Best paid email provider w/POP and IMAP that isn't Gmail?
March 23, 2013 6:46 PM Subscribe
Does anyone have any recommendations on a good but cheapish (under $50/year) email provider?
So right now I am using Yahoo Mail Plus, and although they haven't completely annoyed me, I feel like there are better options out there. I don't like the Gmail threaded conversation format so Gmail and anything with that same format is out. I am considering buying a domain so any of those options would be great too.
Other requirements:
-Live chat customer support. It doesn't need to be 24/7 or anything, just normal hours, and decent service.
-Automatic filters. I have a bunch of filters set up so that emails from certain people or with certain subjects get put automatically into certain folders.
-Lots of storage space. I have around 5GB of email in my Yahoo account that I would want to move to my new account, so 10GB of space should be big enough.
-No ads.
I looked at some older posts, but I thought there would be new recommendations/ideas.
Thanks!
So right now I am using Yahoo Mail Plus, and although they haven't completely annoyed me, I feel like there are better options out there. I don't like the Gmail threaded conversation format so Gmail and anything with that same format is out. I am considering buying a domain so any of those options would be great too.
Other requirements:
-Live chat customer support. It doesn't need to be 24/7 or anything, just normal hours, and decent service.
-Automatic filters. I have a bunch of filters set up so that emails from certain people or with certain subjects get put automatically into certain folders.
-Lots of storage space. I have around 5GB of email in my Yahoo account that I would want to move to my new account, so 10GB of space should be big enough.
-No ads.
I looked at some older posts, but I thought there would be new recommendations/ideas.
Thanks!
Get Gmail, and turn off the threaded conversation format (it's a basic built-in setting that just defaults to on).
posted by brainmouse at 6:51 PM on March 23, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by brainmouse at 6:51 PM on March 23, 2013 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I'm w. fastmail.
Fastmail enhanced account will give you filters, 10gb space, and no ads, for $40/year, but not live support. My own experience w. fastmail support (when I've had to use it, which is not very often) has been okay, not great. There is a very good community of users, so in the very rare instances when I've had problems, I've gotten answers faster in the user forums than from fastmail support.
Service in general has been very good and reliable.
posted by ManInSuit at 6:52 PM on March 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Fastmail enhanced account will give you filters, 10gb space, and no ads, for $40/year, but not live support. My own experience w. fastmail support (when I've had to use it, which is not very often) has been okay, not great. There is a very good community of users, so in the very rare instances when I've had problems, I've gotten answers faster in the user forums than from fastmail support.
Service in general has been very good and reliable.
posted by ManInSuit at 6:52 PM on March 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
(And if I were starting all over again, I'm not sure I wouldn't just use gmail. I originally signed up for fastmail because back then gmail did not offer imap...)
posted by ManInSuit at 6:55 PM on March 23, 2013
posted by ManInSuit at 6:55 PM on March 23, 2013
Why does the gmail threading format matter if you're using IMAP?
posted by primethyme at 6:56 PM on March 23, 2013
posted by primethyme at 6:56 PM on March 23, 2013
Response by poster: I use it as webmail on my main machine, but I want the POP/IMAP options for my mobile devices.
posted by meganreeves at 6:57 PM on March 23, 2013
posted by meganreeves at 6:57 PM on March 23, 2013
If its just the threading issue with gmail, like brainmouse says its just a setting. Settings -> "Conversation View Off".
posted by wildcrdj at 7:43 PM on March 23, 2013
posted by wildcrdj at 7:43 PM on March 23, 2013
I've been using Fastmail since 2004. I love them for their level of communication. They have user forums, a news blog, and a status blog. Their servers are hosted at NYI, which also has its own status blog (and more impressively, stayed on during Hurricane Sandy).
I'm not sure if they have live customer support, but having all these blogs in my RSS feeder has certainly been very helpful.
Conversations can be turned off under Account --> Settings.
posted by invisible ink at 8:31 PM on March 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure if they have live customer support, but having all these blogs in my RSS feeder has certainly been very helpful.
Conversations can be turned off under Account --> Settings.
posted by invisible ink at 8:31 PM on March 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Doesn't Pair have a plan? They're fantastic.
posted by wenestvedt at 2:17 PM on March 24, 2013
posted by wenestvedt at 2:17 PM on March 24, 2013
I have my complaints about the new Fastmail webmail interface: unread and flag buttons are small and in weird spots, especially when in a message, reply all is buried in a menu, they pre-pend -- to your signature, setting are now a confusing mess, and it is easy to make mistakes in the threaded messages such as deleting all or moving all instead of just one message. The old interface is still available with a checkbox at the login screen.
All that said it is still the best choice out there and I'll add another vote for them.
posted by ridogi at 7:12 PM on March 26, 2013
All that said it is still the best choice out there and I'll add another vote for them.
posted by ridogi at 7:12 PM on March 26, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by spiderskull at 6:51 PM on March 23, 2013