Free E-Mail

 

In this section, the best general-purpose free E-mail services on the Web. These services are all totally free and are usually supported by advertising. Even if you already have an E-mail account on your home computer, a Web-based E-mail account can be very handy for corresponding when you're on the road.

 

  • MailStart.Com - This nifty free service allows you to use your browser to read your E-mail, reply, forward, delete and send new messages, making your E-mail accessible from anywhere. There's no need to obtain a different E-mail address or to have your mail forwarded; this system is a gateway that actually contacts your mail server and converts the content to HTML allowing easy access to your regular E-mail.
  • Personal Connections - This advertising supported service offers free E-mail, with your own personalized address, as well as many other cool features, such as online business cards, home pages and an "online whiteboard" (which is your own notice board, where you have a useful place to jot down your ideas, store your Internet "clippings" and publicly share your news).
  • Net@ddress - This outstanding service offers you a permanent E-mail address that never changes--even if you change Internet Service Providers. This service lets you send and retrieve E-mail through your browser. If you don’t want to read your E-mail through the Web, you can use your favorite POP3 (that’s technical talk for Post Office Protocol) mail client to retrieve your stored mail from Net@ddress. They also feature mail forwarding.
  • AmExMail - This is another great free Web-based E-mail service. With AmExMail, you can have a permanent E-mail address, so if you move, change ISPs or switch jobs, you'll always get your mail. AmExMail also offers message forwarding, as well as junk mail blocking, filters and mail collection from multiple accounts.
  • EMUmail - This is a POP client that lets you check your existing E-mail account using only a Web browser. Check your E-mail anytime, anywhere, with no need to sign up for an account. Useful for those who connect to the Net through a firewall.
  • On134th.com - This service offers free E-mail services. Both E-mail alias/forwarding and true POP3/SMTP services are available. Web-based is promised soon. One nice thing about this service is that they display no annoying ads on your messages.
  • HotMail - A very popular (over 6 million users) free Web-based E-mail service that's supported by advertising. HoTMail offers mail filtering that allows you to direct mail into folders and gives you the ability to check up to four POP accounts at once. You can add up to 20 recipients per message. HoTMail also offers a nice address book. No spamming allowed. HotMail was recently purchased by Microsoft (I don't know if that's good news or bad news!)
  • MailCity - A good, free E-mail service. Features easy user interface, folders to organize your mail, unlimited mailbox size, MIME file attachments, a good address book and an interesting auto-response feature to deliver replies when you're on vacation. MailCity also offers a mail collection feature (that is, this service will gather your E-mail from other POP3 E-mail accounts).
  • Populus Lifetime E-mail - Are you annoyed by the problem of changing E-mail addresses every time you switch Internet Service Providers, jobs or schools? Populus allows you to have a free permanent e-mail address. When a message arrives to your Populus address, it is automatically forwarded to whichever E-mail address is currently listed in your Populus entry.
  • iName Free E-mail - This helpful service lets you read your E-mail on the Web or through your favorite E-mail program. You can also forward your messages anywhere. You also get to choose your own unique E-mail address
  • MauiMail - MauiMail offers Web-based POP3 E-mail with an interface that isn't cluttered and confusing. It's simple and easy to use and is custom configurable. Also includes an address book and signature editor.
  • Yahoo! Mail - Yahoo! Mail allows you to access your personal E-mail from any Net-connected computer: in offices, homes, libraries, anywhere. This service offers a number of features and lets you: organize mail into folders, search & filter your mail, attach files, create an address book, etc.
  • MailExcite - Free Web-based E-mail, available through any Internet connection -- anytime, anywhere.
  • Supernews - These guys offer free Web-based E-mail with now-standard features, including the ability to sort your mail into folders. Also offered in French, German and Spanish.
  • Lycos E-mail - The popular search engine Lycos has gotten in on the free E-mail act. Here, you can access your own private E-mail account from any computer worldwide.
  • Crosswinds Internet Communications - Sign up for your free E-mail account. "Real" and forwarded E-mail supported. This service may not be used to send spam, or mailing lists, however, other commercial purposes are allowed, as long as they are not for mass mailing purposes.
  • My Own Email - This service offers over 200 personalized domain names to choose from. Domains include: your-house.com, 1internetdrive.com, cowboysfan.com, most-wanted.com, and many more. Also, you can check your new address from the Web or have it forwarded to an existing address.
  • GoPlay E-mail - This site offers easy-to-use and fast Web-based free E-mail service.
  • Bigfoot - Among the services that Bigfoot offers are: A free, lifetime, E-mail address; customized E-mail delivery; E-mail control and functionality and a way to "Just Say No!" to junk E-mail. Bigfoot has recently begun offering new features such as free autoresponders (E-mails that are automatically sent to your visitors in your absense) and reminder services, to remind you of birthdays, appointments, etc.
  • RocketMail - Free Web-based, globally accessible E-mail service. Many features, including spell checking, multimedia attachments, remote mail account (POP) access, HTML support and signature blocks. Each account gets 3 megs of storage space. If your box starts to get full, RocketMail will send you warning messages. RocketMail offers a nice, speedy interface that integrates into the comprehensive Four11 directory service.
  • Juno - Juno provides E-mail service to anyone in the United States and Puerto Rico with access to a personal computer and a modem, and it provides this service at no cost to its members. To take advantage of the free service, members must install on their computers a software package developed by Juno available here
  • NetForward - A free, permanent, portable E-mail service. With this service, you will never go through the hassles of changing your address with your friends and family, business associates, etc. NetForward also allows you to choose your own custom domain so your E-mail address can read (for example): CyberJunkie.com, The18thHole.com, TheWaterCooler.com, etc.
  • NetForward - A service that automatically forwards your E-mail wherever you tell it.
  • GeoCities - This service offered by GeoCities gives you a free home page, 3 megs of space and a free E-mail account.