If you're looking for a free e-mail service, you have a ton of options at your fingertips. Hundreds of providers offer free e-mail, because advertising in e-mail is a big source of revenue for many providers.
The difference between free e-mail and paid e-mail is advertising. Free e-mail providers place banners in the software, or send e-mails to users that contain links to sponsors' products and services. Because there are so many competing services, providers offer a range of features to entice users to sign up. These features may include increased storage space, spam filtering, the ability to combine existing e-mail services and the ability to use external e-mail software, such as Microsoft Outlook, to access your account. Many Web hosting providers offer free e-mail as part of a Web hosting package, giving you the option to create one or many e-mail accounts with specialized domain names. You can also get a free account from many Internet service providers, such as Comcast.
Advertising Supported
Free e-mail services get their revenue by advertising in your Inbox. Some services feature several advertising banners, including large banners at the top of the screen and wide banners on either side of the screen. Sometimes these banners expand to fill your screen until you click a designated spot, or force you to watch an advertisement before allowing you to access your e-mail. Other free e-mail providers feature small text advertisements that are much less obtrusive than overwhelming Flash banners.
Google e-mail, or Gmail, is a great example of an unobtrusive provider because the advertising consists of only a small text banner at the top of the screen or a text-based side panel next to the e-mails that you read. Gmail uses contextual advertising that uses keywords in what you're reading to decide which ads to display. Gmail's advertising services can actually be a great way to find useful information.
Web-Based, POP and IMAP E-mail
Free e-mail providers use several formats for their services: Web-based access, POP or IMAP. The most basic choice is Web-based access that lets you send and receive messages through any computer with an Internet connection. Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail are all examples of Web-based services.
On the plus side, you can check your e-mail from almost anywhere in the world. On the down side, features tend to be limited and there are limits on the number and size of attachments you can send. You'll also need to remember to log out of your account if you're on a shared computer to keep prying eyes at bay.
Software-based e-mail offers more features and fewer restrictions on attachments. To use a software-based solution, you'll need to find a provider that offers POP or IMAP services. POP is the most basic remote-access protocol, and it requires you to download messages and attachments to your computer in order to view them. The IMAP protocol will let you to view some data, such as the subject or the body of a message, without actually downloading the file, though you'll still need to download attachments. IMAP services are the optimal free e-mail choice for people who receive a high volume of junk e-mail or people with dial-up Internet services, because IMAP allows you to delete e-mails you don't need to see without taking the time to download them first.
Some high-end free e-mail providers, such as Gmail, offer both Web and software options for free. Some services, such as Hotmail, can only work with specific software, such as Microsoft Outlook. Other free e-mail providers, like Yahoo Mail, offer Web-based e-mail at no charge but require you to upgrade to a paid plan to use POP or IMAP services.
Mailbox Size and Spam Filtering
With hundreds of free e-mail providers out there, it can take a long time to find one that meets your needs. Before you start evaluating the features, narrow your choices by comparing mailbox size and spam filtering.
Some free e-mail providers offer unlimited mailbox storage space, while others only offer one or two gigabytes of storage. If you receive a lot of attachments or want to keep extensive, ongoing records, it's important to have as much storage space as you can get. Even if your free e-mail program offers plenty of storage, look at the size limits for attachments. Gmail has a 25MB size limit, while other free e-mail services support 50MB attachment sizes or higher.
Spam filtering is another important feature to consider when choosing a provider. Checking your mail can be frustrating if you receive hundreds of messages and have to read each one to determine whether it's spam or it's legitimate. Many free e-mail providers include spam filtering, which may or may not work effectively. Gmail is popular for great spam filtering, while Yahoo Mail has a host of great features but a less effective spam filter.
Beyond E-mail: Additional Features
With so many free e-mail providers out there, it's a good idea to shop around for the features you want. Free e-mail providers want you as a client, so many of them develop specific features or interfaces that appeal to their clients.
AOL e-mail, for example, offers the ability to send instant messages to other AIM users directly from your e-mail screen, as well as offering unlimited e-mail storage, an integrated calendar to create event reminders or to-do lists and advanced spam filtering. Yahoo Mail also offers unlimited storage space, and many users love Yahoo's ability to subscribe to RSS news feeds from your My Yahoo page.
One feature that's growing in popularity in today's mobile world is e-mail that you can access on your cell phone. If you need to be able to check your e-mail while you're on the road or away from a computer, this is a must-have feature.
 | Whether you're a member of multiple social-networking websites, or simply have a lot of friends and family to keep in touch with, you'll need one of the best free e-mail accounts with awesome features, plenty of storage and easy organization. While you can find many free e-mail services out there, be sure to compare email accounts because only a few incorporate the features of organization and social networking to make your life easier and make managing your groups a breeze. |
 | Who is the best free email provider for small business owners? Most small businesses have limited budgets and a small or non-existent IT team, so finding the best free e-mail accounts is a big priority. How can you get free e-mail management and still look professional to your customers? It's all about appearances. |
Tips to control spam and keep it from clogging up your inbox. |
Free email accounts offer a number of benefits, including easy accessibility from other computers and the ability to keep your email address when changing to a new internet service provider. However, free email account providers vary in features, quality, and reliability, so some thought should be given to the particular service you are going to use. |
There are many free email accounts available on the internet. Internet email is handy because it can be accessed from any internet-connected computer. There aren't many differences between the free email accounts, and they are all easy to set up. |
