Best POP e-mail provider?

August 19, 2011 11:32 AM

Can you give me a good recommendation for a reliable, cheap-ish POP3 e-mail hosting solution?

I'm thinking about shutting down my website, which I don't have any real need for anymore. However my domain name is paid up for a few years and I would like to keep my e-mail addresses. I did a Google search for "Pop email hosting" and was a tad overwhelmed at all of the choices. So I need some recommendations!

Do you have an awesome, cheap(ish) pop e-mail provider that you would recommend? Have you had a rotten experience with one that you would definitely not recommend? I don't mind paying a few bucks a month if it means I can get an ad-free service (looks like maybe $20/year is a good benchmark). I have about four or five e-mail addresses that I use regularly, but could probably use aliases. Bonus points if this mail host can also provide domain registration services as part of the deal, allowing me to move my domain reg services away from GoDaddy.

I have reviewed a few previous Askme's on this subject, but some are several years old and I imagine a lot of it is out of date now. Thanks in advance!

posted by stennieville to computers & internet (9 answers total)

Is there a reason you need/want an actual email address rather than just forwarding it to another account? I have a number of addresses, but all end up in my gmail inbox, and when I hit Reply, it comes from my alias'd address, not my address @gmail.com.
posted by Tomorrowful at 11:34 AM on August 19, 2011

Get a gmail domain account (free for non-commercial use). Point your MX record at it per their instructions. Use gmail as your POP provider with the side benefit of it having a nice web interface.
posted by introp at 11:37 AM on August 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Have you considered using Google Apps? The free tier gives you up to 10 email addresses at your domain, gmail-style, including support for POP3 and IMAP access.
posted by strangecargo at 11:39 AM on August 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

What they said about Google. I have a bunch of domains and all my services are hosted on Google Apps, which is a one-click setup option through Dreamhost and so is very easy for me to do, but there are many other means to the same end.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:08 PM on August 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh, but if you didn't want to go that route for whatever reason, my employer has some POP3 addresses through Rackspace. The mail servers had a couple of wobbles earlier this summer but it was no more than 5-10 minutes' inconvenience and I think it might be pretty cheap for just a couple of addresses.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:10 PM on August 19, 2011

I've been happy with Pobox.com. They can do basic redirection, or host the mailbox for you. I've been using them for mailbox hosting for several years without issues.
posted by bitmage at 12:28 PM on August 19, 2011

I'm very fond of Opera-owned fastmail.fm.
posted by JakeWalker at 4:45 PM on August 19, 2011

I'm using Google apps for a client's small enterprise. Works very well.
posted by humboldt32 at 5:20 PM on August 19, 2011

Thanks all. I already have a gmail account, which I'd like to keep completely separate from my domain e-mails, so I don't want to go the forwarding or Google Apps route. I'd either be tasked with integrating them, or having to log out of one and into the other.

Fastmail was on my short list already, and Pobox.com is one I'd forgotten about. I'll check them out -- Rackspace too. Other recommendations welcome.
posted by stennieville at 12:14 PM on August 20, 2011