Gmail vs GMX Mail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Gmail: it is second in our ranking of email apps, though GMX Mail grades higher (3.2 against 3.0) on value for money and the free plan.
Checked Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Gmail grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Gmail
Google's email service, free for personal use with 15 GB of storage
Which one is for you
Pick Gmail if
- Fits if you want a free address with 15 GB and can put up with ads
- Works for people whose calendar, files and video calls are already with Google
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if ads in your inbox would bother you, since free accounts may show them
- Not for you if you want a mail app on your Mac or PC, because there isn't one, only a browser tab
- Tight if your phone backs up photos to Google, as they share the 15 GB, and a full account can stop mail
- Pricey if all you want is an address at your own domain, which means a $7 Workspace plan with apps you may not use
- Watch out: Gemini inbox search needs a paid Google AI plan, and the Workspace trial wants billing details first
Pick GMX Mail if
- Fits if you want a free second mailbox with lots of storage
- Works for people who want aliases and PGP encryption without paying
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: signup asks for your gender, date of birth and a recovery phone or email, and ends with a captcha
- Skip it if you want a custom domain, as the pages read don't mention one
- Not for you if you want a desktop email app, as only Android, iOS and iPadOS apps are listed
- Watch out: the pages read list no paid plan or support tier
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAGmailVery good | 3.2GPAGMX MailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBusiness email starts at $7 a person a month on a one-year deal, or $8.40 without one, mid-range for this category, and buys the whole of Workspace whether you want Meet and Docs or not. 30 GB each on that plan, and 2 TB means $14. For the email alone, Zoho Mail starts at $1. | AFree, with 65GB of storage, 50MB attachments and up to 10 aliases. The pages read list no paid plan. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for good, with 15 GB, the spam filter, offline mail and both phone apps. What keeps it off the top mark: the 15 GB is shared with Drive and Photos, so it does fill up, and a free account may show ads. | AFree outright, with no paid plan on the pages read. |
| Features | BSpam blocking Google puts at 99.9%, tabs that sort your mail, suggested replies, nudges, undo send, Confidential Mode and offline mail, with Gemini drafting replies and summing up threads. The AI is the held-back bit, as searching a personal inbox with Gemini needs a paid Google AI plan. | BMailbox and attachments, aliases, a Mail Collector, filters, spam protection, PGP encryption, an organiser, contacts and office tools. The pages show no gap in the core email work. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 2.4 million App Store ratings. Sign in with a Google Account and the inbox is ready, on the web and on your phone. Long-time users do grumble when an update moves things around. | CNo store rating on record. You sign up with personal details, then set up filters and the Mail Collector yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA browser, iPhone and Android, and that's it for Google's own apps. No Mac or Windows app. It does work inside Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird, though, and there's an API if you like building your own tools. | BWeb, iOS, Android and browser extensions. No desktop email app is mentioned and no API is listed. |
| Best for | free email that ties into the rest of Google | a free mailbox with 65GB |
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: Gmail and GMX Mail. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gmail starts at $7 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. GMX Mail has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Gmail scores higher, and starts $7 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than Gmail for less, and none scores higher than GMX Mail 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
- GMX Mail also covers calendar.
At a glance
| Gmail | GMX Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter) | Free |
| Free plan | Free with a personal Google Account: 15 GB of storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. Free accounts may show ads, and asking Gemini to search the inbox needs a Google AI Pro or Ultra plan. | Free email account with 65GB of mailbox storage, 50MB attachments and up to 10 alias addresses. |
| Free trial | 14-day Google Workspace trial for new customers, limited to 10 users; billing details required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH | |
| Price read from | workspace.google.com | gmx.com |
| Checked | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Gmail
- Business email is only sold as part of Google Workspace, which also includes Calendar, Drive, Meet and Docs.
- The free 15 GB is shared with Drive and Photos. More space is a paid add-on: the US App Store listing shows 100 GB at $1.99 and 200 GB at $2.99, with no billing period given.
