Mailfence vs Riseup (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mailfence grades higher than Riseup: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mailfence grades higher on features and platforms. Riseup grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mailfence
Private email from Belgium with built-in OpenPGP encryption
Which one is for you
Pick Mailfence if
- Fits if you want OpenPGP encryption in the browser without installing a plug-in
- Works for people who already have PGP keys and want to import and manage them themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with 1 GB in all, 500 MB of it for email, and knowledge-base support only
- Skip it if you want every email encrypted without thinking, as you choose message by message
- Not for you if you're on Base and want your own domain or IMAP, which start at Entry
- Watch out: subscriptions aren't refunded, and billing is in euros
- Watch out: free accounts idle for 7 months are suspended and then deleted 5 months later
Pick Riseup if
- Fits if you do organising work and want an account that doesn't log your IP
- Works for people who already have an invite and want to skip ads and scanning
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to sign up without an invite, as you can't
- Tight if you hold lots of mail, with 1 GB, Trash emptied after 21 days and Spam after 7
- Not for you if you need end-to-end encryption by default, as you must add Mailvelope or OpenPGP
- Watch out: lose your password and your recovery code and the mail can't come back
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMailfenceGood | 2.4GPARiseupFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBase is €2.50 a month billed yearly for 11 GB and 10 aliases, and Entry is €3.50 with 40 GB, 2 custom domains and IMAP access. Both sit inside the lowest-priced quarter of this category, where the middle is $8. Billing is in euros and subscriptions aren't refunded. | BAccounts are free and the donate page asks $5 to $15 a month from those who can afford it. A donation isn't required. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere is a free plan, with encryption and both phone apps, but the caps bite: 1 GB in total, split into 500 MB of email and 500 MB of documents, support through the knowledge base only, and suspension after 7 months idle. | BA free account with 1 GB of storage that one person can live on, though you need an invite code to get one. |
| Features | BOpenPGP in the browser with a keystore to generate, import and export keys, password-locked messages for people without PGP, digital signatures, a shareable calendar, document storage with editing and contact groups. The private-mail job is covered without a plug-in. | CWebmail, IMAP and POP, mailing lists, a VPN and Tor services. No custom domains or calendars in the listing, and 1 GB is small. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Encryption needs no plug-in, but you're still managing keys in a keystore and deciding message by message what gets encrypted, since none of it is automatic. | CNo store rating on record. You need an invite code to sign up and you set up your own mail client. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with no desktop app of its own. From the Entry plan up it opens in Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail and eM Client over POP, IMAP, SMTP and ActiveSync; Base has none of that access, and the API comes with Mailfence for Business. | CA web service with IMAP and POP, plus Thunderbird, Mailvelope and Tor. No apps of its own. |
| Best for | PGP email without the plug-ins | free email for activists and organisers |
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: Mailfence and Riseup. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mailfence starts at about $2.79 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Riseup has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Mailfence scores higher, and starts $2.79 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Mailfence for less, and none scores higher than Riseup 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
- Mailfence is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Mailfence also covers calendar and documents.
- Riseup also covers vPN.
At a glance
| Mailfence | Riseup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | €2.50 per month, billed yearly (Base) | Free |
| Free plan | 1 GB in total (500 MB of email, 500 MB of documents) with encryption and the iOS and Android apps. Support is the knowledge base only, and inactive free accounts are suspended after 7 months. | Accounts are free; Riseup asks for voluntary donations and suggests $5 to $15 a month for people who can afford it. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ContactOffice Group SA | Riseup |
| Price read from | mailfence.com | riseup.net |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Riseup
- Accounts need an invite code, so you cannot simply sign up.
- Email storage is capped at 1 GB, and Trash and Spam folders are emptied after 21 and 7 days.
- Mail is not end-to-end encrypted unless you add Mailvelope or your own OpenPGP; a stolen password exposes all mail.
- A lost password with no recovery code means the account and its mail cannot be recovered.
Key features
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.
Riseup
- Individually encrypted mail storage
- Stored messages are encrypted and can only be unlocked with the user's password, so Riseup says it cannot read them.
- Hidden user ID and no IP logging
- The sender's account ID is hidden in outgoing mail, IP addresses are not put in headers, and the service says it does not log them.
- Webmail, IMAP and POP
- Read mail at mail.riseup.net or in a client such as Thunderbird over IMAP; POP lets you download and delete messages from the server.
- Tor onion services
- Every service has a Tor onion address, and mail to other activist providers can be delivered over Tor.
- Account tools
- Email aliases, filters, per-service passwords, a quota setting and a one-click data purge in the account system.
- Mailing lists and VPN
- The same group runs mailing lists, a VPN, a pad, file sharing and group wikis.
Plans
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.
Riseup
Riseup account$0
Free email with 1 GB of storage, funded by donations; the donate page suggests $5 to $15 a month for individuals who can.
Ways to pay less
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.
Riseup
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mailfence or Riseup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Riseup is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $2.79 a month for Mailfence. Mailfence starts at €2.50 per month, billed yearly (Base), and Riseup is free.
Which has a free plan, Mailfence or Riseup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Mailfence and Riseup have a free plan.
Which platforms do Mailfence and Riseup run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Mailfence lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web 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.