Email you pay for, not with

Every ask, newest first

Each line is an AI paraphrase of what the writer wanted. The link goes to their own words on Hacker News.

Reader’s note. Many are plain 'what should I move to' asks.

1. Oct 2026Wants a European Gmail alternative built around GDPR and EU law. Read it: a comment in “Google is silently linking your phone number across all signed-in accounts”
2. Apr 2026Wants an email provider with strong spam filtering that actually honours the mark-as-spam action. Read it: a comment in “Google broke its promise to me – now ICE has my data”
3. Oct 2025Would happily pay for an email service that escapes Gmail's degraded experience. Read it: a comment in “Gmail will no longer support checking emails from third-party accounts via POP”
4. Jul 2025Wants a paid email provider with 24/7 phone support, willing to pay for peace of mind. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: Who Is the Best Paid Email Provider? Why?”
5. Nov 2023Wants a mainstream-feeling paid email provider, finding only Fastmail large and the rest too small to trust. Read it: a comment in “Tutanota is now Tuta”
6. Apr 2023Wants an alternative to Google Workspace after suffering broken links and endless support loops. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: Viable Alternatives to Gsuite”
7. Nov 2022Wants a Gmail replacement recommendation after being locked out over phone verification. Read it: a comment in “Tell HN: I can't login to Gmail due to phone cannot be used for verification”
8. Sep 2022Wants a Fastmail-like email service with password-encrypted inbox, bulk import/export, custom domains and plain IMAP. Read it: a comment in “Integrating with Fastmail”
9. Jun 2022Would pay 2-3 euros monthly for a cut-down email service, finding current prices too high. Read it: a comment in “700M users and Premium”
10. Mar 2022Wants an EU-based, privacy-minded email host with plain IMAP and contacts and calendar working on Apple devices. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: How to move away from Google”
11. Feb 2022Wants recommendations for commercial email providers. Read it: a comment in “Tell HN: YouTube and how my wife lost 7 years of work”
12. Jun 2021Wants a Gmail alternative, after a friend was permanently locked out by a security trigger. Read it: a comment in “Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know”
13. Jan 2020Wants an email service recommendation to leave Gmail without picking one they end up disliking. Read it: a comment in “Every Google result now looks like an ad”
14. May 2019Wants a paid email host with excellent spam filtering and reliable delivery, instead of Rackspace or G Suite. Read it: a post: “Best paid email hosting service in 2019?”
15. Feb 2019Wants a privacy-respecting alternative to Fastmail while trying to leave Gmail. Read it: a comment in “FastMail loses customers, faces calls to move over anti-encryption laws”
16. Jan 2019Wants an alternative to a grandfathered G Suite account facing new pricing. Read it: a comment in “New Pricing for G Suite Basic and Business Editions”
17. Sep 2018Wants a good Gmail alternative, having already left Chrome. Read it: a comment in “Disable Google Chrome Sign In and Sync”
18. Jul 2018Wants cheaper competition to Fastmail, finding its pricing too high. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: Low-maintenance alternatives to Gmail?”
19. Oct 2016Wants a cheaper IMAP host for a custom domain, finding Fastmail pricey, and not Gmail or self-hosted. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: Good email host?”
20. Jul 2015Wants a privacy-minded, durable paid email provider with old mail import, for themselves and later their parents. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: Where to switch from Gmail?”
21. Mar 2014Would pay for an affordable email service with solid privacy and encryption, hosted outside America. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: Do we need another email service?”
22. Dec 2012Would pay $50 or more yearly for spam-free personal email protected from governments and data mining. Read it: a comment in “Google Apps stops accepting free sign-ups”
23. Aug 2012Wants a Gmail-quality email service without the privacy baggage. Read it: a comment in “Gmail in personal search results”
24. Dec 2011Wants a Gmail alternative with IMAP, 5GB or more storage and conversation grouping. Read it: a comment in “Why Google+ will become Google's only product”
25. Oct 2011Would pay for a DuckDuckGo-style Gmail replacement with big inbox, speed, good spam protection and no data selling. Read it: a comment in “Jwz: Google's pseudonym support "obvious bullshit"”
26. Oct 2011Would pay for a Gmail alternative that stays free of Google social product intrusion. Read it: a comment in “It’s official: Google+ will be connected to everything”
27. Jan 2011Wants a secure, ad-free email service, wary of ad-borne security problems in Gmail. Read it: a comment in “Google Begins Testing Display Ads in Gmail - The Atlantic”
28. Sep 2010Wants a secure paid Gmail alternative with fewer privacy worries. Read it: a comment in “Mining social networks”