Aster Mail vs Cock.li

Aster Mail is an open-source email service with a free plan and paid tiers. It supports web, desktop, and Android, with an iOS beta on TestFlight; native desktop apps are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Aster Bridge lets desktop mail apps connect over IMAP and SMTP. Mail between Aster accounts is automatically end-to-end encrypted and uses hybrid post-quantum encryption. The free plan costs nothing and includes 10 GB of encrypted storage, five aliases, one custom domain, two mail rules, attachments up to 25 MB per message, and Bridge access; no trial or credit card is required. Aster says its email is hosted in Germany under EU privacy law and that it does not use ads, inbox scanning, or AI on the inbox. QuickSwitch imports mail from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Proton, and other IMAP providers. MBOX mailbox export is free on every plan. Paid plans start at $2.42 a month, billed annually, with the final amount determined at checkout. Aster Mail was founded in 2026 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, United States.

Cock.li is a public email host from Cock.li, founded in 2013, offering email accounts and webmail through the web, Android, and iOS. Its services are free, with the Free plan listed at free. Mail access includes IMAP and POP at mail.cock.li, while XMPP is listed at xmpp.cock.li. Registration does not require personally identifiable information. New accounts cannot send mail until the user completes a browser proof-of-work challenge that uses a few minutes of CPU time. Cock-mail is described as an open-source, client-side webmail client connecting directly to the IMAP server over websockets, but its 0.0.1 alpha release lacks major features including SMTP. The privacy policy says registration details, stored mail, XMPP data, and 48–72 hours of IMAP and SMTP logs may be retained. Email is automatically scanned for spam. Account information is encrypted server-side, but mail may travel without encryption when TLS is unavailable or not attempted.