Aster Mail vs OwnMail

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.

OwnMail is an encrypted email service for Android, iOS, and the web, with user-controlled keys, custom domains, and an AI assistant. The service says messages use hybrid RSA and ML-KEM-768 encryption. Users can create unlimited aliases and send or receive through any alias. The assistant answers natural-language inbox questions, can be disabled, and runs inside the encrypted mailbox without training on user data. A free account provides an @ownmail.ai address and 1 GB of encrypted storage without a credit card. The Free plan costs nothing, billed monthly, and includes core features subject to fair use with limited AI history and daily queries. Essential costs $4.99 a month for 10 GB of searchable encrypted history; Pro costs $9.99 a month for 50 GB. Users can export or delete data and download mailboxes in standard formats. Attachments can reach 200 MB. Gmail import maps labels to folders. The Progressive Web App installs from a browser, works offline, and supports fingerprint or Face ID unlock. A 14-day trial is listed.