EmailBest Reviewed
Webmail
- Best free webmail service Gmail *Est. $0
- Familiar interface, unlimited email storage Yahoo! Mail *Est. $0
- Customizable webmail Windows Live Hotmail *Est. $0
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Customizable webmail
- Customizable display
- Drag-and-drop folders
- Switches nicely among email accounts
- Good integration with Windows Live features
- Big ads unless you upgrade to paid version
- Lags a bit behind in features
- 5 GB storage limit unless you upgrade
April 2009. Windows Live Hotmail earns kudos for a display that's easy to customize, not only with colors but with placement of the reading pane. You can switch easily among email accounts, and reviews say this webmail service is easy to use. It's especially recommended if you like other Windows Live products, since some integration with them is built in. A new Quick-Add pane makes it easy to search for information you want to add to an email while writing it. A paid version, Windows Live Hotmail Plus (*est. $20 per year) adds more storage, larger attachment sizes and eliminates ads from other companies, though you still receive tips and information about other Microsoft products. For speed and free features, however, reviews generally express a preference for Gmail, despite a different interface that some might find hard to get used to.
As the No. 2 webmail provider, Windows Live Hotmail is covered in nearly all the comparison reviews we found. The reviews and ratings at About.com are undated, but compare Windows Live Hotmail with more webmail providers than any other resource. The comparison reviews and ratings at Web User and WindowsSecrets.com are clearly up to date, while the older reviews at WebWorkerDaily.com and TechCrunch.com are also helpful.
Our Sources
1. About.com
Though Windows Live Hotmail seems to rank 10th on this list of the best free email services, it actually earns the same rating (four on a five-point scale) as Yahoo! Mail -- but a bit lower than Gmail. Windows Live Hotmail earns praise for ease of use plus free POP support. The review says it lacks folders for organizing email, but that you actually can create folders to do this. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two do not share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Windows Live Hotmail -- Free Email Service, Heinz Tschabitscher
2. WebUser
This short, but recent, review of Windows Live Hotmail in the English magazine WebUser praises its ease of use. However, it rates it lower than Gmail and Yahoo! Mail based on a comparison of features and performance.
Review: Windows Live Mail Review, Mark Wilson, Mar. 2008
This review notes that if you have multiple email accounts, Windows Live Hotmail is the webmail that makes it easiest to switch among them. The reviewer gives nearly the same rating to Windows Live Hotmail that it gives to the free version of Yahoo! Mail, but notes that Gmail is fastest.
Review: Yahoo Mail's Makeover Gives It the Webmail Edge, Scott Dunn, July 24, 2008
Windows Live Hotmail loses points in this three-way comparison review for big ads and for playing catch-up when it comes to features. Judi Sohn says that unless you have a Hotmail address you are attached to, it's time to move on to other choices. Gmail is called the winner by "a mile."
Review: Head to Head: Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail, Judi Sohn, May 2007
Michael Arrington compares the three leading webmail services. Gmail is rated best overall, but he notes that Yahoo! Mail and Windows Live Hotmail will be familiar to many users since they work very much like Outlook.
Review: A Comparison of Live Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail, Michael Arrington, Feb. 8, 2007
