Posteo is the German email provider that costs €1 per month, has been doing encrypted email since 2009, and remains stubbornly under-marketed in English-speaking privacy circles. For users on a tight budget who want a serious encrypted email service, Posteo is the cheapest defensible option.
What Posteo is
Posteo is operated by Posteo e.K., a Berlin-based company founded in 2009. Privately held, founder-led, and structurally aligned with privacy values. The company is one of the few email providers that publicly commits to environmentally-sustainable operation (powered by green energy, member of the Renewable Energy Hamburg).
Pricing is straightforward: €1 per month (€12 per year) for the basic account with 2 GB storage, expandable in 1 GB increments at €0.25 per GB per month. Custom domain support costs €1 per month additional. Aliases and additional email addresses cost €0.10 per alias per month.
The infrastructure is in Germany. GDPR applies. The company publishes regular transparency reports detailing legal requests received.
What Posteo does well
The pricing is the lowest in the serious encrypted email category. €12 per year for basic email is a third of what ProtonMail Plus costs and a third of Tutanota Revolutionary.
The encryption story is comprehensive. Posteo offers PGP integration, IMAP TLS, optional inbox encryption (server-side encryption with your password as the key), DANE/DNSSEC for transport encryption, and various other technical security measures.
IMAP and SMTP support is standard. Use any email client (Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook) with Posteo without restrictions.
The transparency is genuine. Detailed terms, clear privacy policy, regular legal-request reports.
The environmental angle is real. For users who care about the energy footprint of their digital services, Posteo is one of the few email providers that can credibly claim sustainable operation.
The company is small, focused, and has been operating consistently for over a decade with consistent values.
What Posteo does less well
The storage is genuinely limited. 2 GB base is not much by 2026 standards. Expansion is available but at €3 per month for 12 GB total (€36/year), which approaches the cost of competitors with much more storage included.
The interface is functional but dated. The Posteo web client is German-engineering-aesthetic, which means it works correctly but is not delightful.
Custom domains cost extra (€1/month). For users who want their own domain, total cost climbs to €24/year, which is closer to ProtonMail Plus pricing.
The mobile app is essentially non-existent. Posteo recommends using standard mobile email clients via IMAP. This works fine but lacks the dedicated app polish that ProtonMail or Tutanota offer.
The bundled features are minimal. Calendar (CalDAV) and contacts (CardDAV) are available, but there is no encrypted file storage, no VPN, no password manager, no document editing.
The English documentation is incomplete. While the interface supports English, German is the first-class language for documentation and support.
The brand recognition is essentially zero outside German privacy circles.
Comparison with the close alternatives
| Feature | Posteo | ProtonMail Plus | Tutanota Revolutionary | Mailbox.org |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | €12 (basic) | €48 | €36 | €36 |
| Storage included | 2 GB | 15 GB | 20 GB | 30 GB |
| Custom domain | +€12/year | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IMAP/SMTP | Yes | Via Bridge | No | Yes |
| Mobile apps | Use IMAP | Excellent | Functional | Functional |
| Office suite | No | No | No | Yes |
| File storage | No | Separate Drive | Separate Drive | Yes |
Posteo is the cheapest if you only want basic email. Mailbox.org wins on features-per-euro for full office suite. ProtonMail wins on polish and bundling.
Use cases where Posteo wins
You want the cheapest serious encrypted email and you do not need a custom domain.
You will use IMAP/SMTP with standard email clients.
You value the environmental and transparency story.
You do not need bundled file storage, calendar features beyond CalDAV, or office tools.
You are willing to accept lower polish and dated interfaces for the cost savings.
Use cases where Posteo loses
You need significant storage. €36/year for 12 GB versus competitors with more storage at the same price.
You want polished mobile apps. ProtonMail wins.
You want bundled office suite. Mailbox.org.
You need brand recognition for the email address.
You want the bundled-with-VPN-and-Drive Proton ecosystem.
A specific recommendation
For users on the tightest budget who want serious encrypted email: Posteo basic at €12/year is the right answer.
For users who want a serious encrypted email plus office suite at low cost: Mailbox.org Standard at €36/year.
For users who want polished mobile apps and the bundled product suite: ProtonMail Plus at €48/year (or Unlimited at €120/year for the full bundle).
For users who specifically want subject line encryption: Tutanota Revolutionary at €36/year.
For most readers of this site: ProtonMail or Tutanota are more practical recommendations. Posteo is for the specific user whose primary criterion is absolute lowest cost while remaining a serious option.
Posteo | ProtonMail | Tutanota
Related: The day I left Gmail, Tutanota in 2026, Mailbox.org review