Free Webmail

Best free email services and low-cost upgrades

Among the most established webmail providers, Yahoo! Mail has by far the most users (nearly 92 million), trailed by Windows Live Hotmail and AOL Mail. However, statistics reported in reviews at Geek.com and at TechCrunch show that Gmail (also known as Google Mail) is growing much faster than any of them. The most recent reviews often rank Gmail as the best webmail service as well.

Most webmail uses drag-and-drop folders to let the user organize emails. Gmail, by contrast, is designed especially for people who get hundreds of emails a day. Instead of folders, the user can apply multiple colored tags (called labels). Not surprisingly, reviews say the search function built into Gmail is superb. As with most webmail, you can set up filters for incoming mail, but Gmail automatically organizes the inbox by connecting related messages into threads. This makes it easy to continue a conversation.

Gmail also earns kudos for unobtrusive text ads that appear only with incoming email, not messages the user sends out. Other advantages are the free POP (post office protocol) support that lets you download messages to an email client such as Outlook, Windows Mail or Apple Mail, plus IMAP (Internet message access protocol) support that synchronizes desktop or mobile device email clients with the webmail service. Recently, Gmail added a feature called Offline Gmail that automatically transfers recent emails to your computer so you can access them even when not connected to the net. Offline GMail also automatically syncs locally stored mail with mail kept on the server. An "unsend" feature, which holds the email for a few seconds after you hit send -- giving you the chance to snatch something back you sent in error or in haste -- is also newly added

After Gmail, we found the most current recommendations for Windows Live Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail. Both are available in free and paid versions, called, respectively, Windows Live Hotmail Plus (*est. $20 per year) and Yahoo! Mail Plus (*est. $20 per year). The paid versions offer more storage and features than their free counterparts, and eliminate advertising.

Like Gmail, the free version of Windows Live Hotmail also offers POP support, but to get this with Yahoo! Mail requires stepping up to the paid version. Neither service offers IMAP support at all. AOL Mail does, but reviews say it lags behind the other major providers in features and performance.

All three alternatives to Gmail display graphic ads that reviews say can be annoying. As noted earlier, you can get rid of advertising in the paid versions -- to a point. For example, while ads from other companies are eliminated in Windows Live Hotmail Plus, you do still receive the "benefit" of tips and product information from Microsoft. Yahoo! Mail Plus does remove all ads, however.

Still, Yahoo! Mail and Windows Live Hotmail offer some unique advantages. Both offer preview panes, while Gmail just provides a short snippet. Yahoo! Mail is the only webmail provider to offer unlimited storage -- though reviews say this isn't a deal maker for most users. (Gmail offers over 7 GB and keeps increasing it; Windows Live Hotmail offers 5 GB in the free version, 10 GB in the paid one.) The paid versions also ramp up the size of the attachments you can send, from 10 MB to 20 MB -- but Gmail gives you 20 MB attachments free.

More important, say reviewers, is that some people simply find the more familiar folder-style interface at Yahoo! Mail and Windows Live Hotmail easier to use. Gmail's interface is wonderful experts say -- but only after you get used to it.

Yahoo! Mail builds in lots of features right into the webmail interface. Reviews praise the way the program integrates maps, calendar, instant messaging, and more. For example, you can read news groups right from the webmail page. Gmail and Windows Live Hotmail connect with RSS readers, but it takes an extra step to get there.

Windows Live Hotmail offers more options for customizing the display than Yahoo! Mail. In addition to choosing colors (an option at all the major webmail providers), you can move the reading pane where you prefer it. Reviews also praise the way this program makes it easy to move between different email accounts. If you have several accounts and like the other features at Windows Live -- Windows Messenger, for example -- reviews say this webmail is a fine choice. You can download messages to Outlook or Outlook Express even from the free version.

We found a few reviews of a new contender, GMX -- which stands for Global Mail Exchange. Based on a February, 2009 review, GMX is the top-ranked webmail provider at Web User, with a perfect five-star rating that even beats that of Gmail. Like Gmail, GMX offers IMAP synchronization with offline email programs, but adds some little touches that Gmail lacks. For example, you have more complete control of the spam filter, and can set an expiration date on your vacation auto-responder. A June, 2008 review at Laptop magazine also gives GMX a glowing review. The only drawback seems to be the 5 GB storage limit -- but reviewers say this should be more than enough space for most users. An April 2008 review at GadgetTell.com is more restrained, saying GMX has excellent features but concluding that Gmail is still the webmail to beat.