Note: Times are changing! When we created this list we intended to help users to select the BEST service from hundreds of good and FREE email providers. Meanwhile most free email services have stopped operating or started charging a fee even for their most basic email accounts. As our users tell us, this has made this list more important than ever: We list the few remaining email providers that offer GOOD service and at least a basic FREE POP/SMTP account.

In order to provide you with the best possible selection of free email accounts, we no longer restrict our selection to providers with an English user interface. In fact, our current No. 1 free email service is GMX, a German company. They provide an excellent free email account once you struggled through their German registration dialogs.
TOP Name Description
1

http://www.gmx.co.uk

 GMX is a very good and RELIABLE email provider. Since GMX is the biggest provider of free email in Germany it is for sure here to stay. Note: Unfortunately GMX discontinued their English language service lately. They now only maintain the German user interface.  Tip: You can use a free Online translation services or a dictionary for help with the German sign-up form. We think that GMX is so good, it is worth the sign-up trouble!

POP3: pop.gmx.net 
SMTP: mail.gmx.net , 
Remark1: "POP before SMTP" or SMTP authentication needed
Remark2: Your POP log-in name is your account number, something like 378800 or your FULL email address (and not your user name)
2 HotPOP

http://www.HotPOP.com

 

 Easy setup and works ok - and that is more than you can expect with most free email services. Note that the free account has a 500 KB size limit for email messages.

POP3: pop.hotpop.com, 
SMTP: mail.hotpop.com

Remark: "POP before SMTP" authentication is used
3

http://www.softhome.net

 

 Simple low graphics website, email works as advertised. 

POP3:  pop.softhome.net, 
SMTP: smtp.softhome.net

 
4 Nettaxi

http://www.nettaxi.com

 

Good SMTP service. Simple setup & quite reliable. 

POP3: pop1.nettaxi.com 
SMTP: mail1.nettaxi.com

We heard some rumors that they are discontinuing their POP service soon. 

 
5 Want to suggest a service? Please let us know here.  

You think you know an EVEN BETTER free email account provider ? Please let us know about it and WHY do you think it is better. If we choose to take it into our TOP 5 list you will receive a FREE registration of an iOpus utility of your choice (rsp. your money back if you are are already a registered user.) The most crucial point we look for in an email service is reliability, i. e. it should be available 24h a day and 365 days a year.

Here is a list of services that were suggested to us lately and that are queued for testing:

Want to suggest a service? Please let us know here.

And here is a list of email services that we tested recently already and rejected them, i. e. they did not make it into the "iOpus' TOP 5 List of free SMTP / POP3 email providers" or they were removed from it (like ZXMAIL) because their service got worse. Please note that these rejected services might still be good and useful. They simply did not make it into our "TOP 5" list, i. e. they are - according to our opinion and tests - not better than any of the 5 free email providers in the IOPUS's TOP 5 list.

 

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