The 6 Best Tuta Mail (Tutanota) Alternatives in 2026

Short answer: Proton Mail is the closest Tuta alternative: end-to-end encrypted, with a free plan and paid plans from $3.99 a month. If you left Tuta because it doesn't work in other email apps, mailbox.org and Posteo give you private, encryption-friendly email from €1 a month that works in any app over IMAP. StartMail suits alias fans, Fastmail gives you 60 GB in a polished service (without end-to-end encryption), and Runbox is the cheapest way to get your own domain. To keep your current email and add encryption on top, see the last section.

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail, an email app. It isn't an email service like Tuta, so it isn't ranked against the services below; it has its own section. Prices were checked on each provider's own site on October 6, 2026.

Why people look for a Tuta Mail alternative

Tuta, called Tutanota until November 2023, is a German email service that encrypts your whole mailbox, including subject lines, contacts and calendars. Most reasons to leave come from how it does that:

• It only works in Tuta's own apps. Tuta doesn't support IMAP, POP or SMTP, so you can't read it in Apple Mail, Outlook, Thunderbird or any other email app. Tuta's Thunderbird add-on only opens the Tuta web app in a tab.
• The free plan is small. It has 1 GB of storage and one address, it's for private use only, search goes back just four weeks, and free accounts are deleted after six months without a login.
• Search lives on your device. Tuta builds an encrypted search index locally, so it doesn't work in a private browser window.
• Getting your mail out takes the desktop app. Tuta only exports email from its desktop app.

Who should stay with Tuta

If you're happy using Tuta's own apps, you may not need to switch. It encrypts subject lines, contacts and calendars, and it has used quantum-resistant encryption by default since 2024. Revolutionary costs €3 a month billed yearly for 20 GB, 15 extra addresses and 3 custom domains.

Tuta Mail alternatives compared

The best Tuta Mail alternatives in 2026

1. Proton Mail: Best overall Tuta alternative

Proton Mail, based in Switzerland, works much like Tuta: mail between Proton users is end-to-end encrypted automatically, and stored mail uses zero-access encryption. It adds Proton Drive, Calendar and VPN and, on paid plans, Proton Mail Bridge, which lets desktop email apps like Thunderbird connect. Post-quantum protection arrived in May 2026 for all plans, though you have to turn it on.

• Who it's for: people who want Tuta-style encryption with more apps and more ways in
• Price: Mail Plus $3.99 a month billed yearly ($47.88) or $4.99 monthly; Proton Unlimited $9.99 a month yearly or $12.99 monthly
• Free plan: one address, up to 1 GB (new accounts start at 500 MB), 150 messages a day
• Storage: 15 GB on Mail Plus, 500 GB on Unlimited
• Other apps: through Bridge on paid plans, desktop only
• Downside: the free plan is no bigger than Tuta's, and subject lines aren't end-to-end encrypted.

2. mailbox.org: Best for encryption in any email app

mailbox.org is a German provider with servers in Berlin. Unlike Tuta, it works in any email app over IMAP or POP, and its webmail has PGP and S/MIME built in (it calls this Guard). You can also have incoming mail encrypted with your PGP key.

• Who it's for: people who want strong privacy without being locked into one app
• Price: Light €1 a month (yearly only); Standard €3 a month yearly or €4 monthly; Premium €9 or €12; VAT included; 30-day trial
• Storage: 2 GB on Light, 20 GB plus 10 GB of files on Standard, 50 GB on Premium
• Custom domains: Standard and Premium
• Other apps: any IMAP or POP app
• Downside: encryption is PGP you set up, not automatic like Tuta's, and there's no free plan.

3. Posteo: Best for cheap, simple privacy

Posteo is a Berlin email service that costs €1 a month, runs on green energy and lets you sign up and pay anonymously, even in cash. Storage doubled to 4 GB in February 2026. It can encrypt incoming mail with your PGP or S/MIME key and encrypt your stored mail, calendar and contacts.

• Who it's for: people who want a private address that works everywhere, for very little
• Price: €1 a month; extra storage €0.25 per GB a month
• Storage: 4 GB, with 3 alias addresses
• Other apps: any IMAP or POP app
• Downside: no custom domains, no free plan and no trial, though Posteo refunds you if you cancel in the first month.

4. StartMail: Best for unlimited aliases

StartMail, based in the Netherlands, gives you unlimited disposable aliases to hide your real address, and one-click PGP to send encrypted mail to anyone. It works in other apps over IMAP and SMTP, and Personal includes one custom domain.

• Who it's for: people who sign up for lots of sites and want to keep their real address private
• Price: Personal $4.99 a month billed yearly ($59.88) or $6.99 monthly; 7-day trial
• Storage: 20 GB
• Other apps: any IMAP app
• Downside: the trial needs a card or PayPal account, and prices are shown in US dollars.

