EMAIL PROVIDERS:

1. Posteo - Their choice of domain
2. Mailbox - Custom domain, free trial
3. Runbox - Custom domain, free trial

DEFINITELY FREE TIERS:

4. Tuta - Focused on security and resisting influence, but incoming mail can only be accessed by the Tuta client (because of their e2ee)
5. GMX - Apparently has ads
6. Zoho - Business focused
7. Proton - Feels walled garden-esque, has one email for free, may cooperate with governments

Proton Mail, Tuta mail, runbox.com, to name three.

Have a look at Proton and Tuta (used to be Tutanova)

I've been using fastmail.com for a long time and am satisfied, though it's on the expensive side and I haven't looked into every alternative.

If you want cheap email hosting for your own domain, mxroute.com has been around for a while and cranemail.com is new, but both are small companies run by people who know what they are doing (online acquaintances of mine if that matters).

I've started using Disroot recently and I'm satisfied so far.

Purelymail. Really good and cheap it all you need is email. No extra cost to bring your own domain.

Not a recomendation... i just like to recall that it seems pointless to me to use a private/secure mail provider just to end up communicating with gmail users. There are other private/secure means of communication over the internet, just not so much through emails.

Tuta

Murena Workspace

Tuta mail

I've been using Tuta for almost two years now and I can't recommend it enough. It's really good. Check out tutanota@lemmy.world or https://tuta.com/

It's hosted in Germany and is very privacy-focused

I'm far from a privacy expert, but here are some things that I have been considering while researching this for myself:

• Zero-knowledge encryption providers like Proton and Tuta are great for privacy at the expense of convenience, like possibly not being able to use common IMAP email clients. Proton has a bridge app for their paid plans that allows this on Windows and Mac but not Linux or mobile, and last time I checked, Tuta doesn't have this on any platform. This means that your email can only be accessed from their client, and more importantly, if a bridge app is not available for your provider on your preferred platform, all your email will be stuck in your mailbox forever with no ability to archive locally.
• What are the privacy, security, and law enforcement/intelligence cooperation policies of the provider and country where the provider's legal entity and IT infrastructure are located? If located in a country with bad policies, spying on your email is much easier, especially if it's not a zero-knowledge encryption provider.
• While using the provider's own domain for your address is better than using a custom domain, most providers appear to have a policy of making your address available to others after you leave them. Mailbox, Posteo, and Fastmail do this. One of the only providers I've found that has a policy of not doing this is Runbox.
• Does the provider have a good reputation for email deliverability? This is a tricky one that requires some research. First, look at the provider's DMARC policies with a tool like DMARC Check Tool. Mailbox and Runbox appear to pass all tests, but Posteo and Fastmail fail the DMARC quarantine/reject policy test, which apparently makes it easier to spoof your email and could make your emails less likely to be delivered. Also search the web for comments on users' experience with email delivery, like " email delivery issues", to find out what people have said.

I can't attest to privacy, but I have used Zoho for years with my domains.

'Safe' is a bit too vague: what are you looking for?

• If you just need an email that doesn't belong to GAFAM and is not subjected to US privacy-less laws but need no extra security (no end to end encryption): Infomaniak KSuite(Swiss) is available both as a free plan (20GB email + 15GB Cloud free) and as a paid version (unlimited email storage and 1To Cloud). They also offer just the email, if you don't need cloud: Kmail ;) . There is also mailbox.org (Germany)
• End to end encryption: Tuta (German), Proton (Swiss).

Edit: moved mailbox out of the E2EE section.

Proton mail.

i've been using purelymail.com since the google domains price hikes. They're cheap and I never had a problem.

Nobody mentioning fastmail...sad times

I’ve been usingPrivate Email for the last few years. Run by NameCheap, I think. Got the account same time as my domain. No complaints so far. Haven’t heard anything troubling about them either.

It has a web ui if that’s your thing, but I’ve never used it.

Soverin

proton.me is not bad.

I use Disroot. Idk if sign-ups are always open though.

using disroot for a few years now, they're very reliable.

Proton mail

Find a local mail-hotel, buy your own domain, and set it up...

Late to the thread but I use startmail