The best email provider of 2018

FredOnline · 14 Feb 2018, 05:13 AM

http://www.techradar.com/news/best-email-provider

Note to author of the article:

MUST TRY HARDER

TenFour · 14 Feb 2018, 06:59 AM

The article is OK as far as it goes. I do agree that Gmail is probably the "best" for most people, but there are many reasons someone might want to choose another based on what is desired. Here in the USA Gmail is so popular and widely used that I find when telling someone my email address they often assume that the part after the @ is gmail. You have to be careful to catch that.

Dutchie007 · 15 Feb 2018, 12:40 AM

With all respect but an article which puts YAHOO at number 3 should NOT being taken too seriously. But it is good to see ZOHO there.

my 2 cents.

Dutchie.

LinuxArie · 15 Feb 2018, 02:34 PM

Missing :
Mailbox.org
Posteo.de
Tutanota.com
Mailfence.com
GMX.com
Yandex.com

Tsunami · 18 Feb 2018, 09:46 PM

Quoting the article:

Zoho Workplace is a business-oriented email service which throws in an online office suite, document management, and a host of collaboration tools and other extras.

Zoho's free plan supports up to 25 users (there's an extra 25 available if you can refer others to the service), each with 5GB of mailbox storage, and can be used with one domain of your own. These are features you'll normally only find in commercial products, and when you factor in the spreadsheet, word processor, presentation and other tools, it looks like a real bargain.

I assume one can opt to not use those collaboration tools and only create 1 or 2 users for yourself?

Something that (maybe wrongfully) scares me off in email providers is when it is part of a package focussed on sharing. I'd be somewhat afraid of other people being able to access my emails once there's a lot of sharing options. I like the, admitted, old-fashioned idea of a mailbox being just there for emails and entirely private, while using other ways to share documents or calendars etc. (there's plenty of services for that, and you can even share documents by... sending them in an email as attachment)

Lots of services that are discussed on this forum and get good feedback seem to have a lot of extras on top of the email function. That scares me off a bit rather than coming across as a bonus. But then I'm used to good old webmail from the days Hotmail was still offering 2 MB inbox and you'd use separate tools to send a document to friends or colleagues... In email terms, I'm old fashioned

TenFour · 18 Feb 2018, 11:20 PM

IMHO sharing issues are not really a problem with Gmail and Google Drive stuff. I don't use it a lot, but it is occasionally very useful to be able to share a doc via Drive and have two parties be able to work on it and update in near realtime. However, there is no reason one has to use those sharing options if you don't want to. With Gmail or Outlook.com it is still perfectly possibly to just attach something to an email and do it that way.

Tsunami · 19 Feb 2018, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenFour

With Gmail or Outlook.com it is still perfectly possibly to just attach something to an email and do it that way.

What about Zoho?

PS: I never used any sharing devices with Google nor Outlook.com. If I have to share anything, I attach the files to an email. If too big for an email, I use WeTransfer.com.
If I'd use the office suite of an email provider to share things with others (as if your account is just a part of a bigger entity shared with others), I'd be anxious they'd be able to access my email too (I have anxiety disorder).

TenFour · 19 Feb 2018, 08:16 AM

I haven't used Zoho enough to comment, though I did try it briefly. I wasn't convinced their deliverability, security, and reliability are good enough for my everyday use. I do think they offer a lot for the money though. As far as I can tell with file sharing on Gmail and Outlook.com there is no danger of anyone being able to access your email--only the files you are sharing. I understand the anxiety disorder as I assist someone who suffers from this. I have gradually shifted him to mainly using Gmail and Google Docs for everything as it is very secure and unlikely to go down or have major problems, and having his documents instantly saved at all times without him having to do anything means he isn't worried about files getting lost. The next step will be to move him to a Chromebook, which will avoid anxiety about updates not happening, and many other security issues. Frankly, I think a Chromebook and Gmail are the best solution for 90% of ordinary people with ordinary needs, and avoid a huge number of problems while also costing less than just about any other solution.

xenas · 21 Feb 2018, 09:25 PM

I don't think Yahoo deserves to be on this list. There's the annoying ad on the right side of the page and then the purple color is just too bright for the eyes! Moreover, the text size is too small and the whole layout just looks messy.

Tsunami · 16 Mar 2018, 04:30 AM

A friend of mine who uses Yahoo showed me the interface.

I must say it's not as bad as I thought it'd be based on the descriptions. It's not as clean as Gmail and Outlook.com, but it's not messy neither.

What matters to me when choosing an email provider is
- the service being around for a long time to come (should be a given with Yahoo)
- reliability and security
- if possible I also like the logs of previous signin dates and times
- 2FA is a bonus, not a must

It seems Yahoo would fit that description, without saying it looks as tidy as Gmail or Outlook.com. But still, it seems to be OK to me. What worries me a bit is the "security" part though: I heard of stories of a large amount of Yahoo accounts being broken into. That of course is not what you want. I don't know if it was true and as bad as some made it sound, since I wasn't using Yahoo I didn't read in detail about this case. But obviously you prefer to create an email account that is unlikely to be broken into. That'd be my main concern when it comes to Yahoo (I also don't know if they keep logs of previous signins and if 2FA is possible)

The interface itself didn't bother me that much, from the little peek this friend allowed me (and obviously I just stared at the interface without looking at the emails)

TenFour · 16 Mar 2018, 04:48 AM

One issue that may not matter to you is that "Yahoo" doesn't strike most people as a very professional address, whereas Outlook.com and Gmail.com are pretty much accepted by everyone. I receive regular business correspondence from executives who use their Gmail address instead of their business domain email. That is totally accepted here in the USA and doesn't have any negative connotations for most people.

