topic Re: alternative email providers in Email

alternative email providers

breslaw — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 18:47:20 GMT

Some of the contributions to this forum during the current email outage at Plusnet have suggested that PN is gradually withdrawing from providing an email service. Some contributors have said if that were the case they would leave PN.

I wonder if we could start a conversation here about alternative email providers. I don't mean to be negative about PN, but if it is the case that they are giving up on email, then I think we should have the opportunity to plan our exits in the same timeframe that they're planning theirs. It would be good to have a destination in mind for when PN decide that they no longer need my custom.

I'd like to avoid Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. An additional nice-to-have would be a single provider of landline, broadband and email services.

I'd welcome polite and experience-based suggestions.

Re: alternative email providers

Dan_the_Van — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:14:08 GMT

Hi @breslaw

with regards to

I'd like to avoid Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. An additional nice-to-have would be a single provider of landline, broadband and email services.

Locking your email to your chosen ISP could result in you been tied to that ISP. So if you change ISP you then have to advise everyone of your change of address. A bit like moving home.

Dan

Re: alternative email providers

MFredericks — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:21:13 GMT

I'd suggest a number of the traditional offerings for having Broadband, landline and Email services have disappeared and very few will offer you email as part of taking Broadband these days. It used to be something everyone did - but most people now have email with one of the big players and hence it's not something that people really need if they are new to an Internet Provider. I am sure someone will point out some Internet providers that do offer email, but there won't be many... a simple Google search for the best free email services doesn't list any that are provided by an ISP...

Re: alternative email providers

jab1 — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:26:55 GMT

ISPs have never, in my 30+ years on the web, offered an email service unless you take out a BB/Phone service with them. Some do allow you to retain the mail element if you leave, though.

Re: alternative email providers

MFredericks — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:30:16 GMT

I didn't mean an isolated email service provided by an ISP... I meant that none of the free email services provided by an ISP are rated highly (as in essence the email services provided by an ISP are free)... hopefully that now makes sense.

Re: alternative email providers

jab1 — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:33:27 GMT

Yep, makes sense, but I've never had any major issues with the mail services of any ISP I have been with, but there again, they have always been client-based - I neither like nor trust webmail.

Re: alternative email providers

bluewhale — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:57:19 GMT

you could look at buying a domain, they often come with free email

Re: alternative email providers

breslaw — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 22:01:38 GMT

I should have added that I have my own domain name and never use webmail.

Re: alternative email providers

jab1 — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 07:56:47 GMT

In that case, does your domain host have an email option?

Re: alternative email providers

breslaw — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 12:46:20 GMT

Yes, but I've no idea about its reliability.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

Re: alternative email providers

jab1 — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:19:44 GMT

@breslaw I understand. Can you not check - Google (or your preferred search engine) should be able to point you in the correct destination?

Re: alternative email providers

bluewhale — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:46:33 GMT

@breslaw so who is the provider, maybe peeps on here can say

Re: alternative email providers

breslaw — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:55:24 GMT

@bluewhale: so who is the provider, maybe peeps on here can say

As defenders of PN's omnishambles would say if anyone asks what went wrong: Sorry mate, commercial confidentiality 😉

Re: alternative email providers

JamesE — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 11:26:39 GMT

I have an account with gmx but never really use it. I think the time has come to "move house" and use it as this Plusnet b******s is beyond the pale. I have been using Thunderbird for access and it has been better than their own web mail but not, of course, this time. I do have a look at my gmx from time to time and access is always instant and they do have lots of facilities. I would leave Plusnet, but I have a good deal from them, including BT Sport on satellite which, unfortunately, is necessary for Champions League, etc..

Re: alternative email providers

Stegs_W — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 12:12:01 GMT

I had similar thoughts about email support and knowledge within PN – e.g. the fact that they no longer offer domain hosting to new customers and it is treated as a legacy system. I therefore decided to jump before any issues arose.

I think it’s a good idea to decouple domain hosting and email from your ISP. This gives the flexibility to switch either service without affecting the other.

I now use Fasthosts as the registrar of my domain and Zoho Mail for email, with PN staying as my ISP. I have been using them for over a year with no issues. Zoho does provide a limited free service, so you can try it out to see if it suits.

I am a low level user of email, so my experience does not represent any kind of proper workout of their service.

So I am no in a position where I can independently switch providers for domain, email and broadband.

Re: alternative email providers

Longliner — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 12:22:01 GMT

As always, you get what you pay for ... I gave up on PN email when trying to set it up when I joined PN years ago, it was clunky and horrible.

Pnet BB has proved to be an excellent service and good value for money. I think most ISP provided email is rubbish and use an independent supplier -- in my case Fastmail with Thunderbird. Another advantage is that you can change ISP without change to your email addy/service.

Fastmail basic package costs about £3 per month, even when added to our FTTC package our bills are still lower than other ISPs. No problems in many years; other suppliers may be equally good but I've had no reason to try them.

Re: alternative email providers

MFredericks — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 12:36:44 GMT

Absolutely agree. I've never had any issues with my Plusnet Broadband - and I created a separate email address years ago as relying upon a free one from my ISP wasn't something I was comfortable with. It's a little bit of a fuss to get your emails out (the ones you need!) but after that it's no problem.

Re: alternative email providers

Justme — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 13:12:07 GMT

Mail.com - Russian owned. No frills and the option to pay for greater storage. It also allows for creating an entire personalised email address, with countless aliases. Some of the reviews are a bit too glossy and therefore quite suspect, but like all others it has its share of negative reviews.

Protonmail.com - Swiss owned - and founded at CERN. It claims to provide some of the world's strongest privacy protections and uses client-side encryption to protect message content before hitting the company's own servers, covering its own back to remove the risk of being forced to hand over emails to a third party. Good and bad reviews, with one or two claiming overactive system bots locking accounts without notice, but that happens anywhere.

Re: alternative email providers

Flabula — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 16:23:43 GMT

I have domain based email accounts for business. I don't really want to replace my Globalnet (Plusnet owned) email with a domain based email on my current host though, as one of the useful things about Globalnet is if my host's mailserver has problems then I can use Globalnet as an independent backup.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a host for an email only domain? I don't really want to set up another hosting account with webspace etc. as all I'll want is the mailserver. I want something I can use with my email clients, not web based or only through its own app. A quick search has thrown up a few suggestions, but they seem to be packages with a lot more stuff than I need.

Re: alternative email providers

breslaw — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 16:33:20 GMT

@Flabula Does anyone have any recommendations for a host for an email only domain?

I'm looking at Protonmail (https://protonmail.com) at the moment.