Why pay for emails when I can get them for free?

When thinking about email providers, most of us probably think about either Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo. They are popular, and the sign-up process for these free email providers is easy as well: All you have to do is to choose an available email address and a password and that’s it. You’re set up. You can start sending emails, without having to pay one cent for something.

But there’s a catch. A big one. If you have a free email account, you’ve most likely received personalised ads in your inbox. Free email providers may claim that they care about your privacy, this is usually privacy washing, but your email inbox holds valuable data for them. Data that is scanned and sold to third parties to target you with personalised ads, and possibly even used to train AI. This is the business model of most of the Big Tech’s who own free email providers, and this is one big reason that they want you to continue using their service.

Moreover, only a couple of weeks ago it become known that Google’s AI even scans your emails and attachments, including your tax files, bank statements, etc.! If you want your inbox to be truly private and you, and only you, can read your emails, then you should stop relying on a free email provider. But this is not the only good reason to ditch your free email provider, and opt for a paid one instead. More arguments for a paid email provider are:

Security

The first and most important argument for using a paid email provider instead of a free one comes down to one word: Security. Because when it comes to email security, the difference between paid and free email services can be a crucial one.

In contrast to free email services, paid email providers prioritize the security and privacy of your emails to ensure that you – and only you – have full access to your account and all the emails and data you receive. So you can get more out of your email experience which is especially useful when you write a lot of emails (either for personal or business communication).

Tuta, an email provider based in Hanover, Germany, is the first quantum-secure and end-to-end encrypted email provider with Zero-Access-Architecture. In other words: With Tuta you can be sure that your emails belong to you – and only you. You can find a pricing overview here.

Storage

With a free email provider comes a limited space of storage – usually 5 GB. Paying for your emails, therefore, not only offers you more and better privacy, but it also offers you more space storage or at least gives you the option to increase your storage volume.

Having enough storage available in your email inbox should not be underestimated as it can be important for allowing you to properly open attachments or images. Especially when you use email communication for your business. Moreover, enough space storage ensures that you can keep your email history and reference elements in the future whenever you would need them.

Reputation

If you’re a freelancer or have a small business who still relies on free email, this could negatively affect your reputation. Given that free email providers limit your email address to their domain, for example, @outlook or @gmail which looks unprofessional.

A private email provider like Tuta, however, allows you to add your own custom domain. Using your own custom domain for your business email communication increases your reputation as it looks more professional. This, in return, can lead to more people trusting you and your business.

You can find more general information how to use Tuta for your business here.

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Support

Sometimes things go wrong or something isn’t working they way it is supposed to. Hence, it can be useful to have someone by your side to help you with your problem. Free email providers often do not provide any support at all or only a very limited one. That is when it is useful to rely on a paid email service since they often offer customer support to help their customers with their problems.

At Tuta, all paid plans include customer support.

The users are in control

At the end of the day, there is one other important difference between free and paid email services. That is the question of who is in control. Paid email providers usually put you, the user, in control because paying for your emails gives you more control of the development of new features or the development in general.

Moreover, you can choose the email provider or the email package that suits your needs, and that of your business, best.

More features

Last but not least, paying for your emails will also allow you to have more features. Features that go beyond the basic email features that free email services usually offer and that will improve your email communication overall.

With Tuta for example, paid personal plans allow you to have email aliasses, custom domains, a family option and much more!

All in all, with a paid email service you can enhance your email experience and get the most out of it.

Wrapping up

In sum: Choosing a paid email provider may take you an extra step but investing in your email communication is worth it. Because not only will you, and your needs, be put first but also you make sure that you own your data, and that the privacy of your email communications is prioritized.

Overall, paying for your email will enhance your email communication and ensure that your emails stay yours – and only yours.