To me some form of 2FA is a must for my main email account. Once you have trusted your own computer and your phone you rarely have to actually use the 2FA yourself, but it does make it much harder for someone else to log into your account if somehow your password is stolen. That seems inevitable today, unfortunately. Personally, I'm not much worried about my passwords being cracked--but I have no control over how they are stored by the places I am logging in.

Tsunami · 16 Mar 2018, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenFour

One issue that may not matter to you is that "Yahoo" doesn't strike most people as a very professional address, whereas Outlook.com and Gmail.com are pretty much accepted by everyone. I receive regular business correspondence from executives who use their Gmail address instead of their business domain email. That is totally accepted here in the USA and doesn't have any negative connotations for most people.

To me some form of 2FA is a must for my main email account. Once you have trusted your own computer and your phone you rarely have to actually use the 2FA yourself, but it does make it much harder for someone else to log into your account if somehow your password is stolen. That seems inevitable today, unfortunately. Personally, I'm not much worried about my passwords being cracked--but I have no control over how they are stored by the places I am logging in.

I only check my emails from my own computer, my tablet, and occasionally my family's computer when I pay them a visit. No cybercafes or computers at a workplace or so (not anymore).
In the past, when I used internet cafes during travels (I had no tablet yet), I Always erased browsing history prior to finishing my session.

2FA such as an SMS being sent with an access word in addition to my password would be nice, just like an overview of previous logs.

But my main concern regarding Yahoo would be how easy accounts can be broken into and how easy it is to crack passwords. If they're no more risky than other providers, that'd be my main worry being removed.

As for the somewhat silly domain, I get what you mean. Hence I'd probably use a Yahoo account mainly for private correspondence, for signing up with to forums or to social media such as Twitter and Instagram, ... but for sending a CV I'd probably use outlook.com or Gmail indeed.
Even though I must say that I have the impression that here in Europe, Yahoo isn't regarded as an unprofessional domain for email. It has been around for so long and has been used for so long, so people got accustomed to it. Bit like Hotmail sounding silly but being not frowned upon due to how popular and widely used it is. I do think Outlook and Gmail are more widely used in Europe too, but Yahoo is still used widely enough that the domain isn't frowned upon. In some cases people even like it because of the choice they (used to?) offer in terms of ccTLDs. For example if you're French speaking and want an .fr email address, yahoo.fr is likely to be amongst your preferable options.

janusz · 16 Mar 2018, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsunami

For example if you're French speaking and want an .fr email address, yahoo.fr is likely to be amongst your preferable options.

You can no longer create accounts with Yahoo domains other than "@yahoo.com"

TenFour · 16 Mar 2018, 05:19 AM

Quote:

I only check my emails from my own computer, my tablet, and occasionally my family's computer when I pay them a visit. No cybercafes or computers at a workplace or so (not anymore).
In the past, when I used internet cafes during travels (I had no tablet yet), I Always erased browsing history prior to finishing my session.

2FA such as an SMS being sent with an access word in addition to my password would be nice, just like an overview of previous logs.

Google has investigated this pretty extensively, and the most likely way to have your account broken into is by being tricked into revealing your password or by having your password stolen. If you don't reuse passwords, use reasonably strong ones, and are extremely careful about clicking on links in emails, etc., the chances are slim you will have a problem. "Cracking" passwords is getting easier to do, but is not typically done for a low-level target like most of us. It is a lot of effort to break into an email account that may not even be used for anything. 2FA is useful in that it could prevent someone from logging in if your password was stolen.

Tsunami · 16 Mar 2018, 05:22 AM

Wasn't there a massive hack into Yahoo accounts, or am I confusing with another provider that was victim of such event?

If it was Yahoo: is this any indication that Yahoo is still not very secure to use, or have they improved their security ever since?

14 Feb 2018, 05:13 AM	#1
FredOnline The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 2,616	The best email provider of 2018 http://www.techradar.com/news/best-email-provider Note to author of the article: MUST TRY HARDER

14 Feb 2018, 06:59 AM	#2
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,722	The article is OK as far as it goes. I do agree that Gmail is probably the "best" for most people, but there are many reasons someone might want to choose another based on what is desired. Here in the USA Gmail is so popular and widely used that I find when telling someone my email address they often assume that the part after the @ is gmail. You have to be careful to catch that.

15 Feb 2018, 12:40 AM	#3
Dutchie007 Essential Contributor Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 388	With all respect but an article which puts YAHOO at number 3 should NOT being taken too seriously. But it is good to see ZOHO there. my 2 cents. Dutchie.

