Gmail Alternatives: Discover Benefits of the Top 5 [List]

While Gmail is a leading free web-based mail service, there are now many other alternatives that you can choose from. Right now, Google Gmail has more than 170 million users and this article is going to cover the top five alternatives that you have available right now.

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Yahoo Mail

This service is usually the other main web-based mail service that people use, when they want to use Gmail. It is as popular and famous as Gmail. In a survey from 2010, it was found that over 280 million users use yahoo mail. In fact, based on these figures, it is the biggest mail service online. If you want to use yahoo mail, then you can choose between the Classic and the new version. The major difference is that the Classic version is older but much better with spam protection, however it is less attractive on the eye.

Windows Live Hotmail

This also used to be known as MSN Hotmail, and it is the most popular free web-based email service, as of 2010. It had 360 million users in 2010. The advantage over Gmail is that is it very easy and simple to use. You also get a large storage space of 250GB with your free account. It also helps users as you can attach files of up to 10mb.

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AOL Mail

This is another good alternative and comes with an unlimited amount of space. With this free service, you also get 16mb as an attachment limit. You can use IMAP, but POP3 is not supported with AOL Mail.

Thunderbird

This is known as a multi platform email client, and it is very easy to install. Thunderbird is a system that automatically updates and protects its users from phishing attacks. This free email system also works hard to reduce any spam, and also allows for a number of add-ons that are very useful for users.

Inbox.com

Inbox.com brings a fast service for users and it brings 5GB of storage space for anyone who signs up. It also comes with a very nice interface, and also has a bunch of spam and virus filters, which is a very important function today. The other great thing with Inbox.com is that your emails can be accessed through a desktop mail program using POP.

Make no mistake about it…Gmail is pretty awesome.  But for those who just don’t like Gmail, don’t like Google’s Big Brother presence, or who just want to experiment with other technologies, it will pay off to experiment with these 5 alternatives for a few minutes.  A few minutes of testing may mean that you find the email solution you’ve been looking for.

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Pat Lindle is the IT Manager and social media manager at metal deck fabrication company DMAC Industries.  Pat experiments with various technologies in his steel decking business to improve efficiencies and communication.

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