mailbox vs Mailfence

mailbox

• People who want paid, ad-free email hosted in Germany
• PGP or S/MIME users who want encryption inside webmail
• Families: up to 10 mailboxes can share calendars, contacts and Drive storage
• Small businesses wanting mail, files and video calls from one European provider

Mailfence

• People who want OpenPGP encryption without installing a plug-in
• PGP users who want to import and manage their own keys
• Trying a private mailbox on a free plan before paying

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.