15 Feb 2018, 02:34 PM	#4
LinuxArie Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 69	Missing : Mailbox.org Posteo.de Tutanota.com Mailfence.com GMX.com Yandex.com

18 Feb 2018, 09:46 PM	#5
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,341	Quoting the article: Zoho Workplace is a business-oriented email service which throws in an online office suite, document management, and a host of collaboration tools and other extras. Zoho's free plan supports up to 25 users (there's an extra 25 available if you can refer others to the service), each with 5GB of mailbox storage, and can be used with one domain of your own. These are features you'll normally only find in commercial products, and when you factor in the spreadsheet, word processor, presentation and other tools, it looks like a real bargain. I assume one can opt to not use those collaboration tools and only create 1 or 2 users for yourself? Something that (maybe wrongfully) scares me off in email providers is when it is part of a package focussed on sharing. I'd be somewhat afraid of other people being able to access my emails once there's a lot of sharing options. I like the, admitted, old-fashioned idea of a mailbox being just there for emails and entirely private, while using other ways to share documents or calendars etc. (there's plenty of services for that, and you can even share documents by... sending them in an email as attachment) Lots of services that are discussed on this forum and get good feedback seem to have a lot of extras on top of the email function. That scares me off a bit rather than coming across as a bonus. But then I'm used to good old webmail from the days Hotmail was still offering 2 MB inbox and you'd use separate tools to send a document to friends or colleagues... In email terms, I'm old fashioned

18 Feb 2018, 11:20 PM	#6
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,722	IMHO sharing issues are not really a problem with Gmail and Google Drive stuff. I don't use it a lot, but it is occasionally very useful to be able to share a doc via Drive and have two parties be able to work on it and update in near realtime. However, there is no reason one has to use those sharing options if you don't want to. With Gmail or Outlook.com it is still perfectly possibly to just attach something to an email and do it that way.

19 Feb 2018, 08:16 AM	#8
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,722	I haven't used Zoho enough to comment, though I did try it briefly. I wasn't convinced their deliverability, security, and reliability are good enough for my everyday use. I do think they offer a lot for the money though. As far as I can tell with file sharing on Gmail and Outlook.com there is no danger of anyone being able to access your email--only the files you are sharing. I understand the anxiety disorder as I assist someone who suffers from this. I have gradually shifted him to mainly using Gmail and Google Docs for everything as it is very secure and unlikely to go down or have major problems, and having his documents instantly saved at all times without him having to do anything means he isn't worried about files getting lost. The next step will be to move him to a Chromebook, which will avoid anxiety about updates not happening, and many other security issues. Frankly, I think a Chromebook and Gmail are the best solution for 90% of ordinary people with ordinary needs, and avoid a huge number of problems while also costing less than just about any other solution.

21 Feb 2018, 09:25 PM	#9
xenas Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 6	I don't think Yahoo deserves to be on this list. There's the annoying ad on the right side of the page and then the purple color is just too bright for the eyes! Moreover, the text size is too small and the whole layout just looks messy.

16 Mar 2018, 04:30 AM	#10
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,341	A friend of mine who uses Yahoo showed me the interface. I must say it's not as bad as I thought it'd be based on the descriptions. It's not as clean as Gmail and Outlook.com, but it's not messy neither. What matters to me when choosing an email provider is - the service being around for a long time to come (should be a given with Yahoo) - reliability and security - if possible I also like the logs of previous signin dates and times - 2FA is a bonus, not a must It seems Yahoo would fit that description, without saying it looks as tidy as Gmail or Outlook.com. But still, it seems to be OK to me. What worries me a bit is the "security" part though: I heard of stories of a large amount of Yahoo accounts being broken into. That of course is not what you want. I don't know if it was true and as bad as some made it sound, since I wasn't using Yahoo I didn't read in detail about this case. But obviously you prefer to create an email account that is unlikely to be broken into. That'd be my main concern when it comes to Yahoo (I also don't know if they keep logs of previous signins and if 2FA is possible) The interface itself didn't bother me that much, from the little peek this friend allowed me (and obviously I just stared at the interface without looking at the emails)

16 Mar 2018, 04:48 AM	#11
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,722	One issue that may not matter to you is that "Yahoo" doesn't strike most people as a very professional address, whereas Outlook.com and Gmail.com are pretty much accepted by everyone. I receive regular business correspondence from executives who use their Gmail address instead of their business domain email. That is totally accepted here in the USA and doesn't have any negative connotations for most people. To me some form of 2FA is a must for my main email account. Once you have trusted your own computer and your phone you rarely have to actually use the 2FA yourself, but it does make it much harder for someone else to log into your account if somehow your password is stolen. That seems inevitable today, unfortunately. Personally, I'm not much worried about my passwords being cracked--but I have no control over how they are stored by the places I am logging in.

16 Mar 2018, 05:22 AM	#15
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,341	Wasn't there a massive hack into Yahoo accounts, or am I confusing with another provider that was victim of such event? If it was Yahoo: is this any indication that Yahoo is still not very secure to use, or have they improved their security ever since?