Editorial staff
Everyone is used to free Google mail by now — it’s the most common mail service in the world. It’s seamlessly integrated into the large Google ecosystem, it’s convenient and safe… or does it only seem so? It’s not 2004 anymore; there are plenty of free email providers out there that offer services competitive to Google or even better. Site.pro, Zoho Mail, FastMail, Proton, and many others clear Gmail in terms of privacy and speed.
It’s time to stop settling for the minimum. Here’s why you should migrate your mail and ditch Gmail.
Google Reads Your Mail
And no, that’s not some conspiracy theory, that’s the reality we live in. It’s no secret that most online services, especially the free ones, are not actually free. Instead of money, you pay with your personal information that corporations use for marketing purposes. And Google, one of the biggest IT corporations in the world, is no exception.
Not only does Google read your mail, it also allows third-party companies and developers to peek into it. In 2018, it permitted a company named Return Path to gain access to more than 8,000 emails. This case was documented in a Wall Street Journal article.
Nowadays, Google scans your mail with its AI to, allegedly, prevent spam and malware. Google claims that it doesn’t use the information from emails to personalize ads, but it’s still not the most trustworthy source of information.
Problems With Compatibility
Gmail works best in the Google Chrome browser, and we all know its issues — it literally eats into your device’s RAM. It’s slow, unresponsive, unpleasant to use, and prone to freezing. Not to mention how it barely protects your device from malware.
Apple Mail users know all too well how inconvenient Gmail can be. Firstly, email drafts don’t synchronize across accounts on iOS. Secondly, you can’t even create new mailboxes within Apple Mail.
Ads, Ads, Ads
They are impossible to ignore — you log in to your mail account, and you see advert banners. Google wants to take the most out of its free service, so it will annoy you with ads using the information it gets from your search queries and location.
No Privacy
Talking about getting your information, Google is notorious for its flawed privacy. It may not directly gather data from your emails for ads, but it can easily track it from different sources. It shares information regarding your user ID, watched ads, and location. It goes as far as the service not actually letting users turn off location tracking. In 2023, Google had to pay almost $400,000 in a privacy settlement with 40 states of the US.
You definitely don’t want to give away even more personal information than you already do. Almost no online service is perfectly ethical regarding this subject, but Gmail, and Google in general, is one of the worst examples in terms of privacy.
Undeniable Monopoly
Google seeks to monopolize the online sector, starting with its search engine that virtually became synonymous with the notion of search engines to the digital ads. Your online identity is tied closely to your Google account — you can log in almost anywhere with Google, so if you somehow lose access to your account, it will have a huge impact on your life. Years of correspondence, passwords, access to other services, your files stored on Google Drive — everything will be lost.
Of course, using the Google ecosystem seems convenient, so most people don’t think about potential problems that might arise at some point. However, it’s possible that you have already started noticing that Gmail, as well as Google itself, is getting worse. So, maybe it’s finally time to look for other solutions from smaller companies.
Alternatives to Gmail
There are plenty of more private email services that will keep your mail safe and organized. These three are the best alternatives to Gmail.
Site.pro
For whom: businesses and regular users
Site.pro is a multifunctional tool that has a simple and secure email service, but also accounting software and a website builder. Site.pro protects its users from phishing and spam using DMARC policy. It also protects your mail from spoofing attacks and forged emails.
Site.pro’s mailbox is free: it provides auto-reply and auto-forwarding, allows synchronization among devices, and total email migration from other services. You can move your entire correspondence history to Site.pro.
If you need more storage space, want to increase sending limits, or a unique domain you can purchase a paid plan. For professional branding, getting your own domain through reliable domain registration services is one of the smartest moves you can make. Site.pro plans start at C$2.20/month, making it an affordable and safe choice.
How to Set Up Your Mailbox:
- Register on Site.pro
- Go to ‘My Websites’;
- Press ‘Add Mailbox’;
- Enter your email name, domain name, and create a password;
- Click ‘Create’;
- Access your email by clicking the ‘Webmail’ button.
To upgrade your mailbox to a paid plan, click ‘Upgrade’, choose a plan, and complete the payment.
To migrate your mail to Site.pro, go to the ‘My Websites’ page. After that, add your domain and create a Site.pro mailbox. Then add email DNS records and configure domain settings. Back up your email from your previous email service and import the data by uploading the files on Site.pro.
Zoho Mail
For whom: small and medium businesses
Zoho is a flexible and modern email service that has everything for easy correspondence management. It integrates to-do lists and a calendar, and has an offline mode to read your mail without Internet access. It is worth noting that Zoho is ad-free, too. Zoho holds up to the most recent security protocols to protect its users from malware and spam.
Mobile functionality remains limited and a bit clunky, but overall it’s a solid email service with affordable pricing.
FastMail
For whom: professionals and big businesses
FastMail is one of the premium solutions for email organizing. It allows for email migration, is ad-free, and supports custom domains. It is known for its robust security and great email filters. Users note that its interface is intuitive. However, all of these things come with a price. FastMail is not the cheapest option, demanding at least C$8/month. Unlike previous services, FastMail doesn’t offer a free plan — only a 30-day trial period.
Conclusion
Gmail used to be one of the best email services, period, but right now it’s been compromised way too many times. Besides, in 2025 there are more than enough great alternatives both to Google and its mail. Still, most people stick to Gmail out of habit. But the less competition a product has, the less likely it is to improve. So, maybe it is time to ditch Gmail and stop giving your data to Google for free.
Editorial staff
