Runbox review (2026): is it worth €19.95 a year?
Norwegian paid email hosting with custom domains and no ads
Black Friday: is there a Runbox sale?
Runbox report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for paid email on your own domain
Runbox is paid email hosting from Norway, with your own domain and aliases from €19.95 a year. There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial, every plan caps you at 5,000 incoming and 500 outgoing messages a day, and it is a web service with no apps on the listing.
Who Runbox is for
- 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
Who Runbox is not for
- 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
Why Runbox gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyMicro 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.
- CFree plan and trialNo free plan. You get a 30-day trial with no card needed, then it is €19.95 a year at the least.
- CFeaturesOwn 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.
- CEase of useNo 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.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only on the listing, with standard mail protocols for other mail apps. No apps and no integrations are named.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Runbox's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/runbox#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/runbox.svg" alt="Runbox: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Runbox stands among email apps
Runbox's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 26 of the 70 other email apps we grade, and level with 12.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 51 of 70) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at about $1.86 a month, against a middle price of $4.92 for the category: 9 of the 56 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 13 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 71 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Runbox’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 51 of 70, level with 19
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 70, level with 42
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 70, level with 44
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 70, level with 48
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 70, level with 19
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 67 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 Runbox, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Runbox 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.
It costs $22.29 a year.
What you could make
- Calendar: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
What this rests on. Runbox’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 Runbox?
Runbox is a paid email service hosted in Norway. Plans differ by storage, number of domains and file space, and every plan offers webmail plus POP, IMAP, SMTP, CalDAV and CardDAV access. The company describes itself as independent and employee-owned, and says its servers run on renewable hydropower.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Runbox pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Runbox is a paid product with a free trial, starting at €19.95 per year (€49.95 for 3 years).
- Starts at
- €19.95 per year (€49.95 for 3 years)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | €19.95per year (€49.95 billed every 3 years) | 2 GB email storage, 200 MB file storage and 1 email domain. |
| Mini | €34.95per year (€84.95 billed every 3 years) | 10 GB email storage, 1 GB file storage and 5 email domains. |
| Medium | €49.95per year (€119.95 billed every 3 years) | 25 GB email storage, 2 GB file storage and 10 email domains. |
| Max | €79.95per year (€189.95 billed every 3 years) | 50 GB email storage, 5 GB file storage and 25 email domains. |
| Max100 | €119.95per year (€284.95 billed every 3 years) | 100 GB email storage, 10 GB file storage and 50 email domains. |
| Max250 | €179.95per year (€424.95 billed every 3 years) | 250 GB email storage, 25 GB file storage and 100 email domains. |
Read from runbox.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Runbox before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discount3-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.
Stated on runbox.com - Other savings60-day money-back guarantee
The homepage lists a 60-day full money-back guarantee on paid plans.
Stated on runbox.com
Runbox alternatives
- Runbox vs Fastmail
Free trial · from $3/mo
- Runbox vs Posteo
From €1/mo
- Runbox vs mailbox
Free trial · from €1/mo
- Runbox vs Mailfence
Free plan · from €2.50/mo
- Runbox vs StartMail
Free trial · from $4.99/mo
Common questions
Does Runbox have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Runbox is listed for Web.
Does Runbox have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Runbox is listed for Web.
Is Runbox open source?
Runbox is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.