CTemplar vs mailbox (2026): which should you pick?

Pick CTemplar if

• Fits if you want an encrypted mailbox and will pay for a custom domain
• Works for people who want to sign up without handing over personal details

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want open sign-up on the free plan, since it's invitation only
• Tight if you stay free: no aliases, no custom domains and no self-destructing mail
• Pricey if you need more than one domain, as Knight is $12 a month and Marshal $20
• Watch out: encryption runs in the browser with JavaScript, which the site says is required
• Watch out: desktop builds are only in testing

Pick mailbox if

• Fits if you want paid, ad-free email with servers in Germany
• Works for families, as up to 10 mailboxes can share calendars, contacts and Drive storage

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free mailbox, because all you get free is a 30-day trial
• Tight if you pick Light, with 2 GB of mail storage, no Drive storage and support for contract questions only
• Not for you if you want the provider's own phone app, as mail runs in the browser or in other mail apps
• Watch out: Light must be paid a year in advance, and prices are in euros
• Pricey if you're a business, as the calculator adds a service package from €25 a month on top of each user

CTemplar

• The free plan is by invitation, so it is not open sign-up, and it has no aliases and no self-destructing email.
• Encryption runs in the browser with JavaScript, which the site says is required.
• Monero payments are handled through support rather than automatically; Bitcoin and card payments are automatic.
• The vendor lists Linux, macOS and Windows desktop builds as being tested, not released, so only web, App Store and Google Play access is confirmed.

mailbox

• There is no free plan; any plan can be tried free for 30 days.
• The €1 Light plan is paid a year in advance and has 2 GB of mail storage, no Drive storage and support limited to contract questions.
• There are no mailbox apps of its own for mail: it runs in the browser or in other mail apps, and file sync on phones uses the separate OX Drive app.
• Prices are in euros. Private prices include VAT, business prices are net, and the business calculator adds a service package from €25 a month.

CTemplar

Encrypted subject, body and attachments

Messages are encrypted with OpenPGP.js in the browser, and the vendor says it does not hold the password to the private keys.

Anonymous sign-up and IP stripping

No phone number or credit card is needed to register, and the vendor says it replaces the sender's IP with its own on outgoing mail.

Self-destructing and delayed messages

Self-destruct, dead-man timer, delayed delivery and remote encrypted links are on every paid tier but not the free one.

Aliases and custom domains

Paid tiers add aliases and your own domains, with catch-all domains included from Prime.

Published source code

The vendor says its code is open on GitHub and that it publishes checksums so users can compare it with what the site serves.

mailbox

Webmail with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP

Mail is read in the browser or in any mail app over IMAP, POP3 and SMTP. Standard and Premium add a tabbed inbox, email statistics and collection from external POP3 accounts.

PGP and S/MIME encryption

The Guard feature handles PGP and S/MIME inside webmail, and incoming mail can be kept in a PGP-encrypted inbox. Mailvelope and mailbox's own PGP key server are supported on every plan.

Aliases and custom domains

Light includes 3 @mailbox.org aliases, Standard and Premium 25. The two higher plans add custom domains with 50 or 250 aliases and 25 or 50 disposable addresses.

Drive cloud storage

10 GB on Standard and 100 GB on Premium, expandable for a fee, with password-protected download links that expire, WebDAV access and optional encryption with your own PGP key.

Office, calendar and contacts

Text documents, spreadsheets and presentations are edited in the browser on Standard and Premium. Calendar, contacts and tasks are on every plan and sync over CalDAV and CardDAV.

Meet video conferencing

Browser-based video meetings with breakout rooms, screen sharing, chat and surveys. Guests join from an invitation link without an account or an install.

CTemplar

• Free$0

  Invitation only. 1 GB storage, 200 emails a day, 10 MB attachments, no aliases, no custom domains.

• Prime$8

  per month

  5 GB storage, 2,000 emails a day, 50 MB attachments, 10 aliases and 1 custom domain.

• Knight$12

  per month

  10 GB storage, 30 aliases and 5 custom domains.

• Marshal$20

  per month

  20 GB storage, 60 aliases and 10 custom domains.

• Champion$50

  per month

  50 GB storage, unlimited sending, 200 aliases, 100 custom domains and beta access.

mailbox

• Light€1

  per month, annual payment only (€12 a year)

  2 GB of mail storage, 3 @mailbox.org aliases, calendar and address book. Support covers contract, credit balance and password reset questions only.

• Standard€3

  per month, paid annually (€36); €4 paid monthly

  20 GB of mail and 10 GB of Drive storage, 25 aliases, custom domains with 50 aliases, online document editing and family accounts.

• Premium€9

  per month, paid annually (€108); €12 paid monthly

  50 GB of mail and 100 GB of Drive storage, custom domains with 250 aliases, replies within 24 hours on business days and a phone callback service.

• Business€1 to €12

  per user / month, net, plus a service package

  Business Light, Standard and Premium accounts at €1, €4 and €12 a user, with a service package: Silver €25, Gold €75 or Platinum €250 a month.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For large companies with advanced requirements, quoted on request.

CTemplar

No public discounts listed.

mailbox

• Annual discount

  Save 25% when paying annually

  Standard costs €3 a month when paid annually (€36) against €4 paid monthly, and Premium €9 a month (€108) against €12. The prices page labels both as a 25% saving.