5. Fastmail: Best for ease of use

Fastmail is an ad-free service from Australia, with US or EU data storage, Masked Email addresses and custom domains on its personal plans. It's here for people who left Tuta because it felt limited, not for maximum encryption.

• Who it's for: people who want a polished, private service that works in every app
• Price: Individual $5 a month billed yearly ($60) or $6 monthly; Duo $8 or $10; 30-day trial
• Storage: 60 GB on Individual
• Other apps: any IMAP app
• Downside: no end-to-end encryption. Fastmail says its systems need to process mail unencrypted, for example to build search, so it suggests PGP in your own app if you need it.

6. Runbox: Best for your own domain on a budget

Runbox hosts mail in Oslo under Norwegian privacy law, on hydropower. Every plan includes at least one custom domain, which makes it the cheapest way here to put your own domain on a private service.

• Who it's for: people and small businesses who want their own domain without a big bill
• Price: Micro €19.95 a year, Mini €34.95, Medium €49.95, Max €79.95; 30-day trial, no card needed
• Storage: 2 GB on Micro, 10 GB on Mini, 25 GB on Medium, 50 GB on Max
• Other apps: any IMAP or POP app
• Downside: billing is yearly only, and encryption means PGP through the Mailvelope browser add-on or a desktop app.

Want encryption in the email you already have?

Some people try Tuta because they want encrypted email, not a new address. If that's you, an email app with PGP lets you keep your current account.

Canary Mail (ours) works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and any IMAP account, so it also works with every service above except Proton's free plan. PGP encryption is part of its Pro+ plan ($100 a year), on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android. Canary can't add a Tuta account, because Tuta doesn't allow other apps. To learn how PGP works, read our guide to PGP encryption.

How to move from Tuta

1. Sign up with the new service, and add your domain if you have one on Tuta.
2. Export your mail from the Tuta desktop app. Mailbox export only works there (Settings, then Email Export). You can also drag emails out of the desktop app as .eml or .msg files.
3. Import the files using your new provider's import instructions. Tools that copy mail over IMAP, like Proton's Easy Switch, can't connect to Tuta.
4. Move contacts and calendars separately, as vCard and .ics files.
5. Keep logging in to Tuta for a while to catch stray mail. Free accounts are deleted after six months without a login.

How we chose

We looked for services that do Tuta's job: privacy-first providers that encrypt mail, or at least make encryption easy, and that fix Tuta's biggest limit by working in other apps. We left out Gmail and Outlook, which aren't privacy services, and checked every price, plan and storage figure on each provider's own site on October 6, 2026. For more options, see our lists of Proton Mail alternatives and secure email apps.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free alternative to Tuta Mail?

Proton Mail has a free plan with one address, up to 1 GB of storage and 150 messages a day. The other services here are paid, but mailbox.org, Fastmail and Runbox let you try them free for 30 days, and StartMail for 7.

Is Proton Mail better than Tuta?

They're close. Proton has more apps and connects to desktop email apps through Bridge on paid plans. Tuta encrypts subject lines, has had quantum-resistant encryption on by default since 2024, and its paid plan gives you 20 GB for €3 a month, against 15 GB for $3.99 on Proton Mail Plus.

Can I use Tuta in Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird?

Not as a normal account. Tuta doesn't support IMAP, POP or SMTP, so it only works in its own web, desktop and mobile apps. Its Thunderbird add-on just opens the Tuta web app in a Thunderbird tab; your mail doesn't arrive in Thunderbird's inbox.

Is Tutanota the same as Tuta?

Yes. Tutanota renamed itself Tuta in November 2023. It's the same company and service, based in Hanover, Germany.

How do I export my emails from Tuta?

Use the Tuta desktop app: Settings, then Email Export. Mailbox export isn't available in the web or mobile apps.

Which Tuta alternative works with my own domain?

Runbox includes a custom domain on every plan. mailbox.org Standard, StartMail Personal, Fastmail and Proton Mail Plus also support custom domains. Posteo doesn't offer custom domains.

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Sources

• Tuta pricing
• Tuta: how-to FAQ (IMAP, search, export)
• Tuta: inactive accounts
• Tuta: Tutanota is now Tuta
• Tuta: post-quantum encryption
• Tuta: Thunderbird add-ons
• Proton plans
• Proton Mail pricing
• Proton Mail Bridge
• Proton: post-quantum encryption
• mailbox.org prices
• Posteo prices
• Posteo FAQ
• StartMail pricing
• Fastmail pricing
• Fastmail: how Fastmail provides a secure service
• Runbox price plans
• Canary Mail pricing