The StartMail Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about StartMail 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.
StartMail
The Insider’s Guide
Paid private email from the Netherlands with unlimited aliases
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from StartMail’s own pages.
Made by StartMail B.V. · 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 StartMail’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on StartMail’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
1.8
GPA, above 0 of the 51 other email apps we grade
StartMail is a paid email service based in the Netherlands, launched in 2013 by the founders of the Startpage search engine. It shows no ads and does not track or profile its users, and every account gets unlimited disposable aliases, one-click PGP encryption and password-protected messages for recipients who do not use encryption. There is no free plan; Personal and Business accounts both start with a 7-day trial.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about StartMail, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for private email with an alias for every sign-up
The only app is for Android, with iPhone listed as coming soon, and there's no calendar or file storage.
- 2
Paid plans start at $4.99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88).
- 3
You can try it first
7-day free trial; a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
Web and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 1.8 GPA, above 0 of 51
That is against the other email apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace StartMail 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.
StartMail at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7-day free trial; a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up
- Runs on
- Web, Android
- Made by
- StartMail B.V., since 2013
- Category
- Email Apps
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for private email with an alias for every sign-up
StartMail is paid, ad-free email from the Netherlands, started by the founders of the Startpage search engine, with unlimited aliases, burner ones that vanish after an hour, and one-click PGP. There's no free plan, and the 7-day trial asks for a card or PayPal. The only app is for Android, with iPhone listed as coming soon, and there's no calendar or file storage.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Personal is $4.99 a month billed annually ($59.88), or $6.99 monthly, for 20 GB, unlimited aliases and one custom domain. That's the ordinary band for this category, and dearer than other private mailboxes: Posteo and mailbox both start at €1 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | D | No 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. |
| Features | C | Unlimited aliases, with burners that vanish after an hour, one-click PGP, password-protected mail for people without it, hidden external images and full IMAP with a migration tool. But its own feature list covers mail and contacts only, with no calendar and no file storage. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. Encrypting is one click and a migration tool brings your old mail and contacts over, but on anything but Android you're in the browser or setting up IMAP in another mail app yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | The browser and an Android app, and that's the lot: no desktop app, and the iPhone app is still listed as coming soon. Full IMAP and SMTP access means Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail or K-9 Mail can fill the gap. |
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 StartMail is for
- Fits if you want a paid, ad-free mailbox hosted in the Netherlands
- Works for people who want a separate alias for every sign-up
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you won't give payment details for a trial, as it asks for a card or PayPal up front
- Skip it if you want an iPhone app today, because the iOS app is still listed as coming soon
- Too light for anyone who wants a calendar or file storage along with their email
- Tight if you need more than one custom domain on Personal, as unlimited domains need Business at $6.99
- Watch out: there's no desktop app, so outside Android you use the browser or set up IMAP yourself
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$4.99
A month to start
StartMail is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88).
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.
Trying it first
7-day free trial; a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up
Read from startmail.com on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on startmail.comOther 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.
Stated on startmail.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Android
Paid private email from the Netherlands with unlimited aliases. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: email client, inbox filtering.
But its own feature list covers mail and contacts only, with no calendar and no file storage.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- Android
What it works with
- Thunderbird
- Outlook
- Apple Mail
- K-9 Mail
StartMail is made by StartMail B.V., and has been around since 2013.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/51
Other email apps it is graded above
StartMail's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on value for money (C, above 11 of 51) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 2).
Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 23 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 22 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. StartMail’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 11 of 51
- DFree plan and trialAbove 2 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. StartMail 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 StartMail 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: 50 of the 51 other email apps grade higher. It costs $59.88 a year.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- Filters that read every message as it arrives.
- A real app for Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. StartMail’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
Proton Mail, Tuta Mail, Mailfence, Posteo and Fastmail
The 5 tools StartMail is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 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. StartMail does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Proton Mail lists macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS apps.
- Proton Mail is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
Tuta Mail
Free plan · from €3/mo
End-to-end encrypted email and calendar from Germany.
- 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.
- 2.6GPA
Mailfence
Free plan · from €2.50/mo
Private email from Belgium with built-in OpenPGP encryption.
- Mailfence has a free plan. StartMail does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Mailfence lists an iOS app.
- Mailfence is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.0GPA
Posteo
From €1/mo
Ad-free, green-powered email from Berlin for €1 a month.
- Only StartMail lists an Android app.
- Posteo is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- StartMail also covers inbox filtering.
- 2.8GPA
Fastmail
Free trial · from $3/mo
Paid, ad-free email with calendar, contacts and custom domains.
- Only Fastmail lists Windows, macOS, Linux and iOS apps.
- StartMail also covers inbox filtering.
- Fastmail also covers calendar.
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 StartMail free?
No, StartMail is a paid product, but you can try it first. 7-day free trial; a credit card or PayPal account is required at sign-up.
How much does StartMail cost?
StartMail lists 2 plans. Personal: $4.99 per month, billed annually ($59.88); $6.99 billed monthly.
What platforms does StartMail work on?
StartMail is available on Web and Android.
Does StartMail offer any discounts?
StartMail publicly lists the following: Save $24 a year with annual billing; 25% off additional accounts.
Does StartMail have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. StartMail is listed for Web and Android.
Does StartMail have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. StartMail is listed for Web and Android.
Is StartMail open source?
StartMail is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
What does StartMail integrate with?
StartMail's listing names Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail and K-9 Mail.
Who makes StartMail?
StartMail is made by StartMail B.V. It dates from 2013.
What are the alternatives to StartMail?
The closest alternatives to StartMail in our directory are Proton Mail, Tuta Mail, Mailfence, Posteo and Fastmail.
How does StartMail compare with other email apps?
StartMail's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 1.
Is StartMail good value for money?
ToolGPA grades StartMail C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 23 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of StartMail?
To replace StartMail 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 StartMail’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 StartMail's own pages on 6 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-30.
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 StartMail B.V. Prices change, so check startmail.com 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
- StartMail, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/startmail
- 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, "StartMail: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/startmail
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/startmail/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after StartMail, 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 StartMail’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. StartMail is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by StartMail B.V. Prices and plans change: check startmail.com before you buy.