Hotmail? Yahoo? Gmail? I'm asking b/c I don't know anything about any of them except Gmail which I got an invite for. It seems like Gmail is the best. What's storage space like for the others and do they have any additional features?
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What's the best free web-based e-mail service?
- Thread starter dferigmu
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Mike Teezie
macrumors 68020
Yup, I agree, its gmail.
If you are willing to pay the $2 signup fee, you can get a account at http://www.Aventuremail.com (I think thats the url)
After your account is activated there are no fees, its just a one time thing to prevent spammers from getting lots of accounts. This is 2 GB for $2. Thats a d*** good deal, in my opinion.
Don't quote me on any of that, I'm not sure it right, if you want to, go check on it yourself.
If you are willing to pay the $2 signup fee, you can get a account at http://www.Aventuremail.com (I think thats the url)
After your account is activated there are no fees, its just a one time thing to prevent spammers from getting lots of accounts. This is 2 GB for $2. Thats a d*** good deal, in my opinion.
Don't quote me on any of that, I'm not sure it right, if you want to, go check on it yourself.
Aventure Mail looks good, but I don't like the fact that you have to search hard for what they're offering. Even now I'm not 100% sure - anybody care to explain? 🙂
Also, do they allow for you to collect your mail using an app such as OS X's own 'Mail'?
Aside from that I personally prefer Yahoo's accounts over G-Mail's - prefer the design layout 🙂
Also, do they allow for you to collect your mail using an app such as OS X's own 'Mail'?
Aside from that I personally prefer Yahoo's accounts over G-Mail's - prefer the design layout 🙂
I like Yahoo spam filter and their layout. Their spam control seems pretty good even though you can get up to hundreds of spam mail in a couple of week.
I'll throw in a vote for Gmail based purely on the user interface. GmailStatus works perfectly, sitting in the Menu Bar alerting you of new mail, and the Gmail website behaves more like a local application than a web interface.
best free email = fastmail
I strongly support fastmail (www.fastmail.fm) as the best free email client. It doesnt offer as much space as others (only about 50mb - you can buy more of course) but is superior in every other way. Blazing fast, IMAP and POP access, it can check OTHER POP and IMAPs, you can get multiple addresses that go to the same box (aliases) - useful for seperate levels of security, your own subdomain (user@subdomain.fastmail.fm), and you can pick from lots of other domain names besides fastmail.fm for your address.
Some features are only available with a 1-time member fee. I paid this fee and use fastmail to collect all my different emails and file them as IMAP as sync with Mail.app.
I really think that the web is such an open marketplace that you always get what you pay for. So for the small fee, I prefer all kinds of access options and features and speed over rediculously massive storage space.
I strongly support fastmail (www.fastmail.fm) as the best free email client. It doesnt offer as much space as others (only about 50mb - you can buy more of course) but is superior in every other way. Blazing fast, IMAP and POP access, it can check OTHER POP and IMAPs, you can get multiple addresses that go to the same box (aliases) - useful for seperate levels of security, your own subdomain (user@subdomain.fastmail.fm), and you can pick from lots of other domain names besides fastmail.fm for your address.
Some features are only available with a 1-time member fee. I paid this fee and use fastmail to collect all my different emails and file them as IMAP as sync with Mail.app.
I really think that the web is such an open marketplace that you always get what you pay for. So for the small fee, I prefer all kinds of access options and features and speed over rediculously massive storage space.
oh yeah, and if you pay the 1-time fee, fastmail has NO TAGLINES on your emails so you can use it for business/professional type stuff. and you can easily set the FROM to appear as anything so people would think the mail is coming from wherever you want. And you can set multiple "personalities" with different FROMs and signatures so you can maintain all your accounts in one place very easily.
if you cant tell, fastmail makes my life WAY easier and i like it ;-)
if you cant tell, fastmail makes my life WAY easier and i like it ;-)
dubbz
macrumors 68020
Gmail: Tons of space, quick, clean interface, labels, non-intrusive ads. It's a winner 🙂
As for fastmail.fm; the free (Guest) version doesn't offer a lot of diskspace, and will expire after 45 days without activity (so remember to log in), but it does have IMAP support, if you need that. A one-time fee (upgrading to Member) will increase the diskspace slightly, plus remove the tagline from the e-mail, and the account will never expire. You can also increase the diskspace for a one-time fee.
Have an Enchanted account there, which I'm very happy with.
But, honestly, you can't really go wrong with gmail.
As for fastmail.fm; the free (Guest) version doesn't offer a lot of diskspace, and will expire after 45 days without activity (so remember to log in), but it does have IMAP support, if you need that. A one-time fee (upgrading to Member) will increase the diskspace slightly, plus remove the tagline from the e-mail, and the account will never expire. You can also increase the diskspace for a one-time fee.
Have an Enchanted account there, which I'm very happy with.
