CTemplar review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Encrypted, anonymous email hosted in Iceland
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CTemplar report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for encrypted email hosted in Iceland
CTemplar is encrypted email hosted in Iceland, with a free plan by invitation and paid plans from $8 a month. The free plan has no aliases or custom domains, and the encryption runs in your browser through JavaScript.
Who CTemplar is for
- Fits if you want an encrypted mailbox and will pay for a custom domain
- Works for people who want to sign up without handing over personal details
Who CTemplar is not for
- Skip it if you want open sign-up on the free plan, since it's invitation only
- Tight if you stay free: no aliases, no custom domains and no self-destructing mail
- Pricey if you need more than one domain, as Knight is $12 a month and Marshal $20
- Watch out: encryption runs in the browser with JavaScript, which the site says is required
- Watch out: desktop builds are only in testing
Why CTemplar gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyPrime is $8 a month, about the middle of what email services charge. Higher tiers run to $50.
- CFree plan and trialA free plan with 1 GB, 200 sent a day and 10 MB attachments, but it's by invitation and has no aliases or custom domains.
- CFeaturesEncrypted subject, body and attachments, self-destructing mail and aliases. The free plan lacks aliases and self-destruct, and the free tier leaves out the headline extras.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You set up a mailbox and decide what to encrypt, and the Monero payment goes through support.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android apps. No desktop app is released, with Linux, macOS and Windows builds only in testing.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from CTemplar's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make CTemplar? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/ctemplar#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/ctemplar.svg" alt="CTemplar: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where CTemplar stands among email apps
CTemplar's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 29 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 24.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 57 of 122) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $8 a month, against a middle price of $4.92 for the category: 50 of the 76 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 27 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 123 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. CTemplar’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 13 of 122, level with 53
- CFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 122, level with 59
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 122, level with 77
- CEase of useAbove 20 of 122, level with 73
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 57 of 122, level with 54
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 107 email apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep CTemplar, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace CTemplar you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 69 of the 122 other email apps grade higher. It costs $96 a year. CTemplar is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- End-to-end encryption done properly.
What this rests on. CTemplar’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is CTemplar?
CTemplar is a webmail service that encrypts messages in the browser with OpenPGP and says it cannot read what its users send. Accounts can be opened without a phone number or credit card. It sells five tiers, from an invitation-only free mailbox up to a 50 GB plan.
Worth knowing
- The free plan is by invitation, so it is not open sign-up, and it has no aliases and no self-destructing email.
- Encryption runs in the browser with JavaScript, which the site says is required.
- Monero payments are handled through support rather than automatically; Bitcoin and card payments are automatic.
- The vendor lists Linux, macOS and Windows desktop builds as being tested, not released, so only web, App Store and Google Play access is confirmed.
Key features
- Encrypted subject, body and attachments
- Messages are encrypted with OpenPGP.js in the browser, and the vendor says it does not hold the password to the private keys.
- Anonymous sign-up and IP stripping
- No phone number or credit card is needed to register, and the vendor says it replaces the sender's IP with its own on outgoing mail.
- Self-destructing and delayed messages
- Self-destruct, dead-man timer, delayed delivery and remote encrypted links are on every paid tier but not the free one.
- Aliases and custom domains
- Paid tiers add aliases and your own domains, with catch-all domains included from Prime.
- Published source code
- The vendor says its code is open on GitHub and that it publishes checksums so users can compare it with what the site serves.
CTemplar pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, CTemplar has a free plan, and paid plans start at $8 per month.
- Starts at
- $8 per month
- Free plan
- Free plan, by invitation: 1 GB storage, 200 sent emails a day, 10 MB attachments, no aliases and no custom domains.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Invitation only. 1 GB storage, 200 emails a day, 10 MB attachments, no aliases, no custom domains. |
| Prime | $8per month | 5 GB storage, 2,000 emails a day, 50 MB attachments, 10 aliases and 1 custom domain. |
| Knight | $12per month | 10 GB storage, 30 aliases and 5 custom domains. |
| Marshal | $20per month | 20 GB storage, 60 aliases and 10 custom domains. |
| Champion | $50per month | 50 GB storage, unlimited sending, 200 aliases, 100 custom domains and beta access. |
Read from ctemplar.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with CTemplar before you buy.
CTemplar alternatives
- CTemplar vs Proton Mail
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
- CTemplar vs Tuta Mail
Free plan · from €3/mo
- CTemplar vs Mailfence
Free plan · from €2.50/mo
- CTemplar vs StartMail
Free trial · from $4.99/mo
- CTemplar vs mailbox
Free trial · from €1/mo
Common questions
Does CTemplar have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. CTemplar is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does CTemplar have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. CTemplar is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is CTemplar open source?
Yes. CTemplar is open source, according to its own site.
Is CTemplar end-to-end encrypted?
CTemplar describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.