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Mailfence

Mailfence is a Belgian encrypted email service focused on security and privacy, offering OpenPGP-based end-to-end encryption, digital signatures, calendars, and document storage.

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Key Features

Encryption occurs client-side in the browser, using the open OpenPGP standard. Emails, documents, and calendars stay protected in transit and at rest. Mailfence cannot access content without keys, which users fully control. This setup ensures compatibility with tools like Thunderbird or GnuPG.

Sign messages to verify sender authenticity, preventing spoofing. The built-in keystore lets users generate, import, export, and publish keys without extensions. Recipients verify signatures seamlessly, even from non-Mailfence users supporting OpenPGP.

Beyond email, share calendars securely, edit documents online, and manage contact groups. Paid plans add custom domains, extensive aliases (up to 200), and team user management. Mobile PWAs provide access across devices.

Entry-level paid plans enable POP/IMAP/SMTP/ActiveSync for desktop clients. Apps for iOS and Android function as PWAs, ensuring consistent features. No ads interrupt workflows.

Secure Email Service: Mailfence's Privacy-Focused Offering

Email remains a cornerstone of daily communication, yet breaches and surveillance concerns persist. Mailfence addresses these issues with a service built in Brussels, Belgium, emphasizing user-controlled encryption. Launched in 2013, it operates under Belgium's strict privacy regulations, which demand court orders for any data access—requests that seldom materialize.

Unlike many providers that scan content for ads, Mailfence runs without tracking, ads, or data mining. Its servers use green energy, and the company publishes a transparent warrant canary. In 2020, Russian authorities blocked Mailfence's SMTP servers after the firm rejected data demands, underscoring its commitment. Development highlights include end-to-end encryption beta in 2016 and mobile progressive web apps in 2021. Free accounts get 500MB storage, while paid options reach 225GB, including priority support. This setup suits individuals wary of Big Tech while scaling for teams via custom domains and user management.

Mailfence is a Belgian encrypted email service focused on security and privacy, offering OpenPGP-based end-to-end encryption, digital signatures, calendars, and document storage.

What is Mailfence?

Mailfence is a webmail and collaboration platform from ContactOffice Group, which has offered online office tools since 1999. Mailfence itself debuted on November 12, 2013, from headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. It centers on browser-based OpenPGP encryption for emails, calendars, and documents, keeping content inaccessible even to its operators without user keys.

The service supports standard protocols like POP, IMAP, SMTP, and ActiveSync on paid plans, plus iOS/Android apps as progressive web apps. Users can create up to 200 aliases on top tiers, host custom domains with DKIM, SPF, and DMARC authentication. Contact groups and online document editing round out the tools. No software installs needed; everything runs in the browser.

Mailfence interoperates with other OpenPGP services, aiding mixed environments. It withstood a 2020 SMTP block by Russian providers for refusing data handover. Donations from Ultra plan sales go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and European Digital Rights. Servers receive regular hardening, aligning with its no-nonsense privacy model.

Who Uses Mailfence?

Privacy-aware individuals, journalists, and activists choose Mailfence to evade surveillance. Professionals in law, medicine, and finance rely on its signatures and secure sharing for compliance. Businesses adopt it for team inboxes, custom domains, and DKIM/SPF to maintain deliverability without vendor lock-in.

Its OpenPGP base fits hybrid setups, appealing to IT admins. Small enterprises value alias limits and storage scaling without per-user costs on basic plans. No specific high-profile clients are publicized, but its Belgian base draws EU firms prioritizing data sovereignty over U.S.-hosted options.

European Advantage

Headquartered in Brussels, Mailfence benefits from Belgium's robust privacy framework within the EU's GDPR. Data stays under European jurisdiction, shielding it from extraterritorial U.S. laws like the CLOUD Act. Access requires a local court order, a high bar rarely met—as transparency reports confirm zero instances recently.

GDPR mandates explicit consent for processing, with fines for violations. The all-European team ensures cultural alignment with data protection norms. Green energy servers further appeal to sustainability-focused users.

How Mailfence Compares

Mailfence differentiates through standards-based OpenPGP encryption, enabling interoperability absent in ProtonMail's proprietary system or Tutanota's custom crypto. It offers more aliases (200 vs. ProtonMail's fewer) and custom domains on paid plans.

ProtonMail, Swiss-based, provides easier setup but less collaboration depth. Tutanota (German) encrypts more automatically yet lacks OpenPGP compatibility. Posteo emphasizes simplicity and green hosting but skips calendars and documents. Mailfence suits users needing broad PGP ecosystem ties and Belgian legal protections.

Get Started with Mailfence

Ready to try Mailfence?

Visit Official Website to learn more and get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the free tier provides 500MB email storage plus 500MB for documents, with encryption, PWAs, and basic support via knowledge base. Paid plans—Entry, Pro, Ultra—start around €2-5 monthly (billed yearly), scaling to 225GB storage, priority phone/email support, and enterprise features like user management.
Yes, as a Belgian service, it fully complies with GDPR. Data processing follows strict EU rules, with a dedicated GDPR page outlining rights like data portability and erasure. Transparency reports detail zero unwarranted access.
- **ProtonMail**: Swiss, user-friendly E2EE but proprietary keys limit interoperability. - **Tutanota**: German, automatic encryption for all content, no PGP support. - **Posteo**: German, ad-free with strong privacy, lacks integrated calendars/documents.