Is there an ISP with email services, maybe not webmail, in the US you would recommend for use on an iMac and iPhone?

[SpotOnT]

I was hoping to stay away from the big, big companies if I can.

Yes, in the US too. Not many options it seems.

I hear you. That is why I use Fastmail.

Not free, but I absolutely love them.

*Fastmail is the largest independent email provider. You get unlimited email addresses (aliases). It does not scan your emails or sell you information to databrokers/large corporations. You can use their own Apps or connect to any email client you prefer to use with their service. Not the cheapest option out there, but for the reliability, ease of use, privacy, I really can’t recommend them enough.

** A note on Proton Mail. I absolutely admire Proton for their security features, however, I have had problems with some of the main email providers refusing to receive mail from Proton. Having undelivered emails was a dealbreaker for me.

 

[SpotOnT]

Thank you, I have been feeling overwhelmed since receiving the notice from my current/soon to be former email provider.

There is nothing to be overwhelmed about! Just pick a dedicated email provider - either a free one from one of the big tech companies (Apple iCloud, Outlook, GMail), or an independent paid service with more privacy (Fastmail, Proton, etc).

To start, just use the email on their web-based interface. When you get more comfortable with that, you can start using the email on any email app you like (Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc) on your computers/phone. Nearly all email services will give you step-by-step directions on how to set that up.

Hosting your own email service is a great way to own your email address forever, however, if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, I would shy away from that for the time being.

In the end, this may be a hassle now, but getting away from depending on your ISP to provide your email is a good thing.

 

[SpotOnT]

Would I have to sign into my Apple account every time I want to check for new email?

With what I have now (for the next month anyway) in Apple Mail, I just click on “Get new messages in all accounts”. That’s why I thought I should get a replacement.

Apple iCloud is a fine email service. It is not as feature rich as most of the other services out there, but it does the basics good enough. The main drawback is you will only be able to check it from one of your Apple devices. If you are traveling and need to check your email from a friends device, you are a bit out of luck.

Also, the free version is limited to 5GB of storage, so plan on having to pay to upgrade your iCloud storage tier.

 

[adrianlondon]

I'll add 34sp.com to the list of (UK based) website and domain hosting companies.

I pay around £10/month for what they call their "professional" hosting package. I've been with them for many years; their support is excellent.

 

[Imperial926]

Krystal are ****. Please stay the hell away from them. Had a couple of run ins over the years. Their managed services are a complete mess (basically compromised wordpress farming) and their kit is massively overloaded. Think I logged into a shell and there were 10,000 odd processes on one node running with loadavg over 30 on 8 cores at one point. They're also really expensive.

Mythic Beasts replaced them for us https://www.mythic-beasts.com/

Thanks for the link. I moved to Krystal from TSO Host who were truly dreadful towards the end. I have to say that, so far, Krystal have not dropped the ball for us and our Wordpress sites run much quicker than they ever did with TSO Host. Mythic Beasts certainly have some good reviews so I might try their service with a single domain and see how it goes. Thanks.

 

[Siliconguy]

The main drawback is you will only be able to check it from one of your Apple devices. If you are traveling and need to check your email from a friends device, you are a bit out of luck.

Not necessarily. It's a bit tricky to set up but iCloud mail does work with Thunderbird on Linux. There is also a web accessible version that you can switch on.

I just went through this drill as my ISP is going away too though I have more than a month to complete the change over. In 2019 I had to make the switch in a month and it was a bit hectic.

 

[circatee]

What I find odd, is that Proton doesn't have a Contacts option. Weird.
What do others that use Proton use for Contacts?

To the OP, let us know what you eventually decided to go with. I use Gmail and Outlook Dot Com. I actually just exported everything from Outlook Dot Com to Gmail.

I know, I know...

 

[Fishrrman]

usmaak wrote:
"Is there anything that I need to be aware of with Proton?"

I mentioned this in an earlier post:

The "free version" of proton mail works ONLY with web browsers.

If you want it to work with 3rd-party email apps (such as Apple's "Mail"), you have to sign up for a paid subscription...

 

[BrianBaughn]

Based on what I've seen in this thread I'd recommend Apple's iCloud email to the OP…whom I sense would probably need a lot of help setting up and maintaining anything else. With macOS and iOS it's built-in and only needs a switch thrown in settings if it's not already ON.

 

[Dervla]

Based on what I've seen in this thread I'd recommend Apple's iCloud email to the OP…whom I sense would probably need a lot of help setting up and maintaining anything else. With macOS and iOS it's built-in and only needs a switch thrown in settings if it's not already ON.

Thank you for the recommendation.
Maybe (probably?) true, although I did set up and have maintained the service from the local provider for 10 years or so and the service from the provider before that for a few years.
Yes, Apple’s iCloud is ON on both iMacs and iPhones.
I would like to have a second, not just one company, provider.

 

[SpotOnT]

Not necessarily. It's a bit tricky to set up but iCloud mail does work with Thunderbird on Linux. There is also a web accessible version that you can switch on.

