Free Email Frequently Asked Questions

How can free email be free?

Most free email providers make their money by showing you advertisements, such as graphical banners that you see as you collect your mail from their site, text messages that appear at the end of your email messages, pop-up and pop-under ads, or by sending advertiser messages directly to your emailbox. Occasionally, smaller providers offer free email as a community service, without any advertising. Finally, some large sites offer free email as an attempt to lure visitors back to their site again and again. NOTE: The free email industry has been feeling the pinch of the collapse in Internet advertising, with many free email providers closing down or switching to for-fee services.

Is there a catch?

In the sense of "are there any hidden fees?" the answer is usually no. Of course, you have to be willing to put up with the advertising, which can get excessive, especially as free email providers get more desperate about monetizing their user base! Also, remember that the Web changes very quickly, and some providers disappear literally overnight. If possible, give your most important contacts a second way to get in touch so that they will never lose contact with you, and keep backup copies of significant emails and contact information.

Can I have more than one free email address?

Sure! There are hundreds and hundreds of companies listed on this site, and if you wanted to you could sign up with all of them... You'd probably have a hard time keeping all those email addresses straight, though!

I don't have a computer. Do I need one to use a free email service?

If you use a web-based email service, then all you need to get access to your email is a web browser. That means that as long as you can find a computer connected to the internet (such as a in a library or cybercafe, or at a friend's house) you'll be able to get at your email.

What if I have a computer, but I don't want to pay for an internet connection?

If you live in a country in which companies offer free internet access then as long as you have a modem you should be able to connect to the Internet and hence get your email.

I'm looking for a VERY secure email service. Do you know of any?

While the service is no longer free, you should consider HushMail, since they offer 1024-bit encryption on email messages exchanged with other HushMail users. To my knowledge, no free providers that offer this level of security.

Ok, I'm ready to choose a free email address. Where do I start?

If you're not sure what kind of free email you need, this guide will help. Alternatively, you can browse through the email providers listed on this site by choosing one of the links in the "EMAIL LISTINGS" box at the top left of this page.

Can you recommend a specific email provider?

While I generally stop short of endorsing a particular provider, both Runbox and Fastmail have merited their own dedicated discussion forums through their exemplary attention to customer service, their reputation for reliability, and their continuous drive to refine and improve their respective services. Both companies have devoted user-bases and are highly respected in the industry.

Types of Email Service

There are some type of email service.
You know a Yahoo mail, Gmail, Lycos and Hotmail those area a free service of email. All of them are a Web base email. It is mean that you only read trough website. Bellow will describe several email service;

WEB-BASED EMAIL
Web-based email services enable you to access your email via your web browser. You log into your email account via the Web to send and retrieve email. Free services usually feature banner ads, and often pop-ups as well.

POP3 EMAIL
POP email services store your email on a remote server. You can connect to the server at any time and download your mail into your favourite email software package. Generally, with POP3 mail, you download all new messages in one operation onto your local computer.

IMAP EMAIL
IMAP email services offer extremely powerful control over your email. Like POP3 mail (above), IMAP works with your email client to retrieve email from a remote server. Unlike POP3, IMAP lets you have granular control over your email, since you can view message subjects before downloading them, and choose which emails to download on a case by case basis. IMAP will also allow you to synchronize your mail folders between your local computer and the IMAP server of your email provider, so that you will see the same folders and messages wherever you happen to log into your mailbox.

EMAIL FORWARDING
Email forwarding services automatically redirect all email sent to your new email forwarding address to an existing email address that you specify, in essence passing the messages on instantly to their destination. Because forwarding services don't store your email, you'll need to have an alternate email address to act as the receiver account.

EMAIL PROVIDERS IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Free email is global! Here is a wide selection of email providers offering their services in languages other than English

For further info for this click here