- Free accounts may show ads, though Google says it does not use Gmail content to personalize them.
- No desktop app is listed: Gmail runs in a browser and as Android and iOS apps, or through another mail client.
GMX Mail
- Signup asks for gender, date of birth and a recovery phone or email, and ends with a captcha.
- The pages read list no paid plan, so features such as a custom domain are not mentioned.
- Apps are listed for Android, iOS and iPadOS only; no desktop email app is mentioned.
Key features
Gmail
- Spam, phishing and malware blocking
- Google says Gmail automatically blocks 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts and malware, and flags a suspicious message that could still be legitimate.
- Gemini in Gmail
- Drafts and polishes replies and summarizes long threads. Asking Gemini to search a personal inbox needs Google AI Pro or Ultra; Google's AI plans page also lists Gemini in Gmail under the cheaper Google AI Plus.
- Smart Compose, Smart Reply and Nudges
- Suggests replies and sentence completions as you type, and reminds you to answer or follow up on messages you have not dealt with.
- Confidential Mode
- Set an expiry date on a message, require the recipient to verify by text, and remove the options to forward, copy, download or print it.
- Custom domain email and mail merge
- Workspace puts addresses on your own domain, with up to 30 aliases per user. Mail merge, from Business Standard, takes up to 1,500 recipients from a linked spreadsheet.
- Offline mail and other clients
- Gmail offline lets you read, reply to, delete and search messages without a connection. Accounts also work in Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird.
GMX Mail
- Mailbox and attachments
- 65GB of mailbox space, which the site equates to about 500,000 emails, and attachments of up to 50MB.
- Alias addresses
- Create up to 10 alias addresses and manage them from one central mailbox.
- Mail Collector
- Pull mail from accounts at other providers into one GMX inbox.
- Filters and spam protection
- Folders and filter rules, with templates provided, a spam filter and virus scanning.
- PGP encryption
- Emails can be encrypted with PGP so only the people holding the decryption key can read them.
- Organizer, contacts and office
- A calendar with reminders, an address book and an online office for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
Plans
Gmail
Personal Google Account$0
Gmail for personal use with 15 GB of storage shared with Drive and Photos. No address at your own domain, and the account may show ads.
Business Starter$7
per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)
Google Workspace with email at your own domain, 30 GB of pooled storage per user and the Gemini assistant in Gmail.
Business Standard$14
per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)
2 TB of pooled storage per user, plus custom email layouts, mail merge and Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more.
Business Plus$22
per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)
5 TB of pooled storage per user, with Google Vault for retention and eDiscovery and advanced endpoint management.
EnterpriseCustom
No user limit, where the Business editions stop at 300. Adds S/MIME encryption and data loss prevention; priced through Google sales.
GMX Mail
Free$0
65GB of email storage, 50MB attachments, up to 10 aliases, spam filter and virus protection.
Ways to pay less
Gmail
- Annual discount
Lower rate with a 1-year commitment
Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan versus $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.
- Other savings
Introductory discount for the first 3 months
The US pricing page gives new Workspace customers up to 50% off their first 3 months. Read on 10 October 2026 it showed 30% off Starter and Standard and 50% off Plus; the split has differed between readings.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On 10 October 2026 the pricing page showed Starter at ₹270 per user a month to a reader in India, against $7 on the US page. Google's help center says it sometimes offers country-based discounts.
- Nonprofit
Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0
Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.
- Education
Education Fundamentals at no charge
Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available at no charge to qualifying institutions. Education Plus is a paid edition.
GMX Mail
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Gmail or GMX Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, GMX Mail is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7 a month for each person for Gmail. Gmail starts at $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter), and GMX Mail is free.
Which has a free plan, Gmail or GMX Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Gmail and GMX Mail have a free plan.
Which platforms do Gmail and GMX Mail run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only GMX Mail lists a browser extension. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. 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.