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

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

Pick Purelymail if

• Fits if you have a few domains and want one low flat fee for all of them
• Works for people who just want plain mailboxes

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you send marketing mail or newsletters, as the terms ban it and accounts may be removed without refund
• Tight if you send a lot, as sending is capped at about 3,000 external messages a day, and less on trials
• Watch out: there's no 24/7 support staff
• Watch out: some small mail servers may block its mail for a day or two

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.

Purelymail

• Marketing mail, mailing lists, spam and domain warm-up are banned by the terms, and accounts breaking them may be removed without refund.
• Sending is limited to roughly 3,000 external messages a day, and trial accounts have much lower sending limits.
• The vendor says it has no 24/7 support staff and that some small mail servers may block its mail for a day or two.
• It lists automatic alias generation as not yet supported, and says its own interface is not always intuitive.

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.

Purelymail

Unlimited custom domains and users

Any number of users on any number of your own domains at no extra charge, with routing rules and catch-alls.

Standard mail access

IMAP with IDLE, POP3 and SMTP work with third-party apps, and Roundcube webmail is provided.

Filters and spam control

Sieve filters or webmail rules, with SpamAssassin spam filtering that can learn.

Calendar, contacts and files over DAV

CalDAV, CardDAV and WebDAV give basic calendar, contact and file sync.

Encryption and 2FA

Mail is encrypted at rest, and you can set the account so the vendor cannot read it without your password. Two-factor sign-in is supported.

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.

Purelymail

• Simple pricing$10

  per year, for all users and domains on the account

  One flat fee with no hard limits on users, custom domains or storage; heavy use may be moved to advanced pricing.

• Advanced pricing$10

  one-time credit purchase at sign-up, then used as you go

  Pay per resource: $4 a year account fee, $0.56 per GB of storage a year, $0.23 per 1,000 emails sent externally.

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.

Purelymail

No public discounts listed.