Mailfence vs Runbox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mailfence grades higher than Runbox: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mailfence grades higher on features and platforms. Runbox grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan 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
Runbox
Norwegian paid email hosting with custom domains and no ads
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 Runbox if
- Fits if you want a paid inbox on your own domain at under €20 a year
- Works for people who want mail kept in Norway and read through ordinary mail apps
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, because after 30 days it is €19.95 a year at the least
- Tight if you send in volume: 500 outgoing and 5,000 incoming messages a day on every plan
- Tight if you need space, as Micro is 2 GB of mail and 1 domain
- Watch out: prices are in euros, billed per year or per 3 years, with no monthly option
- Watch out: the homepage quotes a dollar price that does not match the pricing page
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMailfenceGood | 2.4GPARunboxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AMicro is €19.95 a year, about €1.66 a month, under 60% of the $3.99 the cheaper quarter of email tools starts at. Larger plans climb to €179.95 a year, and there is no monthly billing. |
| 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. | CNo free plan. You get a 30-day trial with no card needed, then it is €19.95 a year at the least. |
| 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. | COwn domains and aliases, open protocols, filters and folders. Every plan has daily limits of 5,000 incoming and 500 outgoing messages, and Micro holds 2 GB. |
| 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 point a domain at it and set up addresses and aliases, so there is some setting up before it works. |
| 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. | CWeb only on the listing, with standard mail protocols for other mail apps. No apps and no integrations are named. |
| Best for | PGP email without the plug-ins | paid email on your own domain |
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 Runbox. 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. Runbox starts at about $1.86 a month and scores 2.0.
Mailfence scores higher, and starts $0.93 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 13 score higher than Runbox 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 documents.
At a glance
| Mailfence | Runbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | €2.50 per month, billed yearly (Base) | €19.95 per year (€49.95 for 3 years) |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ContactOffice Group SA | Runbox |
| Price read from | mailfence.com | runbox.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Runbox
- Prices are listed in euros and billed per year or per 3 years; there is no monthly billing.
- There is no free plan; the first 30 days are a trial.
- Daily limits of 5,000 incoming and 500 outgoing messages apply on every plan.
- The homepage quotes a dollar price that does not match the euro prices on the pricing page.
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.
Runbox
- Own domains and aliases
- Each plan includes 100 aliases on Runbox domains and unlimited aliases on your own domains, with 1 to 100 domains depending on the plan.
- Open protocols
- Mail can be used through the web app or any client over POP, IMAP and SMTP, with contacts and calendar over CardDAV and CalDAV.
- Limits on every plan
- Messages up to 100 MB, 5,000 incoming and 500 outgoing messages a day on all plans, with two-factor authentication.
- Norwegian hosting
- Data is hosted in Norway under Norwegian privacy rules, on servers the company says run on hydropower.
- Filters and folders
- Messages can be consolidated from other accounts and filtered, and a calendar and contacts are included.
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.
Runbox
Micro€19.95
per year (€49.95 billed every 3 years)
2 GB email storage, 200 MB file storage and 1 email domain.
Mini€34.95
per year (€84.95 billed every 3 years)
10 GB email storage, 1 GB file storage and 5 email domains.
Medium€49.95
per year (€119.95 billed every 3 years)
25 GB email storage, 2 GB file storage and 10 email domains.
Max€79.95
per year (€189.95 billed every 3 years)
50 GB email storage, 5 GB file storage and 25 email domains.
Max100€119.95
per year (€284.95 billed every 3 years)
100 GB email storage, 10 GB file storage and 50 email domains.
Max250€179.95
per year (€424.95 billed every 3 years)
250 GB email storage, 25 GB file storage and 100 email domains.
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.
Runbox
- Annual discount
3-year plans cost less per year
Paying for 3 years at once costs less than three single years: for Micro €49.95 instead of €59.85 and for Max €189.95 instead of €239.85.
- Other savings
60-day money-back guarantee
The homepage lists a 60-day full money-back guarantee on paid plans.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mailfence or Runbox?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Runbox is cheaper to start with: about $1.86 a month, against about $2.79 a month for Mailfence. Mailfence starts at €2.50 per month, billed yearly (Base), and Runbox starts at €19.95 per year (€49.95 for 3 years).
Which has a free plan, Mailfence or Runbox?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Mailfence has a free plan. Runbox does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Mailfence and Runbox run on?
As of Nov 12, 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.