The Posteo Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Posteo in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Posteo
The Insider’s Guide
Ad-free, green-powered email from Berlin for €1 a month
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from Posteo’s own pages.
Made by Posteo e.K. · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Posteo’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Posteo’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 2 of the 51 other email apps we grade
Posteo is a paid email service from Berlin that has charged €1 a month since 2009, with no free tier, no pricing tiers and no trial account. The account includes 4 GB of mail storage, calendars, an address book and notes, and it can be opened without giving any personal details. Posteo runs on green energy, shows no ads and lets users encrypt everything they store, but it does not support custom domains.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Posteo, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for a private mailbox for €1 a month
Posteo is a prepaid mailbox that has charged €1 a month since 2009, with no ads and no name or address needed to sign up.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $1.12 a month
As its pricing page puts it: €1 per month, prepaid (minimum top-up €12).
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
One flat-priced account
€1 a month covers email with 4 GB of storage, 3 aliases, 3 calendars, an address book and notes. Storage can grow to 75 GB and aliases to 25 for small monthly add-on fees.
- 5
Encryption of stored data
Crypto mail storage encrypts saved email, attachments, metadata and notes, and the address book and calendar can each be encrypted with your own password at the press of a button.
- 6
End-to-end encryption in webmail
PGP through the Mailvelope plug-in and S/MIME through Posteo's own plug-in work inside the webmail interface, and incoming mail can be encrypted with either.
- 7
A 2.0 GPA, above 2 of 51
That is against the other email apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Posteo 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.
Posteo at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from €1 per month, prepaid (minimum top-up €12)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Posteo e.K., since 2009
- Category
- Email Apps
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for a private mailbox for €1 a month
Posteo is a prepaid mailbox that has charged €1 a month since 2009, with no ads and no name or address needed to sign up. You can't use your own domain, there's no cloud storage and storage starts at 4 GB. There's no free plan or trial account, the minimum top-up is €12, and it has no phone or desktop app of its own, so outside webmail you set up IMAP yourself.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | €1 a month, prepaid, for 4 GB of storage, 3 aliases, 3 calendars, an address book and notes, where this category's middle is $8 and its cheapest quarter starts at $4. Extra storage is €0.25 per GB a month, and the minimum top-up is €12, about a year's fees. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing is free. There's no free plan and no trial account, so you pay before you see the inbox. Credit is refunded in full if you cancel within the first month, but a refund isn't a trial. |
| Features | C | The private basics: everything you store can be encrypted, PGP and S/MIME work in webmail through plug-ins, calendars and contacts sync over CalDAV and CardDAV, and login takes passkeys. The gaps are its own, though: no custom domains at all, no cloud storage, and 4 GB to start. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. One account at one price means nothing to choose and no name or address to hand over, but PGP in webmail means installing the Mailvelope plug-in, and using your own mail app means setting up IMAP yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Webmail and a web app, and no phone or desktop app of its own on record. It does open in Thunderbird or Outlook over IMAP and POP3, with CalDAV and CardDAV for calendars and contacts and notes that sync with Apple Notes. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Posteo is for
- Fits if you want an ad-free mailbox that you pay €1 a month for directly
- Works for people who'd rather sign up without a name, address or phone number
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want email at your own domain, because custom domains are not supported
- Not for you if you like to try before you pay, as there's no free plan and no trial account
- Too light for anyone who wants cloud storage with their mailbox, since Posteo offers none
- Watch out: you prepay in euros with a €12 minimum top-up, and extra storage is €0.25 per GB a month
- Tight if you want an app of its own: there's no phone or desktop app, so you set up IMAP yourself
Good to know
Good for
- People who want a low-cost, ad-free mailbox they pay for directly
- Signing up without handing over a name, address or phone number
- Buyers who care about green energy and a company financed only by its users
Worth knowing
- Custom domains are not supported; addresses use Posteo's own domains such as posteo.de, posteo.net or posteo.com.
- There is no free plan and no trial account, though credit is refunded in full if you cancel within the first month.
- Payment is prepaid in euros, with a minimum top-up of €12, which is about one year's fees.
- It is used through webmail and a web app or through other mail apps over IMAP or POP3, and it offers no cloud storage.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$1.12
A month to start
Posteo is a paid product, starting at €1 per month, prepaid (minimum top-up €12).
There's no free plan and no trial account, so you pay before you see the inbox.
Email account
€1
per month, prepaid from account credit
4 GB of storage, 3 aliases, 3 calendars, address book and notes. Extra storage costs €0.25 per GB a month and extra aliases or calendars €0.10 each.
