Mailfence vs Posteo

Mailfence is a secure and private email service based in Belgium, operating under strict European privacy law where only local judges with a court order can request user information. It provides end-to-end OpenPGP-compatible encryption and digital signatures, with encryption happening in the browser so that even Mailfence cannot read user emails.

Posteo is an independent, Berlin-based email service that runs entirely on green energy and never displays ads or tracks users. It bundles email with calendar, address book, and notes functionality, and lets people sign up anonymously without providing personal information.

• Belgium-based with strong legal privacy protections requiring a local court order for data requests
• Full productivity suite (email, calendar, documents, contacts) included even on paid tiers, not sold as separate add-ons
• Supports standard protocols (IMAP/SMTP/POP/EAS) so it works with third-party mail clients, unlike some encrypted email rivals
• Long track record, with the service originally launched in 1999

• No ads or tracking, funded purely by subscriptions
• Anonymous signup protects user privacy
• Bundled encrypted calendar and contacts included
• Runs entirely on green energy

• Free plan storage is very limited at 1 GB total
• Paid plans are billed annually in most cases rather than offering flexible monthly billing
• Encryption only works fully between Mailfence users or via manual OpenPGP key exchange, not automatically with all outside recipients

• Storage starts small at 4 GB before upgrades
• No free tier available
• Fewer productivity integrations than mainstream providers