I just went through this drill as my ISP is going away too though I have more than a month to complete the change over. In 2019 I had to make the switch in a month and it was a bit hectic.

The web version still requires 2-factor authentication from one of your Apple devices…and if you have your Apple device, why bother logging into the web version?

I really have not been able to find a way to check your iCloud e-mail without having access to your own Apple hardware.

(If you can set up a client on Linux without 2-Factor authentication, then I guess that could be an exception. I have not had an occasion to try using Linux yet.)

 

[cjsuk]

Thank you for the recommendation.
Maybe (probably?) true, although I did set up and have maintained the service from the local provider for 10 years or so and the service from the provider before that for a few years.
Yes, Apple’s iCloud is ON on both iMacs and iPhones.
I would like to have a second, not just one company, provider.

The provider being independent is mostly irrelevant. It is only important that you own and control the domain name and thus email address and have backups of the contents of the mail boxes. That gives you the ability to move providers and DNS hosting if you need to for cost, privacy, quality or data security reasons.

My set up us:

1. iCloud+ mail for my domain.
2. Domain registered and DNS on Mythic Beasts.
3. Backup (weekly) with imap-backup to my local disk (mbox format).
4. Local disk backup weekly to time machine on T7 SSD.
5. Local disk backup weekly via rsync to Lacie rust disk.

imap-backup is available via Homebrew. Info here https://github.com/joeyates/imap-backup

You can use imap-backup to move from one provider to another trivially.

 

[usmaak]

How about buying your own domain name with a hosting company like hostgator or any other one . there you should get access to an email server. i have mine and i have POP3, and IMAP . plus the ability to create as many email accounts that i want. and i create disposable accounts that i access wia webmail for things that ask for my email for one time use. so no spam on my main account

Is something like hostgator a secure platform for doing email? Do they provide some sort of webmail? I haven’t had hosting in a while but when I did, webmail was some crappy thing that barely worked. I mostly read email through gmail so I’d like something with good webmail.

Also, if all I’d be using hosting for is email, does it make sense to get hosting or just email from somewhere else? One thing I like about Proton is the ability to create aliases to cut back on spam. I also have a few domain names that I use on it.

 

[Dervla]

An on-going thank you to so many knowledgable people,


I have a variation of my question: What will change when the local email provider shuts down its email service?

I have an Apple iMac with Apple Mail,

an iCloud email account, IMAP, that includes a couple aliases,
several other email accounts, POP, with my local service.

I have been moving emails from the Favorites-All Inboxes mailboxes to mailboxes in the On My Mac folder.

When I check for new emails in Mail, clicking “Get new messages in all accounts”, emails will show up sometimes from iCloud and/or sometimes from the local provider.

If I do not sign up with another email provider before the end of the year, when the local provider goes dark at the end of December,

there will be no more emails from the local provider,
any emails still in the Favorites-All Inboxes mailboxes will disappear,
the only email remaining on the iMac will be that in folders in On My Mac,
and,
I think,
iCloud email will continue to operate in Mail the way it has.

is that true?
particularly, "iCloud email will continue to operate in Mail the way it has.”

Or would waiting until “after” be a bad idea since my preference is to read email in Mail on the iMac (not at a website)? Sorry for what must be a very elementary question.

There seem to be pluses and minus to many providers (not a surprise). I wonder what the situation will be with checking email on the iMac (yes I also have an iPhone, but I prefer to read email on the iMac) after the end of next month if I don’t make a decision about a new provider until after that.

Thank you.

 

[SpotOnT]

Yes, iCloud email will continue to operate in Mail the way it has. All your email accounts, other than the one offered by your ISP should remain unchanged, exactly as they are.

You are correct to backup any emails from your ISP account you want to save to a local folder on your Mac. Remember to check any “sent” messages you want to save too.

Once you get a new primary email account, you should be able to upload all those emails saved to your local Mac folder onto their server as well (if you want to do that).

 

[BigBlur]

At the end of the day, email is email. It basically boils down to whether you want an @icloud.com, @yahoo.com, @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com address or something else. They all will work in the Mail app essentially the same way as the email account provided by your ISP. If you end up not liking one, you can always try something else. It's not a one-time decision that you're stuck with.

My parents went through something similar last year when they dropped their cable and switched ISPs. They signed up for an Outlook account. For a month or so, they had both accounts set up in Mail while getting things switched over to use their new address. They also could drag and drop their existing emails into their new account.

If you haven't already, it would be a good idea to get all of your online accounts (streaming, banking, shopping, medical, etc.) updated to use a new address before you lose access to your old one. You may find yourself needing to reset a password, in which you'll likely need access to your old email account. In a couple of instances, my parents needed access to their old email account in order to approve changing the address to their new one.

 

[Dervla]

Yes, iCloud email will continue to operate in Mail the way it has. All your email accounts, other than the one offered by your ISP should remain unchanged, exactly as they are.

You are correct to backup any emails from your ISP account you want to save to a local folder on your Mac. Remember to check any “sent” messages you want to save too.

