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Webmail Services

You should have an e-mail address which is NOT provided by your Internet Service Provider! We've compiled a list of the most popular FREE webmail services.

 

Why do I need an independent e-mail address?

PERMANENCE

Here's a very common scenario:

Pat e-mailed her resume to XYZ Inc. to apply for a job. She used an e-mail address provided by her Internet Service Provider. Two weeks later she finds a great ISP (through ISPbargains.com!) and changes services. Pat no longer has access to her old ISP e-mail. XYZ eventually sends a reply but gets an error message stating Pat's e-mail address does not exist!

If Pat had used an independent webmail address, not her ISP e-mail address, she would have received the important reply from XYZ Inc.

ANONYMITY

Use a webmail address to subscribe to newsletters, respond to special offers, register for online services, sign up for clubs or groups, etc. The best feature of webmail is you can simply delete the account and create a new webmail identity if you no longer want e-mail and spam sent to that address.

ACCESSIBILITY

You can access your webmail account from any computer that has access to the Internet. At work, school, on vacation - anywhere.

Webmail Features You Should Seek

LARGE MAILBOX

Storage capacity should be at least 100 MB. Especially important if the webmail service you use does not offer POP3 access.

LARGE ATTACHMENTS

Maximum attachment size for incoming and outgoing e-mail should be at least 5 MB.

POP3 ACCESS

Download e-mail from your webmail account to your computer's e-mail client. It gives you the freedom to read, compose and manage e-mail when you are not connected to the Internet. The webmail service may also include the option to automatically forward e-mail (via POP3) from your webmail service to any other e-mail account.

SMTP ACCESS

The ability to use your computer's e-mail client to send e-mail addressed from your webmail account, rather than visiting the webmail site to compose and send e-mail.

RETRIEVE OTHER POP3 E-MAIL

Allows you to configure your webmail account to upload e-mail from other POP3 accounts.

SPAM FILTER

Spam filtering is a must! Flexible controls is a major plus.

VIRUS SCANNER

Server-side virus protection is a necessary feature, if you want to download POP3 e-mail to your computer.

RICH TEXT FORMAT

HTML allows creativity when composing messages. Change font type, size and color. Add background color or themes and graphics. Plain text e-mails can be rather boring...

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Popular Free Webmail Services

-- ranked by mailbox size --

Free
Webmail
Provider
Mailbox
Size
Maximum
E-mail
Size
POP3
Access
SMTP
Access
Retrieve
Other
POP3
Hotmail
2 GB
10 MB
No
No
No
AOL
2 GB
16 MB
No
No
No
Lycos
3 GB
Unlimited
No
No
Yes
Inbox
5 GB
20 MB
Yes*
Yes*
Yes
Yahoo
Unlimited
10 MB
No
No
Yes
Gmail
Unlimited
20 MB
Yes
Yes
Yes

*"Inbox.com POP3/SMTP access is now in beta-testing stage, and thus is provided at no cost. After beta-testing is completed, terms of use of this service may change."

Free webmail services are supported by advertising revenue. You may see ads when you log-in to your webmail service. You may also find solicitations for products in your mailbox. Your outgoing e-mail might include a tagline (a short text advertisement at the bottom of your outgoing messages).

Exposure to advertising is the price you pay for free webmail. If you can tolerate the advertising, a free webmail account is a frugal way to communicate online.

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Popular Annual Subscription Webmail

Tired of webmail supported by advertising? Maybe you should consider one of these paid subscription webmail services...

RUNBOX

Absolutely the most powerful webmail service reviewed by us! 10 GB (10,240 MB) mailbox. Access your e-mail on any device via Web, POP3, IMAP, SMTP, WAP, SMS, and more. Send and receive large messages up to 100 MB. 2.5 GB bandwidth allowed per week. Use any "From" and "Reply-to" address. Anti-spam and virus filtering. $49.95/year. 30 day limited free trial.

LYCOS MAIL PLUS

5 GB e-mail storage. Unlimited file size attachments. Ad-free service. POP3 access for other email clients. Account preservation. $19.95/year.

WINDOWS LIVE HOTMAIL PLUS

10 GB mailbox. Up to 20 MB attachments. No account expiration. No graphical ads. $19.95/year.

YAHOO! MAIL PLUS

Unlimited mailbox, POP3 access and mail forwarding. Send and receive text and attachments up to 20 MB per message. Spam and virus filters. $19.99/year.

MAILSNARE

2 GB mailbox with secure POP3/SMTP/IMAP. E-mail forwarding. SPAM and virus filtering. HTML composer (IE5.5+). Many more features. $19.95/year.

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