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Old 28 Nov 2016, 05:58 AM   #1
paul29
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 166
Migadu (new email host from Switzerland) mini-pre-review

I just saw a thread about this on Hacker News (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13048334) and thought I'd relay the info to here.

The site is Migadu.com. I haven't tried it yet but have looked at it and it's interesting. My quick impressions and comments:
  • They host email for your domain(s), rather than giving you an address with their hostname. You have to set up MX, DKIM, SPF. So it's not like Fastmail, Gmail, etc. More like mxroute. They support IMAP etc. plus webmail and they can host DNS for you like Fastmail.
  • You get unlimited storage, unlimited domains, unlimited mailboxes on all the paid tiers. There is a limit on number of outgoing messages per day you can send. That limit depends on your pricing tier.
  • There is a free tier with (updated) 1GB storage, 20 msg/day sending limit, and 1 email domain that puts a promotional ("sent from Migadu") signature in your outgoing messages. Lowest paid tier is $4/month (annual payment) or $5/month (month to month) and it gets rid of this signature.
  • You can keep using the free tier as long as you want (no expiration). It's nice to be able to have good free mail hosting for your own domain, though I suspect it will get burdensome for Migadu after a while. Fastmail eventually had to stop giving out free plans, though people who already had them got to keep using them. Mxroute has always been paid-only afaik.
  • Their web site is very clean and responsive (based on rainloop), though it still doesn't work without javascript. I know that JS enables some things that are impossible without it, but I don't understand why people don't eliminate the requirement when they can.
  • They don't support 2FA at the moment and when someone asked about it in the HN thread, they asked why you'd want that. Just thought I better mention this.
  • I recently signed up for mxroute.com's black friday special which is an insane deal (don't know if any are left), but Migadu certainly has a nicer looking web site and they say part of their product is highly personalized support, which can be a good thing. The unlimited storage ("we trust you won't abuse it") means they presumably are willing to compete with the larger plans at places like Mxroute. The smallest regular Mxroute plan (5GB storage, $25/year) is cheaper than Migadu's smallest paid plan if your storage requirements are limited. Mxroute is closer to unmanaged hosting though.
  • They are doing their own webmail client. I haven't seen it or tried it but I can understand that the regular FOSS ones (Roundcube and Squirrelmail primarily) aren't very nice. I usually hate the entire concept of web design (I like sites like craigslist / prgmr.com / HN which have almost no design) but these guys are good. (Added: screen shot is at http://imgur.com/a/Xt4CQ via HN).
  • I left a comment on the Migadu comment form and one of their staff responded within about 2 minutes, which was impressive.
  • Their FAQ and sales pages are informative, and refreshingly free of hype and fluff.
Anyway I'd say Migadu is promising enough to be of interest here. I'll probably give their free plan a try just to see what it's like, though will probably stay with fastmail and/or mxroute (I already have paid plans on both).

Disclosures: I have no connection with migadu and hadn't heard of it til this morning. I've been a mostly-satisfied, paying Fastmail user for 2 years or so (Fastmail made recent changes that I don't like though). I've been acquainted online with the founder of Mxroute for a while and I have a paid plan (actually 2) with them that I haven't yet used.

Last edited by paul29 : 28 Nov 2016 at 06:58 AM. Reason: added screen shot and some small fixes/updates
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Old 5 Feb 2017, 11:47 PM   #2
TenFour
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Anyone have any experience with Migadu? The lack of 2FA is a negative, but I am impressed by the frank information they provide on their website and by their pricing scheme.
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Old 7 Feb 2017, 02:07 PM   #3
ccl1
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that gui looks very similar to apple's icloud webmail interface
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Old 9 Mar 2017, 06:05 AM   #4
ReuvenNY
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I created an account last night and after some initial stumbling got quick help from Support. Dejan was very helpful and patient and it seems to be working fine. I plan to keep exploring it as I am considering some revamping of my email accounts.
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Old 11 Mar 2017, 02:39 AM   #5
Bob D
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Let us know of your experiences.
Do they provide off-site backups?
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Old 11 Mar 2017, 03:13 PM   #6
jeffpan
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Representative of:
tls-mail.com
I am confused,
  1. Do all email addresses under an account share a single mailbox, or each email address has a separate mailbox?
  2. Do all email addresses under an account share the same outgoing quota, or the outgoing quota is setup for each email address?
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Old 12 Mar 2017, 12:55 AM   #7
ReuvenNY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffpan View Post
I am confused,
  1. Do all email addresses under an account share a single mailbox, or each email address has a separate mailbox?
  2. Do all email addresses under an account share the same outgoing quota, or the outgoing quota is setup for each email address?
!. No, every address is an account as has their own password.
2. Yes, all accounts use the same shared data. the limit is for all accounts under the domain.
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Old 4 Aug 2017, 07:46 AM   #8
TenFour
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Any update on your experience with Migadu? I am a bit worried about them due to lack of updating on their website and I almost never see them mentioned in this forum. OTOH I love their clear descriptions and instructions on the website. Other providers should take note.
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Old 5 Aug 2017, 10:59 PM   #9
jdtaylor
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Just to let you know the provider is aware of this thread, they are just a bit busy at the moment to answer direct.
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Old 6 Aug 2017, 09:34 PM   #10
TenFour
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I was more interested in any feedback from users of Migadu, but it is always nice to hear direct from the provider too.
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Old 11 Aug 2017, 04:21 PM   #11
audelair
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I just opened an account with the free option. My initial findings:

The Good:
  • Very easy to set up. I had my DNS updated according to their directions and had my first mailbox up in a matter of minutes.
  • Very nice webmail interface and easy-to-use. I came over from Zoho whose interface I could not stand, so something clean and simple was refreshing.
  • Free plan is a great way to test it.

