StartMail Review

Although there are other private email services, StartMail stands apart thanks to certain features such as its server-side encryption. It also allows you to send and receive PGP messages from other users who have PGP configured, even if they don’t have a StartMail account. Another reason why StartMail will appeal to those who want a high level of security and privacy for their email conversations is the fact that it has locations outside the United States, which keeps it away from interference from well-known privacy enemies such as the NSA. StartMail is also very easy to use and it ensures that your emails are protected with encryption. Since security and privacy are major concerns right now, services that offer protection against online threats are in high demand. This is why StartMail and similar options have become very popular. Apart from offering a secure email solution, StartMail also has a search engine that will allow you to keep your online searches safe. We’ll find out more about StartMail in this review.

Plans

There are two packages available and StartMail also offers a free trial that allows you to test the service fro 7 days. Once the trial period ends, you have the option to upgrade to the Personal or Business plan. Both plans costs $59.95 per year, but they offer different features. The Personal plan gives you 10GB personal vault, 10 custom aliases, PGP email encryption, as many disposable aliases as you want and it supports IMAP. The Business plan also comes with PGP email encryption, IMAP support, as well as custom and disposable aliases. In addition, it offers the possibility of administering mailboxes from a central location and you get 10 GB email storage per mailbox.

Caractéristiques

The possibility of creating up to 10 custom aliases and as many disposable aliases as you need is one of the most practical features that StartMail offers. This gives you the chance to use alternative usernames when you don’t want to show your real one. Thanks to IMAP support, you can connect StartMail to the email client that you normally use. Security is StartMail’s priority, which is why it applies methods that will ensure that your emails are kept private. They use a Question and Answer feature to authenticate your messages. With this feature, the sender asks a question that only the message’s intended recipient is able to answer.

When you want to send a message using StartMail, you will need to set up a secret question that only the person you are sending the message to can answer. If needed, you can agree an alternative method (phone, by person, instant message) to send the answer to the recipient. The key is to choose a question that only that person can answer. If you need added privacy, you can use key cryptography. You just need to specific a PGP password, which in general would be different from your account password. Then StartMail will set up the public and private keys that you need and from then on, all the messages sent to StartMail users will be encrypted using PGP.

When a message is sent, the recipient gets a link and a notification. The link prompts them to decrypt and view the message and once they click on it, they will see a secure page that requires them to answer the secret question before they continue. What they need to do in this case is to enter the answer to the question and then click on decrypt message. It is only possible to reply the message through the StartMail website. Your privacy is improved by the fact that there is no evidence left of the existence of that communication. The Question and Answer feature is used along PGP (Pretty Good Privacy).

With StartMail, you can set up PGP public and private keys to encrypt messages. This allows you to send and receive PGP messages from people who have PGP set up, even if they don’t have StartMail accounts. It is crucial that you always use the Question and Answer encryption method when you send messages to people who don’t use StartMail. StartMail uses PGP, a security system that is known for having great security services. However, PGP is not easy to use, which has affected its popularity. Thankfully, StartMail is focused on simplifying PGP to make its service easy to use.

You can send PGP messages to people who use StartMail and to those who don’t. When you send a PGP Message to a StartMail user, all that it takes is a single click for the software to automatically encrypt all your messages, as long as PGP is configured on both ends. In order to find out if your recipient has set up PGP, you need to check the question answer box. If you don’t see it, it means that the recipient has PGP configured. If you are sending a message to someone who doesn’t use StartMail, you have to get their public keys and import it to Start Mail. This is the same process for all recipients and they can send you their public keys, or you can look for them in a public key database.

Another useful feature that StartMail offers is the possibility of using alternative email address instead of your real email address. You can also use disposable or temporary email addresses, which are handy when you need to register for a service or on a website, but don’t want to provide your real email address. You can create as many disposable email as you want and you can also decide for how long should they last. With StartMail, you also get IMAP support, which is a standard email protocol that keeps email messages on a mail server. It allows the end user to see and manipulate the messages like if they were stored locally on the device of the end user. Configuring your StarMail account to use IMAP is simple and you will be able to organize messages into folders, mark messages as read, highlight them according to importance, use multiple client applications and more.

With StartMail, you can save up to 5000 contacts and create multiple contact groups that allows you to stay in touch with people in that grope at the same time. This is practical for updating work colleagues about a project, or inviting friends to an event. You can also add a personal signature to your emails. In terms of support, StartMail offers a comprehensive knowledge base where you can find useful information. You can also discuss your queries, share information and find help in the forums, or contact the support team for dedicated assistance.

Conclusion

StartMail is a secure solution that offers flexibility to protect the privacy of your email conversations. You can create disposable and custom aliases and with the Question and Answer authentication, you can protect the messages sent to any recipient. While there are free alternatives available, StartMail is worth considering since it offers a high level of protection and reliable performance. It simplifies encryption and allows you to enjoy peace of mind when you send personal or business emails. StartMail offers a good combination of functionality, simplicity and security.