I need to change ISPs and need to find a new email provider. This time I want to move to my own domain which I purchased through Namecheap and I do not want to use another ISP’s email system nor do I want to use Google, or Microsoft since I am Linux (and Android too) based. I would like this to be US based or at least have a strong US presence so obvious choices like Proton Mail, Mailfence, and Mailbox.org are out. I would prefer it interoperate well with FOSS software too, I use Thunderbird and K-9 Mail for example. Also so want them to be trustworthy, have good security, and have good OpSec with respect to their their servers and service.

After looking I find three I am considering and they are quite different:

  • Fastmail. Long history. No PGP support but they do have their own domains one can use also.
  • Namecheap Private Email. Uses Ox App Suite, may support PGP, and quite new. I think you have to have your own domain (not sure).
  • Forward Email (forwardemail.net). A forwarder with IMAP support. You supply the webmail if you want webmail, but otherwise it should work fine with IMAP and normal clients.

So questions:

  • Any thoughts and experience, pros and cons with the above 3.
  • Other better ideas.

So thoughts? Thanks.

  • Zier
    2•3 months ago

    Pay for hosting through Namecheap (lowest tier price) and use your domain there through cPanel in your hosting interface. Don’t use their email only offering, it’s more expensive. All you need to do is set up the domain and email addresses. You don’t need to actually host a website. They have a web interface, but I use a client (Thunderbird).

    • flatbieldOPEnglish
      1•3 months ago

      Interesting. So to confirm, your saying in the hosting panel I can configure it and they have SMTP, IMAP, and Webmail servers that they maintain I can use? No need to setup a VPS for it?

      • Zier
        1•3 months ago

        Correct. This is web-hosting email. I personally only use POP3, but it has it all. This is a sample help link. https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/271/2186/cpanel-email-account-setup-in-thunderbird/ And this is the general FAQ https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/subcategory/31/cpanel-email-faqs/

        Just a FYI, if you are sending too much email, or doing mailing lists you will get dinged. High volumes need more expensive accounts. The FAQ has more info. I would suggest the Stellar or Stellar Plus for Shared Hosting. I have an older discontinued plan that gives me a few more email addresses, but otherwise it’s the same rebranded.

        The cost for a year of Hosting $44.88 plus your Domain renewal ($15-22) a year depending on your TLD is cheaper than most providers that do email only. I personally always recommend Namesilo for domain registrations.

        • flatbieldOPEnglish
          1•3 months ago

          This is really helpful. Especially the FAQ. Few questions:

          • Web Mail SSL Certs with Roundcube? One of the articles said something about TLS connection issues.

          • spam filtering… is that included or configurable?

          • SPF, DKIM, … is that included or configurable.

          • CalDAVand WebDAV address book and calendar sync. Possible? Not a deal breaker as we currently replicate another way through our lan Nextcloud server.

          • Their SMTP server reputation? Any issues?

          For what it is worth I use POP3 with my existing provider. Like not keeping my mail there. Our pattern is to just pull not delete on our phones and pull and delete on our workstations. Feels Like we need to move to IMAP though so we do not have to review our mail twice. Also feels like we have to push SPAM filtering upstream. Thunderbird has great filtering but K9 Mail does not.

          Thanks.

          • Zier
            1•3 months ago

            I never use webmail so I can’t answer. There is a spam filter but I have not had to use it since it changed. It’s located in the cPanel, not email. I never get spam, ever. I believe that SPF and DKIM are there in cPanel, you can search that in the knowledgebase where the FAQ is. Pretty sure the the cal/webDAV are there, I don’t ever use those. I personally prefer POP3 because IMAP always polls your devices if the client is open and that can drain resources and batteries. Plus I only have certain email address on certain devices. That’s just me. I have never had problems using Namecheap for email. It’s been 11 years of excellent service. Also their customer service is speedy and smart. They have a pretty good reputation. I had Hostgator for a few years before they were bought by EIG which is a shady craphole. Also stay away from GoDaddy. I have over time looked into other web hosts, but nothing compared to what I was getting for the price or my needs. I also set up a family member because their ISP had such garbage email service. I find that paying for my email and using my own domains are much better because I don’t have to be subjected to ads or data harvesting. Plus I get whatever email address I want.

            • flatbieldOPEnglish
              1•3 months ago

              Thanks so much.

              I listen to Security Now. Steve always groans when GoDaddy and Network Associates come up.

              On another topic. Have you ever looked at Namecheap VPS service? For that I am with Linode but they were bought by Akami. Nothing has really changed yet. Actually maybe some more options but I worry about the enshitifacation phase that may come. Hoping for the best but thinking of options.

              • Zier
                1•3 months ago

                Your welcome. I used to use grc.com when I was a windows user, but Kubuntu is my home now. Love Steve, very talented. I’m not a VPS person so I have no experience with their offering. It’s always good to look at options even if you are not planning to transition to another product. You never know when it will all break. And it’s nice to see what the marketplace is offering. Tech changes so fast anyway.