Stiftung Warentest: Test: Lohnen sich kostenpflichtige E-Mail-Anbieter?

When the free storage quota of an email account is depleted, users must consider their next steps. They can delete old emails with large attachments, switch to a paid tariff, or search for an offer that provides more storage space free of charge. The variety of offers is substantial, as demonstrated by a comparison conducted by the Stiftung Warentest (issue 9/26).

These range from corporations like Microsoft (Outlook), Apple (iCloud +), and Google (Gmail), to German market leaders such as GMX, T-Online, or Web.de, as well as smaller providers that prioritize privacy, such as Posteo, Mailbox, and Tuta from Germany, and Proton from Switzerland. The test compared a total of 18 email providers, with eight of them being free and ten being paid.

Of the latter, users must pay between just over a euro and five euros per month. Four paid providers scored a "Good," while the remaining six received a "Satisfactory" in the test. The eight tested free offers all received a "Satisfactory" overall. The top three positions among the paid providers were occupied as follows: Posteo took the top spot with a score of 1.7, Mailbox (Light tariff) came in second with a score of 1.8, and Web.de (MailPlus tariff) secured the third place with a score of 2.4.

The top three positions among the free offers were as follows: GMX (Freemail tariff) was rated first with a score of 2.6, T-Online (Freemail tariff) was second with a score of 2.7, and Web.de (Freemail tariff) was third with a score of 2.8. Regarding the question of whether it's worthwhile to spend money on email accounts, it depends on the amount of storage space and the additional features offered.

While paid options promise more storage, better performance, improved support, or an enhanced user experience, the cost-effectiveness varies. In terms of storage capacity, paid providers offer between 2 gigabytes (GB) and 100 GB in the mailbox, while free offers only range from 1 GB to 15 GB. Furthermore, the test also examined privacy aspects and potential issues in terms of terms and conditions and data protection policies.

The Stiftung Warentest concluded that for users who prioritize privacy, the two paid providers Posteo and Mailbox are recommended, as they achieved the top two positions in the overall ranking.