mailbox vs StartMail
We give mailbox a 3.2 GPA and StartMail a 2.6, out of 4.0. mailbox grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
mailbox
Paid, ad-free email with cloud storage and office tools from Germany
StartMail
Paid private email from the Netherlands with unlimited aliases
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAmailboxVery good | 2.6GPAStartMailGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ALight is €1 a month, paid as €12 a year, where the middle for email tools here is about $9 a month. Standard is €3 a month paid annually and adds 20 GB of mail, 10 GB of Drive storage, custom domains and online document editing. Hard to argue with. Prices are in euros. | BPersonal is $4.99 a month billed annually ($59.88), or $6.99 monthly, for 20 GB, unlimited aliases and one custom domain. That's under the $9 that's typical for email tools here, and fair. It's no bargain next to other private mailboxes, though. Posteo and mailbox both start at €1 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, which is the deal with a service that carries no advertising. Any plan can be tried free for 30 days. Our listing doesn't say whether the trial asks for payment details. | 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 | AWebmail with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP, PGP and S/MIME handled inside the webmail, aliases, and calendar, contacts and tasks on every plan. Standard and Premium add custom domains, Drive storage and an office suite in the browser. There's even video conferencing with breakout rooms. That's email and then some. | BUnlimited aliases, with burner ones that disappear after an hour. One-click PGP, password-protected messages for people who don't use encryption, and external images hidden by default to block tracking pixels. But the feature list covers email and contacts only, with no mention of a calendar or file storage. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. The webmail runs in any browser. Beyond that you set up another mail app over IMAP yourself, and on Light, support only covers contract, credit balance and password reset questions. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. Encrypting a message is one click, and a migration tool imports email and contacts from your old provider. Setting up another mail app over IMAP is down to you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt runs in the browser, and mailbox has no mail apps of its own. But it speaks IMAP, POP3 and SMTP, so other mail apps can connect, and calendars and contacts sync over CalDAV and CardDAV. File sync on phones uses the separate OX Drive app. | BThe web and an Android app. The iOS app is listed as coming soon, so on an iPhone it's the browser or another mail app. It does give full IMAP and SMTP access for Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail and K-9 Mail. |
| Best for | cheap, ad-free email hosted in Germany | 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: mailbox and StartMail. How we grade
Where they differ
- mailbox starts at €1 per month, annual payment only (€12 a year, Light). StartMail starts at $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88).
- Only StartMail lists an Android app.
- mailbox is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- mailbox also covers tasks, calendar, documents, video calls and file sync.
- StartMail also covers inbox filtering.
At a glance
| mailbox | StartMail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | €1 per month, annual payment only (€12 a year, Light) | $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of any plan | 7-day free trial; a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up |
| Web | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Heinlein Hosting GmbH | StartMail B.V. |
| Price read from | mailbox.org | startmail.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
StartMail
- People who want a paid, ad-free mailbox hosted in the Netherlands
- Using a separate alias for every sign-up to limit spam
- Sending encrypted mail to people who do not use PGP themselves
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