Could be better:
  • Very few administrative capabilities. I especially wanted to add auto-bcc for some users, which is something I used with Zoho. An archiving feature like in cpanel hosts would be nice too.
  • No themes in the webmail. I still really like the ability to change color themes. Nothing fancy necessary, but especially my daughter would love to customize her webmail experience a bit.

The bad:
  • My very first test email INTO my Migadu mailbox went into the spam folder. This came from an external email account that I have hosted at G Suite, with spf and dkim. This external email account should have excellent deliverability and I have tested it in several tools and to all email platforms I can, and never had a problem. So why did this get sent into spam in my Migadu mailbox? Even after this external email address got added as a contact (in Migadu), the next message also landed in spam.
  • The website states a maximum of 20 emails can be sent on the free account. But I just checked my account and it states only 10 per day. Still decent for testing, but nearly everyone will want to upgrade.

If I can get my spam issue sorted, I may stay with the service. I will keep you guys posted!
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Old 17 Dec 2017, 05:47 AM   #12
TenFour
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Any update?
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Old 17 Dec 2017, 10:11 PM   #13
Cory
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The webmail looks like Rainloop which is an open source client. https://www.rainloop.net/
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Old 19 Dec 2017, 01:17 AM   #14
anftr
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I was ask them about attachment limit and inactivity period before closing account, I continue miss the reply.

They publicly spot a problem about undeliverable mails. Instead marked like spam. I try them service, it is difficult to have free web hosting on one place, them webmail on other place and DNS records on third place and all to be automatically synchronized.

Because them additional requirements about DNS records, it was required a lot of patience by my side, It was need intelligence... And to have some side work to distract me. To do it faster, I was do it in the wrong way... but finally I got my DNS records working.

I think, the problem is not in them about mails marked like spam... But using free domains to test them system. Huge percentage of SPAM is sent by free domains... I registered several free domains, and while I do that, I see this problem related to domains too. Not to them hosting. You sent legitimate mail... and it enter like SPAM.

If someone want him mail to no be marked like SPAM, it is better to no use TLD, what spammers use. Spamers use free TLD, domains, subdomains... to reduce them expenses, to can in cheap way expand them volume of SPAM.

Nice things are more expensive. It's cheaper to host in home... but it is more user friendly if it is done in data center. More security against outage. They offer easy redundancy. In home I have several PCs... But one PC consume so much electricity so I'll pay for hosting somewhere else. Adding the security, it's better to host outside, not in home. But the good offers for mail hosting and web hosting are not on the same place. And in such case it is much more intuitive to use expert independent third place DNS.

Here come the problem. If the web hosting change the IP... and you no notice it in time... After registrar DNS is not enough professional, tempting to me. Registrar can miss what's going on on my chosen better DNS.

It is probable chain of events... Hosting change IP, DNS records kept same. Registrar find that my IP point nowhere. So I haven't website(for them, they can not see it). In term of services of registrar is typed, he can get him domain from me after I no use it... he rent it to me, but I no use it, he take it back... So... he deny the redirect from him DNS to my chosen DNS, from there are lost the records pointing to my mailbox... and I effectively... lose my email address... And that's what I want to prevent... losing my email address.

The hosting may keep my already received emails... but effectively I lose my email address, after the domain is part of it. And after some registrars have habits of taking back domains...

Saying free of charge for: domain, DNS, web hosting, mail hosting, etc... is saying 'welcome' to the troubles.

This is security issue not directly related to Migadu but have to be considered. And once you start paying for domain, hosting, etc... If you are paying and lose payment... you lose service...

Resume... this combination is not good for people who plane to use some email address very rarely.

For some unexperienced man, I'm sure, he'll mis-configure the DNS records by first try, and if he is inpatient chances are big he'll mess the things up. It seem to be stupidly easy. But it's more likely to land on DNS different compared to the Migadu's manual... And trying to fit the manual to the different DNS... here we are.

Patience is the key for successful configuration of DNS records. Intelligence is needed too.

Resume: The free domain is not free because you have to have website there... And free email address on Migadu... it might no consume money, but consume something more expensive... time.

It seem to be free of charge, but when you add up all related things... If you need IMAP hosting, may be is not good idea to target the wish to be free.

It's more costly for you, your mail being marked like SPAM.

It's more costly, home project, some hacker launch some sophisticated DoS, immediately he claim the domain... the registrar see nothing on the IP... and he immediately give it to the hacker... and you lose the email address. Email address is like electronic ID card, passport.

Completely free of charge mail hosting in this way cost more.

If you like it to be free... the domain part of email address shouldn't be yours. Then why to host it yourself?

I sorry, little out of subject, I no comment Migadu... But how else you intent to use Migadu?

May be is better someone who was actually paid for Migadu's services to comment how happy is him by them?
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Old 23 Dec 2017, 02:44 AM   #15
anftr
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Join Date: Dec 2017
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Talking

I receive reply by Migadu. They just confirm my thoughts and expectations about them business model. In short, They'll try to be so flexible ,so possible.

In this moment, them planes do not include deactivation of accounts because inactivity. But if necessary, most likely it'll be no shorter compared to two years. Yandex offer two years of inactivity so well.

Some email clients have limit of 20MB for attachment limit. Them attachment limit is little above 20MB and it's probably just like the yandex's one of 22MB.

I think them offer is very competitive.
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