Read from posteo.de on Oct 6, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Ad-free, green-powered email from Berlin for €1 a month. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, end-to-end encrypted, notes, calendar, email client.
Webmail and a web app, and no phone or desktop app of its own on record.
- One flat-priced account
- €1 a month covers email with 4 GB of storage, 3 aliases, 3 calendars, an address book and notes. Storage can grow to 75 GB and aliases to 25 for small monthly add-on fees.
- Encryption of stored data
- Crypto mail storage encrypts saved email, attachments, metadata and notes, and the address book and calendar can each be encrypted with your own password at the press of a button.
- End-to-end encryption in webmail
- PGP through the Mailvelope plug-in and S/MIME through Posteo's own plug-in work inside the webmail interface, and incoming mail can be encrypted with either.
- Sign-up without personal details
- Registration asks for no name or address, payment data is kept separate from email accounts, and credit can be added by bank transfer, PayPal, credit card or cash.
- Calendar, contacts and notes
- Calendars sync over CalDAV and can be shared read-only by ICS link, contacts sync over CardDAV, and notes can be synchronized with Apple Notes.
- Passkeys and login protection
- Login supports two-factor authentication (TOTP), up to 5 passkeys and up to 5 app passwords. An extra protection mode blocks access from external programs over IMAP.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Mailvelope
- Apple Notes
- Thunderbird
- Outlook
Posteo is made by Posteo e.K., and has been around since 2009.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
2/51
Other email apps it is graded above
Posteo's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 6.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 41 of 51) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at about $1.12 a month, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 3 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 6 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 52 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Posteo’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 41 of 51
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 51
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 51
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 51
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 4 of 51
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 50 email apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Posteo is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Posteo 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: 43 of the 51 other email apps grade higher. It costs $13.45 a year. Posteo is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Calendar and notes: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- End-to-end encryption done properly.
What this rests on. Posteo’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
mailbox, Tuta Mail, Proton Mail, StartMail and Mailfence
The 5 tools Posteo is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
mailbox
Free trial · from €1/mo
Paid, ad-free email with cloud storage and office tools from Germany.
- Posteo is open source, according to its own site.
- Posteo also covers notes.
- mailbox also covers tasks, documents, video calls and file sync.
- 2.8GPA
Tuta Mail
Free plan · from €3/mo
End-to-end encrypted email and calendar from Germany.
- Tuta Mail has a free plan. Posteo does not.
- Only Tuta Mail lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Posteo also covers notes.
- 3.0GPA
Proton Mail
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
End-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland.
- Proton Mail has a free plan. Posteo does not.
- Only Proton Mail lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Posteo also covers notes.
- 1.8GPA
StartMail
Free trial · from $4.99/mo
Paid private email from the Netherlands with unlimited aliases.
- Only StartMail lists an Android app.
- Posteo is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Posteo also covers notes and calendar.
- 2.6GPA
Mailfence
Free plan · from €2.50/mo
Private email from Belgium with built-in OpenPGP encryption.
- Mailfence has a free plan. Posteo does not.
- Only Mailfence lists iOS and Android apps.
- Posteo is open source, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Posteo free?
No. Posteo is a paid product, starting at €1 per month, prepaid (minimum top-up €12).
How much does Posteo cost?
Posteo lists one plan. Email account: €1 per month, prepaid from account credit.
What platforms does Posteo work on?
Posteo is available on Web.
Does Posteo have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Posteo is listed for Web.
Does Posteo have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Posteo is listed for Web.
Is Posteo open source?
Yes. Posteo is open source, according to its own site.
Is Posteo end-to-end encrypted?
Posteo describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.
What does Posteo integrate with?
Posteo's listing names Mailvelope, Apple Notes, Thunderbird and Outlook.
Who makes Posteo?
Posteo is made by Posteo e.K. It dates from 2009.
What are the alternatives to Posteo?
The closest alternatives to Posteo in our directory are mailbox, Tuta Mail, Proton Mail, StartMail and Mailfence.
How does Posteo compare with other email apps?
Posteo's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 6.
Is Posteo good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Posteo A for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $1.12 a month, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 3 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Posteo?
To replace Posteo you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Posteo’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Posteo's own pages on 6 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-06.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Posteo e.K. Prices change, so check posteo.de before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Posteo, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/posteo
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Posteo: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/posteo
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/posteo/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after Posteo, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 52 email apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft Outlook Insider's GuideMicrosoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web3.6 GPA
- BlueMail Insider's GuideCross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI3.2 GPA
- Thunderbird Insider's GuideFree, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Posteo’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Posteo is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Posteo e.K. Prices and plans change: check posteo.de before you buy.