CTemplar vs Mailfence (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 Mailfence if

• Fits if you want OpenPGP encryption in the browser without installing a plug-in
• Works for people who already have PGP keys and want to import and manage them themselves

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay free, with 1 GB in all, 500 MB of it for email, and knowledge-base support only
• Skip it if you want every email encrypted without thinking, as you choose message by message
• Not for you if you're on Base and want your own domain or IMAP, which start at Entry
• Watch out: subscriptions aren't refunded, and billing is in euros
• Watch out: free accounts idle for 7 months are suspended and then deleted 5 months later

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.

Mailfence

• The free plan stops at 1 GB, and free accounts are suspended after 7 months of inactivity and deleted 5 months later.
• Custom domains and POP, IMAP, SMTP and ActiveSync access start at the Entry plan; the Base plan has neither.
• End-to-end encryption is applied message by message: you choose which emails to encrypt.
• Mailfence bills in euros, the dollar figures its pricing table can show are a conversion, and subscriptions are not refunded.

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.

Mailfence

OpenPGP end-to-end encryption

Messages are encrypted in the browser with OpenPGP, so they work with any other OpenPGP service and need no plug-in or add-on. You choose which emails to encrypt.

Integrated keystore

Generate, import, publish and export OpenPGP keys inside the account, including several key pairs, and take your keys with you if you move to another service.

Password-encrypted messages

A password agreed with the recipient encrypts the message, so people who do not use PGP keys can still read it through a link to Mailfence's servers.

Digital signatures

Emails can be signed digitally so the recipient can check that a message really came from you and was not altered on the way.

Calendar, documents and groups

The suite adds a calendar that can be shared, document storage with online editing and one-click sharing, and groups for sharing contacts and data.

Aliases, domains and mail apps

Paid plans include 10 to 200 aliases. Custom domains with DKIM, SPF and DMARC, and POP, IMAP, SMTP and ActiveSync access, start at the Entry plan.

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.

Mailfence

• Free€0

  1 GB: 500 MB of email and 500 MB of documents, with encryption and the mobile apps. Support through the knowledge base only.

• Base€2.50

  per month, billed yearly

  11 GB: 5 GB of email and 6 GB of documents, 10 aliases and support by email.

• Entry€3.50

  per month, billed yearly

  40 GB: 10 GB of email and 30 GB of documents, 50 aliases, 2 custom domains, POP, IMAP, SMTP and ActiveSync access, and user management.

• Pro€9.50

  per month, billed half-yearly

  78 GB: 30 GB of email and 48 GB of documents, 100 aliases, 7 custom domains and priority support by email and phone.

• Ultra€29

  per month, billed monthly

  225 GB: 60 GB of email and 165 GB of documents, 200 aliases, 10 custom domains and priority support by email and phone.

• Mailfence for BusinessCustom

  A customized version with your own domains and branding, a control panel and API, and single sign-on, hosted by Mailfence or on your own servers.

CTemplar

No public discounts listed.

Mailfence

• Other savings

  Discounts for multi-year subscriptions

  The knowledge base lists 15% off for a 3-year subscription, 20% for 5 years and 35% for 10 years, arranged by emailing support after upgrading for a single period.

• Nonprofit

  Discount for non-profit organizations

  Non-profits and organizations that fight for a cause can ask support for a discount. Its size depends on the number of accounts requested and is not published.