Gmail is synonymous with e-mailing, just like Xerox is for photocopying and iPods for personal media players. The easy-to-use interface, large storage space, and easy accessibility on phones has made it the most used e-mail service in the world. But, because the service is cloud based, there has been suspicion of Google using user information to promote advertisements and services.

Let’s have a look at:

10 Best Google Gmail Alternatives:

1. Hushmail: If you are someone who is not pleased with web providers, e-mail providers or any ‘nosey Joe’ reading your e-mails, Hushmail is for you! Hushmail users can send encrypted e-mails to others, which can be decrypted only after entering a password. The web based service can be accessed using a PC or phone, and is one of the best encrypted e-mail services or gmail alternative.

2. Inbox.com: With a smooth and easy-to-use interface, Inbox.com makes a great Gmail alternative and one of the best free e-mail services out there. Users get 5GB of storage space, games, inbox themes, strong spam protection and 50MB attachment limit, which is twice that of Gmail.

Inbox.com also has other features like notes, reminders, calendar, and an organizer to organize photos, to-do lists and more.

3. Zoho Mail: Zoho Mail is a much used e-mail service by businesses and business users thanks to its clean and simple interface, which is ad-free! This Gmail alternative e-mail service is easy to set-up and syncs with contacts, tasks, calendar and documents quite easily.

The interface is clutter-free and does not have any ads which makes for easy viewing. The e-mail service allows 5 users with 5GB storage for each user to be hosted on one domain.

4. Yandex: Yandex, Russia’s answer to Google is the largest search engine in Russia. Yandex’s e-mail service, another great gmail alternative, has a classier and modern interface compared to Google gmail, has no advertisements, and also gives users a free mail address!

Yandex mail users are provided 10GB of free storage space and an extra 1GB of space. As you use the service you can get more storage space! Another useful feature in Yandex, and one that Gmail doesn’t currently offer, is reading RSS feeds on the Yandex interface by simply importing RSS.

5. Opera: Opera’s small and fast e-mail service is a secure e-mail client which is available on PC as well as mobile. Opera lets users access IMAP and POP accounts, RSS feeds; RSS feeds lets users read websites on their browser window. Opera Mail is perfect for users who require a simple and efficient e-mail service, in other words, another beautiful gmail alternative.

6. Mail.com: Mail.com is a unique e-mail service which offers users to select from 200 different domains, for free! If you’re a tech guy, you could choose a tech related address like david@techie.com, or if you are a guitar teacher, choose one related to music!

Mail.com also offers users unlimited email storage, 50MB limit on attachments and strong spam filters!

7. iCloud Mail: It may not get the attention that Apple’s other products get, but the iCloud e-mail client is a stable and smooth service. The iCloud Mail is ad-free and has a clean and stylish interface. iCloud users get 5GB storage space and 20MB limit on file uploads. The service syncs with Apple devices flawlessly and is an excellent option for Apple users.

8. AOL Mail: With a host of useful features like unlimited storage space, choice of several e-mail address domains and syncing with AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Mail is a brilliant Gmail alternative.

AOL Mail, which has been present for several years, has a much improved free e-mail service with features like messaging sending to phones, and strong virus and spam control.

9. Tutanota: Tutanota, a German e-mail service, is an open source Gmail alternative which provides users end-to-end e-mail encryption. With a simple interface, choice of 5 domain names and 1GB of free storage space, Tutanota is a good option for those seeking a free, open source, secure e-mail service. E-mails, attachments and contacts are all encrypted to keep your data secure!  

10. FastMail: Uncluttered, simple and stacked with features, FastMail is a reliable, ad-free gmail alternative e-mail service with customisable anti-spam filters. Users can sync e-mails easily with the Calendar application and has a security feature where it generates a security key to ensure that messages are not datamined. FastMail has an intuitive UI and neat organising functions like pinning important mails to the top.

Gmail is still the King of E-mail, but if you are wary about the security threat and irked by the numerous ads that show up on your e-mail, there are several other Gmail alternatives to choose from!