CTemplar vs StartMail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CTemplar grades higher than StartMail: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CTemplar grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
StartMail
Paid private email from the Netherlands with unlimited aliases
Which one is for you
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 StartMail if
- Fits if you want a paid, ad-free mailbox hosted in the Netherlands
- Works for people who want a separate alias for every sign-up
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you won't give payment details for a trial, as it asks for a card or PayPal up front
- Skip it if you want an iPhone app today, because the iOS app is still listed as coming soon
- Too light for anyone who wants a calendar or file storage along with their email
- Tight if you need more than one custom domain on Personal, as unlimited domains need Business at $6.99
- Watch out: there's no desktop app, so outside Android you use the browser or set up IMAP yourself
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACTemplarFair | 1.8GPAStartMailWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPrime is $8 a month, about the middle of what email services charge. Higher tiers run to $50. | CPersonal is $4.99 a month billed annually ($59.88), or $6.99 monthly, for 20 GB, unlimited aliases and one custom domain. That's the ordinary band for this category, and dearer than other private mailboxes: Posteo and mailbox both start at €1 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan with 1 GB, 200 sent a day and 10 MB attachments, but it's by invitation and has no aliases or custom domains. | DNo free plan. There's a 7-day free trial, but a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up, so you hand over payment details before you've sent a single email. |
| Features | CEncrypted subject, body and attachments, self-destructing mail and aliases. The free plan lacks aliases and self-destruct, and the free tier leaves out the headline extras. | CUnlimited aliases, with burners that vanish after an hour, one-click PGP, password-protected mail for people without it, hidden external images and full IMAP with a migration tool. But its own feature list covers mail and contacts only, with no calendar and no file storage. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up a mailbox and decide what to encrypt, and the Monero payment goes through support. | CNo rating on record. Encrypting is one click and a migration tool brings your old mail and contacts over, but on anything but Android you're in the browser or setting up IMAP in another mail app yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android apps. No desktop app is released, with Linux, macOS and Windows builds only in testing. | CThe browser and an Android app, and that's the lot: no desktop app, and the iPhone app is still listed as coming soon. Full IMAP and SMTP access means Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail or K-9 Mail can fill the gap. |
| Best for | encrypted email hosted in Iceland | private email with an alias for every sign-up |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CTemplar and StartMail. How we grade
Price against what you get
CTemplar starts at $8 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. StartMail starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.0.
CTemplar scores higher, and starts $3.01 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, 27 score higher than CTemplar for less, and 42 score higher than StartMail for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- CTemplar is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- StartMail also covers inbox filtering.
At a glance
| CTemplar | StartMail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $8 per month | $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88) |
| Free plan | Free plan, by invitation: 1 GB storage, 200 sent emails a day, 10 MB attachments, no aliases and no custom domains. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial; a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Templar Software Systems | StartMail B.V. |
| Price read from | ctemplar.com | startmail.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
StartMail
- There is no free plan, and the 7-day trial asks for a credit card or PayPal account at sign-up.
- The only app is for Android; the iOS app is listed as coming soon. Elsewhere it runs in the browser or in other mail apps over IMAP.
- Personal accounts are limited to one custom domain; unlimited domains and shared aliases need the Business plan.
- The feature list covers email and contacts only and does not mention a calendar or file storage.
Key features
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.
StartMail
- Unlimited aliases
- Extra addresses can be created and deleted at any time, on the StartMail domain or your own, and one-click burner aliases disappear on their own after an hour.
- PGP encryption
- One click encrypts a message with PGP or adds a PGP signature, and an IMAP mail client can be set up for end-to-end encryption with OpenPGP.
- Password-protected email
- Encrypted messages can be sent to people who do not use encryption: the recipient reads and answers them with a password you set.
- Tracking and phishing protection
- External images are hidden by default to block tracking pixels, a warning shows the full address before an external link opens, and your IP address is kept out of sent mail.
- Custom domains and group subscriptions
- Personal accounts can use one custom domain and Business accounts any number. Extra accounts for family or team members are 25% off, and Business groups can share aliases.
- IMAP access and migration
- Full IMAP and SMTP access for Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail and similar apps, plus a migration tool that imports email and contacts from other providers.
Plans
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.
StartMail
Personal$4.99
per month, billed annually ($59.88); $6.99 billed monthly
An address on the StartMail domain or one custom domain, unlimited aliases and 20 GB of storage. Annual plans can be paid in Bitcoin.
Business$6.99
per month, billed annually ($83.88); $8.99 billed monthly
An address on your own domain, unlimited domains, 30 GB of storage and shared aliases on a custom domain within a group subscription.
Ways to pay less
CTemplar
No public discounts listed.
StartMail
- Annual discount
Save $24 a year with annual billing
Personal costs $59.88 a year ($4.99 a month) against $6.99 a month when billed monthly, and Business $83.88 a year against $8.99 a month. The pricing page puts the saving at $24.
- Other savings
25% off additional accounts
Any number of extra accounts for family members or colleagues can be added to a subscription as a group, each at 25% off the regular rate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CTemplar or StartMail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, StartMail is cheaper to start with: $4.99 a month, against $8 a month for CTemplar. CTemplar starts at $8 per month, and StartMail starts at $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88).
Which has a free plan, CTemplar or StartMail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CTemplar has a free plan. StartMail does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do CTemplar and StartMail run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only CTemplar lists an iOS app. Both list a web app and an Android app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.