Private Email Providers Compared: Liberation Email vs. Tuta, StartMail & More
How eight privacy-focused email services compare on location, price, your own domain and whether they work with Outlook and Apple Mail. Liberation Email is the U.S.-based option: end-to-end encrypted, ad-free, with your domain on every plan from $1.95 per month.
Private Email Providers Side By Side
Entry-level paid plans for individuals and small businesses. Prices and features are from each provider’s website, checked September 2026. Euro prices are shown as listed.
Provider | Based in | Starting price | Your own domain | Outlook & Apple Mail | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | $1.95/mo | Every plan | IMAP & POP3 on every plan | 30-day trial | |
Switzerland | $3.99/mo billed yearly | Paid plans | Bridge app, paid plans only | Yes, 1 GB | |
Tuta | Germany | €1.67/mo billed yearly (promotional price) | Paid plans | No IMAP; Tuta apps only | Yes, 1 GB |
StartMail | Netherlands | $4.99/mo or $59.88/yr | 1 domain on Personal | IMAP & SMTP | 7-day trial |
Mailfence | Belgium | €2.50/mo (Base) | From Entry, €3.50/mo | Paid plans | Yes, 1 GB, no IMAP |
Mailbox.org | Germany | €1/mo (Light) | From Standard, €4/mo | IMAP & POP3 | Paid plans only |
Posteo | Germany | €1/mo | Not offered | IMAP & POP3 | Paid plans only |
Fastmail | Australia (EU or U.S. data storage) | $5/mo or $60/yr | Yes | IMAP | 30-day trial |
Each Provider At A Glance
And How It Compares With Liberation Email
Tuta
Germany. Encrypted mail inside Tuta's own apps and web client. There's no IMAP, so Outlook and Apple Mail can't connect. Liberation Email works with any IMAP or POP app.
StartMail
Netherlands. IMAP, SMTP and PGP encryption from $4.99 a month, with one custom domain on the Personal plan. Liberation Email includes your domain from $1.95.
Mailfence
Belgium. OpenPGP encryption, but the free plan has no IMAP and your own domain starts on the €3.50 Entry plan.
Liberation Email
U.S. servers LiberationTek owns, end-to-end encryption, your domain on every plan, and Hub For Teams when you need chat, files and video.
Mailbox.org
Germany. Plans from €1 a month, with your own domain starting on the €4 Standard plan.
Posteo
Germany. €1 a month with IMAP and POP3, but no custom domains, so you can't use name@yourbusiness.com.
Fastmail
Australia, with EU or U.S. data storage. Feature-rich email with your own domain from $5 a month.
Proton Mail
Switzerland. End-to-end encrypted, but Outlook and Apple Mail need the Bridge app on paid plans. Read the full comparison.
Why People Choose Liberation Email
Real customer reviews. LiberationTek is rated 4.9 out of 5 on Google and 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot (September 2026).
Choose Your Private Email Plan
How many accounts do you need?
Personal Plans
Mail
Starter
1 - 10 Accounts
(across all plans)
$1.95
per user /month
- 1 Mailbox
- 5GB Mailbox
- Full Featured Calendar
- Appointment Scheduling
- Contact Management
- POP3 & IMAP
- AES-256 Encryption
- Malware Scanning
- Import Existing Mail
- Use @liberationmail.com, @liberation.email, or a domain you own
Mail+
1 - 10 Accounts
(across all plans)
$4.95
per user / month
- 1 Mailbox
- 15GB Mailbox
- Full Featured Calendar
- Appointment Scheduling
- Contact Management
- POP3 & IMAP
- AES-256 Encryption
- Malware Scanning
- Import Existing Mail
- Use @liberationmail.com, @liberation.email, or a domain you own
Mail
Pro
1 - 10 Accounts
(across all plans)
$7.95
per user /month
- 1 Mailbox
- 25GB Mailbox
- Full Featured Calendar
- Appointment Scheduling
- Contact Management
- POP3 & IMAP
- AES-256 Encryption
- Malware Scanning
- Import Existing Mail
- Use @liberationmail.com, @liberation.email, or a domain you own
Private Email FAQs
Liberation Email, StartMail, Mailbox.org, Posteo and Fastmail support standard IMAP, so they work with Outlook and Apple Mail. Mailfence supports IMAP on paid plans only, Proton Mail needs its Bridge app on paid plans, and Tuta does not support IMAP at all.
Liberation Email includes your own domain on every plan, starting at $1.95 per month. Proton Mail and Tuta offer custom domains on paid plans, StartMail includes one domain on its Personal plan, Mailfence starts at its Entry plan, Mailbox.org starts at its Standard plan and Fastmail supports custom domains. Posteo does not offer custom domains.
Yes. Liberation Email is hosted in the United States on servers LiberationTek owns and operates, with U.S.-based support. Most other privacy-focused providers are based in Europe, including Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, and Fastmail is based in Australia.
Yes. Liberation Email includes end-to-end encryption along with AES-256 encryption and malware scanning on every plan, and your mail is never scanned for advertising or shared with third parties.
Entry-level paid plans from the providers compared here range from about €1 to $5 per month. Liberation Email starts at $1.95 per month and includes your own domain, IMAP and POP3, and a calendar and contact manager on every plan.
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Updated September 11, 2026. Prices and features are from each provider’s website: Proton, Tuta, StartMail, Mailfence, Mailbox.org, Posteo and Fastmail, checked September 2026. Promotional prices change often, so confirm on each site before buying.