer filtering and admin tools than Fastmail.

More: Apple Mail vs iCloud Mail.

5. Zoho Mail: Best free custom-domain email

Zoho's Forever Free plan hosts email for one domain with up to five users and 5 GB each, which no other provider here offers for free. Paid plans add IMAP, more storage and the rest of Zoho's office apps.

Who it's for: a family or very small business that wants a custom domain without paying
Price: free for up to 5 users on one domain; paid plans are priced per user (check Zoho's pricing page for your region)
Platforms: web and Zoho's own apps; other apps over IMAP on paid plans
Downside: the free plan doesn't include IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, so you're limited to Zoho's own apps, and it's only offered in some data centers.

More: Zoho Mail alternatives.

6. Posteo: Best for anonymous sign-up

Posteo website: green, secure, ad-free email for 1 euro a month

Posteo costs 1 euro a month, collects no personal details when you sign up, runs on green energy and doubled its storage to 4 GB this year. It supports IMAP, so it works in any email app.

Who it's for: individuals who want a simple, private mailbox for very little money
Price: €1 a month (4 GB, expandable)
Platforms: web; any IMAP app
Downside: no custom domains at all (Posteo says that would mean storing your identity), and no free trial or free plan.

7. Canary Mail: Best if it's the app, not the provider

Canary Mail on a Mac with several email accounts in one inbox

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail. Some people who search for Fastmail alternatives are happy with the service but want a different app, or want Fastmail and a Gmail or work account in one inbox. Canary is an email app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android that works with Fastmail and any other IMAP account, as well as Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo and Exchange. It sorts your inbox with AI, blocks tracking pixels by default and adds PGP encryption on its Pro+ plan, which covers the end-to-end gap Fastmail leaves. More than 2 million people use it.

Who it's for: people who want to keep their address but change how they read and write email
Price: free for unlimited accounts on 2 devices; Growth $36 a year (AI writing and summaries, read receipts, send later); Pro+ $100 a year (PGP, SecureSend); lifetime licenses $100 and $300
Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android
Downside: it doesn't host email, so you still need a provider, and AI writing and encryption are on paid plans. On Fastmail, third-party apps need the Individual, Duo, Family, Standard or Professional plan, not Basic.

More: best email apps for multiple accounts.

Also worth a look

StartMail: Dutch, PGP built in, $4.99 a month billed yearly; the 7-day trial asks for payment details.
Runbox: Norwegian, hydro-powered, from €19.95 a year, with a 30-day trial and no card needed.
Gmail or Google Workspace: free with 15 GB shared with Drive and Photos; personal accounts show ads in the Promotions and Social tabs. Workspace adds your own domain.
HEY: $99 a year with a Screener for first-time senders, but no IMAP, so you can't use other apps. See HEY email alternatives.

How to choose

You want encryption: Proton Mail, or Tuta if price matters more than IMAP.
You want Fastmail without Fastmail's price or Australian jurisdiction: mailbox.org.
You mostly need a family domain on Apple devices: iCloud+.
You need a free custom domain for a few people: Zoho Mail.
You like your provider and want a better app: Canary Mail, or see the best email clients for Mac and best secure email apps.

How to move away from Fastmail

Sign up with the new provider and, if you use your own domain, add it there first.
Import your mail. Fastmail supports IMAP on most plans, so most providers can pull everything across; Proton's Easy Switch works with any IMAP provider.
Export contacts and calendars from Fastmail and import them.
Switch your domain's MX records to the new provider, or set up forwarding from your Fastmail address while people update their contacts.
Keep Fastmail until the new account has been receiving mail reliably for a week or two. Fastmail doesn't refund unused subscription time, so time the move for the end of your billing period.

Frequently asked questions

What is better than Fastmail?

It depends on why you're leaving. Proton Mail is better for encryption, mailbox.org is cheaper with the same IMAP and custom-domain setup, and Tuta is the cheapest encrypted option. For speed, search and spam filtering, many people find Fastmail hard to beat.

Is Fastmail worth it?

For many people, yes: it's fast, ad-free, has custom domains and Masked Email, and supports any email app. It's less worth it if you need end-to-end encryption or a free plan, since it offers neither.

Does Fastmail still exist?

Yes. Fastmail is an independent Australian company and still sells personal and business plans in 2026, starting at $5 a month billed yearly.

Which is better, Fastmail or Proton Mail?

Proton Mail is better for privacy, with end-to-end encryption between Proton users and a free plan. Fastmail is better if you want to use any email app over IMAP without extra software, along with fast full-text search, which Fastmail says end-to-end encryption would rule out.

Which is better, Gmail or Fastmail?

Gmail is free with 15 GB of storage but shows ads in personal accounts' Promotions and Social tabs. Fastmail costs from $5 a month, has no ads and gives 50 GB of mail storage on the Individual plan.

What is the Proton Mail controversy?

In 2021 Proton was ordered by Swiss authorities to log the IP address of a French climate activist's account, and did. Proton said its encryption can't be bypassed by legal orders, and later that year won a Swiss court ruling that email services aren't telecom providers.

What is the most hacked email service?

No provider publishes comparable figures, so there's no reliable ranking. What protects you most on any service is a unique password, two-step verification or a passkey, and care with phishing emails.

Sources

Keep your address, change your inbox

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The 7 Best Fastmail Alternatives in 2026 (Prices Compared)