I have been using gmail/google for a long time now (decade or more). But the systems I have come to rely on have been getting enshitified. With their new AI advertisements popping up like crazy…Im just done.
Anyone have a good alternative to gmail? Im looking for something that will not break the bank.
For a bit there, I was running my own email server, but spam and issues with my internet provider (other email servers kept thinking my domain was spamming others) made it hard to keep up. I just dont have the patience anymore for that.
I was thinking of trying out proton or namecheaps offerings and seeing if I like them.
I am used to working with thunderbird but can use online portals if needed. If they have ac alendar that might be a bonus. Personally, I want minimal or no AI. And I want the company to be trusted and in business for at least 5 years.
Any good recommendations?
Been using Fastmail for a couple years now, previously bouced between Proton and Tuta.
I cannot fault Fastmail, yes, like the name suggests, it is fast (sending is almost instant and new email comes through quickly too), but their features for inbox sorting, rules, and custom domains is incredble.
I have my own domain name that I wildcard in Fastmail, which means I can enter whateverthefuckIwant@domain.com and it’ll be delivered.
Then I have several rules set-up to autotag depending on the address the email is going to.
Their interface is slick, easy to use, not too cramped and not too spacious, lovely contrast, just pleasant to be in.
All of that, along with a calendar with easy CalDAV support, notes in Markdown, and generous cloud storage which I mainly use for file transfer between my devices make the £5.40 I spend on it monthly an absolute steal.
Seconded. I came from Proton after a number of years. I got frustrated that because of their encryption, I couldn’t use their service outside of their ecosystem. With Fastmail, it just works and comes with easy access to card/caldav, SMTP, etc.
They just added an api for interfacing with LLMs, which I support because it gives everyone the choice on what to do with their own data. Want to pipe your emails and calendar through a LLM, go for it! Think AI has no place in your inbox, that’s the default. Instead of forcing a shitty AI into their product that no one wants, they enable those that do the option while letting everyone else not have to deal with it. I respect that.
The price is right, it’s fast and has been around forever. It is hosted in Australia, which while better than the US, is still a member of Five Eyes, so do with that what you will.
As a resident of the UK, the international Eyes coallitions are unfortunately unavoidable for me, so that is mostly moot.
But I agree with everything else, especially the AI API, I would consider allowing a local open-source and open-weight SLM access to my inbox for summarisations / weekly digests, among various other ideas.
+1 for Fastmail. I have the cheapest plan and I don’t use most of the add-ons. I use Thunderbird on desktop, I use Fastmail’s Android app on mobile. Virtually perfect service for years, very cheap, is not Gmail. That’s about all I ever wanted.