Once you get a new primary email account, you should be able to upload all those emails saved to your local Mac folder onto their server as well (if you want to do that).

Thank you.

 

[Dervla]

At the end of the day, email is email. It basically boils down to whether you want an @icloud.com, @yahoo.com, @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com address or something else. They all will work in the Mail app essentially the same way as the email account provided by your ISP. If you end up not liking one, you can always try something else. It's not a one-time decision that you're stuck with.

My parents went through something similar last year when they dropped their cable and switched ISPs. They signed up for an Outlook account. For a month or so, they had both accounts set up in Mail while getting things switched over to use their new address. They also could drag and drop their existing emails into their new account.

If you haven't already, it would be a good idea to get all of your online accounts (streaming, banking, shopping, medical, etc.) updated to use a new address before you lose access to your old one. You may find yourself needing to reset a password, in which you'll likely need access to your old email account. In a couple of instances, my parents needed access to their old email account in order to approve changing the address to their new one.

Thank you.

 

[IvyKing]

I hear you. That is why I use Fastmail.

Not free, but I absolutely love them.

I opened my Fastmail account a month after receiving notice that my 14.5 year old speakeasy email account was going to be terminated. There have been a few glitches, but for the most part I have been satisfied with their service.

One neat feature is the ability to assign different login credentials to different devices along with having the ability to revoke specific credentials. Another feature is the ability to undo a delete up to 7 days afterwards.

 

[danmart]

If you can afford the small annual cost, getting a personal domain name is the secret for long term stability. I bought one over 20 years ago and so my email is the same irrespective of who I use as an email provider.

I also have an enterprise-grade spam filter from my ISP which I have total control over, so as soon as any spam email gets through I can add their address domain to my filter. I even have several entire country root domains blocked since I have no reason on to ever receive email from there but they are often the source of malicious email…

 

[Dervla]

I opened my Fastmail account a month after receiving notice that my 14.5 year old speakeasy email account was going to be terminated. There have been a few glitches, but for the most part I have been satisfied with their service.

One neat feature is the ability to assign different login credentials to different devices along with having the ability to revoke specific credentials. Another feature is the ability to undo a delete up to 7 days afterwards.

A couple questions,
Are you using a desktop computer? I prefer to use email on a desktop, an iMac.
Are you using Apple Mail?

 

[Fishrrman]

Dervia:

My opinion only, but you'd better not procrastinate too much longer.
You need to try one or two other providers and "be ready" by December 31.

Once again, I will suggest trying either att.net (through "currently.com") or perhaps a "straight up" yahoo.com account. Both are free and both work with Apple Mail.app.

My impression is that you should probably NOT try the "set up one's own email domain" method.
May be too complicated, with too many opportunities for things to go wrong in the short amount of time you have left (only about 33 days now, right?).

You've agonized enough about this in this thread (and the other one).
Don't over-think it.
Just do it.

Again, my opinion only.

 

[Dervla]

Dervia:

My opinion only, but you'd better not procrastinate too much longer.
You need to try one or two other providers and "be ready" by December 31.

What if I use only iCloud mail until I feel good about a potential provider?

Once again, I will suggest trying either att.net (through "currently.com") or perhaps a "straight up" yahoo.com account. Both are free and both work with Apple Mail.app.

I would prefer a smallish company (yes, I am using iCloud mail some now), maybe with some privacy/security that I can use on the iMac?

My impression is that you should probably NOT try the "set up one's own email domain" method.
May be too complicated, with too many opportunities for things to go wrong in the short amount of time you have left (only about 33 days now, right?).

I think I agree.

You've agonized enough about this in this thread (and the other one).
Don't over-think it.
Just do it.

Maybe so.

Again, my opinion only.

Thank you.

 

[IvyKing]

A couple questions,
Are you using a desktop computer? I prefer to use email on a desktop, an iMac.
Are you using Apple Mail?

My primary use of email is on my Mac Mini, but also access it through my MBP. I use Thunderbird on both, but Fastmail does support any client that can do IMAP, which includes Apple Mail. Fastmail has specific instructions on how to set up Macs. Note that the setup will have a generated password for the Apple Mail client that is different from the password used for web access.

IMAP was an absolute requirement when I was looking for an email provider.

Fastmail also allows use of aliased email addresses to reduce spam on your primary address along with setting up rules to place the aliased emails into folders. Note the setup is done from the web interface as with other administrative tasks. The Fastmail website has quite a bit of documentation on how to use the service.

 

[Dervla]

My primary use of email is on my Mac Mini, but also access it through my MBP. I use Thunderbird on both, but Fastmail does support any client that can do IMAP, which includes Apple Mail. Fastmail has specific instructions on how to set up Macs. Note that the setup will have a generated password for the Apple Mail client that is different from the password used for web access.

IMAP was an absolute requirement when I was looking for an email provider.

Fastmail also allows use of aliased email addresses to reduce spam on your primary address along with setting up rules to place the aliased emails into folders. Note the setup is done from the web interface as with other administrative tasks. The Fastmail website has quite a bit of documentation on how to use the service.

Thank you.