Ask HN: Best private email on your own domain in 2022?

6 points by slavoingilizov 3 years ago | 8 comments

It seems that these days email isn't just a means of communication, but it also serves as our identity. I've been using Gmail forever, but trust Google less and less given their stance on privacy. I also finally started caring enough about owning my own domain so I'm not at the mercy of Google if they decide to change T&C at some point in the future.

Having looked at options available, I'm not sure what a good email solution would look like. It seems I can go for Google Workspaces, but that isn't solving the trust problem. (side question - if I have my own server, but use Gmail as client, would google still read my data?). Fastmail has good reviews, but I'm not sure if spam and ease of use would be ok? If you have migrated away from Google, MS or Yahoo and started hosting yourself of using a private paid-for email solution, what would you recommend?

Here is a short-ish list of my requirements:

- Own domain (@my-own.com, not @gmail.com)

- Good spam filtering

- Secure (and trustable)

- No issues with deliverability or blacklisting

- As hassle-free as possible. I want to pay to avoid setting up my own servers

theandrewbailey 3 years ago |

I've been using Fastmail[0] for a year and a half, and I'm a satisfied customer. I have my own domain set up with DKIM, and I haven't had anyone say they didn't get something. I set up a catch all alias, and canary trap[1] the email addresses I give out, so I can tell who gave an address to spammers. So far, the email address I put in my RSS feeds has been the only one that gets spam, and Fastmail identified each one correctly.

[0] https://www.fastmail.com/

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_trap

sacrosanct 3 years ago |

> I've been using Gmail forever, but trust Google less and less given their stance on privacy

You can have the best of both worlds and have both a self-hosted option with custom domain alongside a Gmail account.

One caveat to custom domains is they can be reclaimed after you die / get incarcerated / go into a coma.

With a Gmail account protected with MFA nobody gets in except you, and it's locked away forever even after you're unable to access it due to unforeseen circumstances.

As for Google and privacy: the trick is to limit the scope of what they can collect. Don't surf whilst logged into a Google account, don't setup Youtube channels, don't use Android, use iOS instead or even better, GrapheneOS. Use DuckDuckGo for search, etc

pwg 3 years ago |

> if I have my own server, but use Gmail as client, would google still read my data?

The answer here would be "yes", at least from the "is it possible" viewpoint.

> If you have migrated away

Never had to migrate away, because never utilized one of the "free providers". When I purchased my own domain (circa 2001) I self hosted my email from the start, and it is still self hosted.

Do note that if you communicate with anyone who uses gmail (or one of the other providers, although they are fading) that google (or the other provider) can "read your email" -- as in they can read the part you sent to their user, and the replies their user sent back to you. Making it hard to fully avoid them being able to read some subset of your emails.

takoid 3 years ago |

Can’t go wrong with Fastmail: https://fastmail.com/

skwee357 3 years ago |

I'm like you, in a process to migrate (mostly) away from Gmail to my own domain(s).

I've been settled on Fastmail[0] right now.

[0]https://www.fastmail.com/

lioeters 3 years ago |

https://www.migadu.com/

photoGrant 3 years ago |

I brought my own domain from google services to apple. It's working out okay!

mattl 3 years ago |

https://www.hey.com/domains/

Been using this for a while now. I love it. Makes me a lot more productive with e-mail too.