StartMail vs Tuta Mail
We give StartMail a 2.6 GPA and Tuta Mail a 3.4, out of 4.0. Tuta Mail grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
StartMail
Paid private email from the Netherlands with unlimited aliases
Tuta Mail
End-to-end encrypted email and calendar from Germany
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAStartMailGood | 3.4GPATuta MailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AThe cheapest paid plan is €3 a month paid yearly, well under what paid email usually starts at, and it comes with 20 GB, 15 extra addresses and 3 custom domains. Legend is €8 with 500 GB. Prices are set in euros, so what you pay can shift a little with exchange rates. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BFree with end-to-end encryption, but it's a small box: 1 GB of storage, one calendar and 3 labels, with no inbox rules, offline support or schedule send. And a free account is deleted if you don't log in for more than six months. |
| Features | 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. | BMail, calendar and address book are all encrypted, you can send password-protected emails to people outside Tuta, and paid plans add inbox rules, offline mode and schedule send. But importing your existing mail is limited to Legend and the Unlimited business plan, and only works in the desktop clients. |
| Ease of use | 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. | A4.7 from about 3,700 App Store ratings. The encryption is on by default, and mail between Tuta users is encrypted automatically, so there's nothing to switch on. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, all open source. Every device is covered, but that's where it ends: no integrations are listed, and offline support is for paid plans. |
| Best for | private email with an alias for every sign-up | encrypted email and calendar on a budget |
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: StartMail and Tuta Mail. How we grade
Where they differ
- StartMail starts at $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88). Tuta Mail starts at €3 per month, paid yearly (lowest paid personal plan).
- Tuta Mail has a free plan. StartMail does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Tuta Mail lists Windows, macOS, Linux and iOS apps.
- Tuta Mail is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- StartMail also covers inbox filtering.
- Tuta Mail also covers calendar.
At a glance
| StartMail | Tuta Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88) | €3 per month, paid yearly (lowest paid personal plan) |
| Free plan | None | 1 GB of storage, one calendar and 3 labels, with end-to-end encryption. Free accounts are deleted after more than six months without a login. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial; a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | StartMail B.V. | Tutao GmbH |
| Price read from | startmail.com | tuta.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Tuta Mail
- People who want mail, calendar and contacts encrypted by default
- Using a custom domain with an encrypted mailbox
- Non-profits, schools and open source projects, which get discounts
Worth knowing
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.
Tuta Mail
- The Free plan stops at 1 GB, one calendar and 3 labels, and leaves out inbox rules, offline support and schedule send.
- Free accounts are deleted if you do not log in for more than six months.
- Prices are set in euros. Tuta notes that the final amount can vary with payment platform fees and exchange rates.
- Importing existing mail from EML or MBOX files is limited to Legend and the Unlimited business plan, and works only in the desktop clients.
Key features
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.
Tuta Mail
- End-to-end encryption by default
- All data in the mailbox is encrypted so that Tuta has no access to it, and mail between Tuta users is encrypted automatically. Tuta describes its encryption as quantum-safe.
- Password-protected emails
- Encrypted mail can be exchanged with people who do not use Tuta by agreeing on a shared password with the recipient.
- Encrypted calendar and contacts
- The calendar and address book are encrypted as well, down to contacts' email addresses and event notifications. Paid plans add calendar sharing and event invites.
- Custom domains and extra addresses
- The €3 plan includes 3 custom domains and 15 extra addresses, Legend 10 domains and 30 addresses. Paid plans also get catch-all and unlimited custom-domain addresses.
- Open-source apps on every platform
- The web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS clients are published on GitHub under GPLv3, and Tuta runs its own push notification service instead of Google's.
- Inbox rules, offline mode, schedule send
- Paid plans add unlimited inbox rules, search across the whole mailbox through an encrypted index, offline support, an autoresponder and scheduled sending.
Plans
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.
Tuta Mail
Free€0
1 GB of storage, one calendar and 3 labels. No extra addresses, custom domains, inbox rules, offline support or schedule send.
Revolutionary€3
per month, paid yearly (saves €7.20 a year over monthly)
20 GB of storage, 15 extra addresses, 3 custom domains, unlimited calendars and labels, inbox rules, offline support and email support.
Essential€6
per user / month, paid yearly, excluding taxes
Business plan with 50 GB of storage, 15 extra addresses and 3 custom domains per user.
Legend€8
per month, paid yearly (saves €19.20 a year over monthly)
500 GB of storage, 30 extra addresses, 10 custom domains, EML and MBOX email import and priority email support.
Advanced€8
per user / month, paid yearly, excluding taxes
Business plan with 500 GB of storage, 30 extra addresses and 10 custom domains per user, with priority email support.
Unlimited€12
per user / month, paid yearly, excluding taxes
Business plan with 1000 GB of storage, unlimited custom domains, email templates, custom branding and a login on your own website.
Ways to pay less
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.
Tuta Mail
- Annual discount
Lower price when paid yearly
The pricing page lists a yearly saving over monthly billing of €7.20 on the €3 personal plan and €19.20 on Legend. On the business plans the saving is €14.40 to €28.80 per user.
- Nonprofit
50% discount for non-profits
Registered non-profit organizations can apply for a 50% discount by contacting Tuta's sales team from the organization's email address with proof of their status.
- Education
50% discount for schools
Schools for general education can apply for the same 50% discount by sending a short description, a website link and proof of their status.
- Other savings
Free for open source projects
Open source teams can apply for a free version of Tuta by email from an official GitHub address or an address linked to the project's website.
