Protonmail vs Fastmail: what do you suggest?

Sterox · 3 Jan 2016, 07:38 PM

Hi,

i know that Protonmail is a very "newborn" mail service, but I like their approach to email privacy.

My only concern is the "reliability" of their solutions and if the government will prohibit the encrypted email service that they and other are offer.

In alternativa i'm evaulating Fastmail service, that i see is 15 year old and i read very good review.

What do you suggest?

Actually i'm using YMAIL.COM and Gmail.com

kijinbear · 3 Jan 2016, 09:01 PM

If you need to communicate with people who have no idea what PGP encryption even means, you will have no choice but to send your messages without encryption. In that case, why bother using an encrypted email service that doesn't support any of the standard email protocols? Without POP3 or IMAP, you'll be giving up the ability to access your email using apps of your choice, as well as the power to move all of your email off of their platform if you ever decide to go elsewhere, for the negligible benefit of encrypting a very small percentage of your emails.

You can take all your Yahoo mail archives and copy them to your Gmail account so that they can be searched from one place. You can take your entire Gmail mailbox and move them to FastMail. And from FastMail to anywhere else as long as they support POP3 and/or IMAP. But ProtonMail is a dead end. You can't move anywhere else from it. You can't use it with anything other than their official website and official apps, and I'm not even sure why I should trust the cryptography in those apps.

As someone who has been through multiple email service providers in the last couple of decades, this is an instant red flag. I like the idea of ProtonMail, and I think they have good intentions. But in the absence of open standards, it's just another walled garden that lures you in with a free offer and locks you in forever.

So if I ever need to send an encrypted email (it has happened approximately 0.2 times per year so far), I'll just use a PGP plugin with a regular email app and send the encrypted message through my regular FastMail account. Same privacy, a little more hassle, but a lot more peace of mind.

PrivacyGuy · 6 Jan 2016, 06:49 AM

First, let me be transparent: I work with StartMail, the private email company.

Sterox and Kijinbear, I read your posts with great interest and would like to share some ways StartMail might be the private email service you are seeking:

1. StartMail was developed by the same people who bring you the private search engines StartPage.com and Ixquick.com. We've been doing privacy for over 10 years--before it was "cool." We're people you can trust. Plus, we're based in Europe (The Netherlands) where privacy is protected by law. (The Dutch minister of security and justice just reinforced the country's commitment to encryption without back doors.)

2. Our service is compatible with other email services, and you can encrypt messages to users outside of StartMail using PGP or our Q&A encryption option. Our PGP is truly easy to use. It just takes one click after it's set up. And for times when friends don't have encryption set up, you can use Q&A encryption--even if they don't have StartMail. Our Q&A encryption even allows your friends on another service to respond with Q&A encryption.

3. We also offer IMAP, which means you can also access your messages using your favorite email client. We don't lock you into our web interface.

Did I answer all the concerns? We'd be happy to address any other questions.

You can put StartMail through it's paces with our free 7-day trial. Just visit www.startmail.com.

cloud_e · 20 Jan 2016, 02:29 AM

StartMail is not open source.

cloud_e · 20 Jan 2016, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kijinbear

As someone who has been through multiple email service providers in the last couple of decades, this is an instant red flag. I like the idea of ProtonMail, and I think they have good intentions. But in the absence of open standards, it's just another walled garden that lures you in with a free offer and locks you in forever.

Protonmail is open source, and its code audited.

LinuxArie · 20 Jan 2016, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cloud_e

StartMail is not open source.

And the price is much to high ....

3 Jan 2016, 07:38 PM	#1
Sterox Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 15	Protonmail vs Fastmail: what do you suggest? Hi, i know that Protonmail is a very "newborn" mail service, but I like their approach to email privacy. My only concern is the "reliability" of their solutions and if the government will prohibit the encrypted email service that they and other are offer. In alternativa i'm evaulating Fastmail service, that i see is 15 year old and i read very good review. What do you suggest? Actually i'm using YMAIL.COM and Gmail.com

3 Jan 2016, 09:01 PM	#2
kijinbear Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: ~$ Posts: 652	If you need to communicate with people who have no idea what PGP encryption even means, you will have no choice but to send your messages without encryption. In that case, why bother using an encrypted email service that doesn't support any of the standard email protocols? Without POP3 or IMAP, you'll be giving up the ability to access your email using apps of your choice, as well as the power to move all of your email off of their platform if you ever decide to go elsewhere, for the negligible benefit of encrypting a very small percentage of your emails. You can take all your Yahoo mail archives and copy them to your Gmail account so that they can be searched from one place. You can take your entire Gmail mailbox and move them to FastMail. And from FastMail to anywhere else as long as they support POP3 and/or IMAP. But ProtonMail is a dead end. You can't move anywhere else from it. You can't use it with anything other than their official website and official apps, and I'm not even sure why I should trust the cryptography in those apps. As someone who has been through multiple email service providers in the last couple of decades, this is an instant red flag. I like the idea of ProtonMail, and I think they have good intentions. But in the absence of open standards, it's just another walled garden that lures you in with a free offer and locks you in forever. So if I ever need to send an encrypted email (it has happened approximately 0.2 times per year so far), I'll just use a PGP plugin with a regular email app and send the encrypted message through my regular FastMail account. Same privacy, a little more hassle, but a lot more peace of mind. Last edited by kijinbear : 7 Jan 2016 at 05:53 PM.

6 Jan 2016, 06:49 AM	#3
PrivacyGuy Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 1	Alternative email with IMAP & other wish-list items First, let me be transparent: I work with StartMail, the private email company. Sterox and Kijinbear, I read your posts with great interest and would like to share some ways StartMail might be the private email service you are seeking: 1. StartMail was developed by the same people who bring you the private search engines StartPage.com and Ixquick.com. We've been doing privacy for over 10 years--before it was "cool." We're people you can trust. Plus, we're based in Europe (The Netherlands) where privacy is protected by law. (The Dutch minister of security and justice just reinforced the country's commitment to encryption without back doors.) 2. Our service is compatible with other email services, and you can encrypt messages to users outside of StartMail using PGP or our Q&A encryption option. Our PGP is truly easy to use. It just takes one click after it's set up. And for times when friends don't have encryption set up, you can use Q&A encryption--even if they don't have StartMail. Our Q&A encryption even allows your friends on another service to respond with Q&A encryption. 3. We also offer IMAP, which means you can also access your messages using your favorite email client. We don't lock you into our web interface. Did I answer all the concerns? We'd be happy to address any other questions. You can put StartMail through it's paces with our free 7-day trial. Just visit www.startmail.com.

20 Jan 2016, 02:29 AM	#4
cloud_e Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 2	StartMail is not open source.