But, honestly, you can't really go wrong with gmail.
I'd have to say Gmail.
If you need an invite PM me and I'll send one through, I have six so if there are takers then do likewise.
If you need an invite PM me and I'll send one through, I have six so if there are takers then do likewise.
At the momet, Spymac wins
Considered this myself recently.
I wasn't impressed by fastmail that much. interface clunky etc.
Yahoo is my primary email provider. Was spam free 😀 for 5 years, only just started now with the '211 mission US residents' . Filters /spam block good, 100 mb, contacts sync with PIM. That's just the free version. Truly good to have around
Spymac is my latest - 1GB, like GMail! Free! POP access. No Taglines(ithink). Good interface. PCPro mag online had 5 providers tested including fastmail. Spymac 2nd - they compared the 'pay versions'
Gmail - I've never seen an invite. Maybe I've never blogged or hung around bloggers 😕 AFAIK there's no POP without a proggy
As the Spymac.com site is for mac lovers, go for it, use you 1gb for backing up your files. Only problem seen is the mail login page can be overloaded. You can still access the POP / SMTP servers through mail2web though. Works with any POP, so I guess not GMAIL.
Considered this myself recently.
I wasn't impressed by fastmail that much. interface clunky etc.
Yahoo is my primary email provider. Was spam free 😀 for 5 years, only just started now with the '211 mission US residents' . Filters /spam block good, 100 mb, contacts sync with PIM. That's just the free version. Truly good to have around
Spymac is my latest - 1GB, like GMail! Free! POP access. No Taglines(ithink). Good interface. PCPro mag online had 5 providers tested including fastmail. Spymac 2nd - they compared the 'pay versions'
Gmail - I've never seen an invite. Maybe I've never blogged or hung around bloggers 😕 AFAIK there's no POP without a proggy
As the Spymac.com site is for mac lovers, go for it, use you 1gb for backing up your files. Only problem seen is the mail login page can be overloaded. You can still access the POP / SMTP servers through mail2web though. Works with any POP, so I guess not GMAIL.
Gmail works but I wish I could turn off their spam filter; it catches no spam but it does catch a lot of legitimate mail.
stevehaslip
macrumors 6502a
maxterpiece
macrumors 6502a
FASTMAIL!
I disagree with all the GMAIL hoopla. It is nice, but fastmail is literally 10x faster, and you can use IMAP... Having your mail in mail.app is SOOO much nice - after all, it allows you to use email the way apple designed for you to use email. You can click the email button in iphoto and it will send that photo to an email in mail. You get all the drag and drop interconnectedness that no web interface could ever provide. Furthermore, the web interface is faster. Gmail, as far as email goes, is a pretty bulky java app and has advertisements. Fastmail has no ads, loads up faster and will load up in just about any browser, offers hundreds of different themes to choose from, offers hundreds of different domains. The only drawback is that you have less space, but if things keep going the way they are, they will upgrade their accounts. I mean even my netscape.net account just got upgraded from 5mb to 250mb... and they didn't even send me an email bragging about how nice they were to do that. You get 10mb which is plenty for most users and if you pay the 1 time fee of $15 you get more (50 mb?). Anyway, I think GMAIL is cool and I like google as a company, but as far as providing solid and quick and intuitive email that is 100% focused on the user experience, my vote is for fastmail (www.fastmail.fm)
EDIT: And just to clarify, I have tried a lot of email services - yahoo, fastmail, australia.edu (!), netscape (underrated but not great), hotmail, GMail, and a ton of places that aren't worth remembering...
I disagree with all the GMAIL hoopla. It is nice, but fastmail is literally 10x faster, and you can use IMAP... Having your mail in mail.app is SOOO much nice - after all, it allows you to use email the way apple designed for you to use email. You can click the email button in iphoto and it will send that photo to an email in mail. You get all the drag and drop interconnectedness that no web interface could ever provide. Furthermore, the web interface is faster. Gmail, as far as email goes, is a pretty bulky java app and has advertisements. Fastmail has no ads, loads up faster and will load up in just about any browser, offers hundreds of different themes to choose from, offers hundreds of different domains. The only drawback is that you have less space, but if things keep going the way they are, they will upgrade their accounts. I mean even my netscape.net account just got upgraded from 5mb to 250mb... and they didn't even send me an email bragging about how nice they were to do that. You get 10mb which is plenty for most users and if you pay the 1 time fee of $15 you get more (50 mb?). Anyway, I think GMAIL is cool and I like google as a company, but as far as providing solid and quick and intuitive email that is 100% focused on the user experience, my vote is for fastmail (www.fastmail.fm)
EDIT: And just to clarify, I have tried a lot of email services - yahoo, fastmail, australia.edu (!), netscape (underrated but not great), hotmail, GMail, and a ton of places that aren't worth remembering...
