The Top Free POP and IMAP Email Services

The Top Free POP and IMAP Email Services

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The Top Free POP and IMAP Email Services

Get web-based email using your favorite program

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 14, 2022 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Yahoo! Mail Gmail Many free webmail services offer POP or IMAP access, which lets you quickly and securely download your email to an email client, such as Outlook, Mail, or Thunderbird. We compared email services that support POP and IMAP, and then selected our favorites based on ease of use, compatibility, and features. Here are our picks for the six best free POP and IMAP email services. IMAP and POP are email protocols that help you access your email. Email clients use a number of protocols to send and receive emails. 01 of 06

Best Overall Gmail

S3studio / Getty Images What We Like Excellent malware and virus checks. Very fast delivery time. 15 GB of free online storage space. iOS and Android apps. What We Don't Like Uses labels instead of folders. No undelete option. Hasn't increased free storage capacity since 2013. Read Our Review of Gmail Gmail is Google's approach to email and chat. Generous free online storage lets you collect your messages, and Gmail's simple-but-smart interface helps you find messages and see them in context without effort. Gmail puts contextual advertising next to the emails you read. Gmail offers powerful access to its IMAP and POP mail servers, making it easy for you to access Gmail with an email client. Download For: iOS Android 02 of 06

Best for Business Users Zoho Workplace

Zoho Corp. What We Like View attachments without downloading them. Chat capability with other Workplace users. No advertisements. 5 GB free on a personal account. What We Don't Like Mail rules are limited. Free plan is limited to five users and web access only. You'll need to pay for additional storage. Read Our Review of Zoho Zoho Workplace (formerly Zoho Mail) is a solid email service with ample storage and access using either POP or IMAP. There's also some helpful integration with instant messaging and online office suites. Aimed at business users, Zoho Workplace is a helpful tool for organizing mail, identifying key messages and contacts, and sending often-used replies. Enjoy a free account, or upgrade to a Standard ($3 per month) or Professional ($6 per month) account and gain additional storage and other features. Download For: iOS Android 03 of 06

Best for a Sleek Interface Outlook com

What We Like Clean user interface. 15 GB of free email storage. Add emojis and GIFs to messages. Streamlined search functions. What We Don't Like Daily email sending limits. Attachment file size limit of 34 MB. Small compose window. Read Our Review of Outlook.com Outlook.com is Microsoft's free webmail service. It's not as full-featured as Microsoft's paid services, such as Outlook for Microsoft 365 or Outlook 2019. Still, Outlook.com is a sleek, easy-to-use, and secure webmail service. Outlook.com offers both POP and IMAP access, so it's easy to add your Outlook.com account to a desktop email client. Download For: iOS Android 04 of 06

Best for Organization and Efficiency Yahoo Mail

What We Like 1 TB online storage. Attach or share files saved to any cloud storage service. Block messages from specific senders. Read, send, and organize email from all your email addresses. Easily unsubscribe from junk email senders. What We Don't Like You'll need to purchase a Yahoo Mail Plus subscription for an ad-free experience. Yahoo Mail is a streamlined, free email application that offers 1 TB of free storage. It's stable, responsive, and organized, with a variety of customization options and tools that aim to provide a clutter-free inbox. Yahoo Mail supports both POP and IMAP, so it's easy to connect your email client to your Yahoo Mail account. Download For: iOS Android 05 of 06

Best for Customization AOL Mail


What We Like Unlimited inbox storage. Fast upload speed for large attachments up to 25 MB. Auto-reply feature. Easy to use and personalize. What We Don't Like No way to create alias accounts. Saving drafts isn't automatic. Can't import social media contacts. AOL Mail is AOL's free web-based email service, which is noted for its unlimited online storage, solid spam protection, and sleek, easy-to-use interface. AOL Mail's multiple personalization options include keyboard shortcuts, panel removal, customizing views, folder organization, and much more. It's easy to use POP or IMAP to sync AOL Mail with your email client. Download For: iOS Android 06 of 06

Best for the Apple Universe iCloud Mail

What We Like Accessible from Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android. No advertisements. Free email address. What We Don't Like Can't access other email accounts. Lengthy account setup process. Not accessible via POP. Read Our Review of iCloud Mail iCloud Mail is a free email service from Apple with ample storage, IMAP access, and an elegantly functional web application. iCloud Mail's interface doesn't offer labels or other advanced tools for productivity and organizing mail, doesn't support accessing other email accounts, and isn't accessible via POP. Still, if you're in the Apple universe, a free iCloud Mail account is a handy tool to use with IMAP access. When you create an iCloud Mail email address, access your iCloud Mail email via the Mail app on your iOS device, or via Outlook on a Windows 10 computer. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire 10 Best Free Email Accounts for 2022 How to Use AOL Mail Through an Email Client iCloud Mail Email Service Review 17 Best Free Cloud Storage Services for Backup in 2022 The 5 Best Secure Email Services for 2022 How to Access Your AIM Mail Account via POP or IMAP Zoho Mail Free Email Service: Pros and Cons What Is an Email Client? The Best Email Apps for iPhone 2022 How to Access Yahoo Mail With Outlook The 7 Best Email Apps for Android of 2022 The 8 Best Gmail Alternatives of 2022 Outlook.com vs. Gmail: Which Email Service is Best? How to Get a Free Zoho Email Account Here Are the IMAP Settings You Need to Set Up Gmail How to Enable IMAP in Zoho Mail Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies
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