5 Best Email Encryption Software Ranked by Features
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Key notes
- Email encryption software is extremely important nowadays because digital correspondence has never been more endangered.
- These solutions practically scramble the contents of the message so they cannot be read by anyone who intercepts it.
- Sometimes, the email client comes with encryption but there are also add-ons that can enhance its security.
These days, the majority of today’s correspondence is carried out through email even though there are a lot of alternative cloud platforms for that.
At the same time, this can also attract a potential threat to the users’ privacy and security. Data loss and sensitive information leakage via email are some of the most pressing concerns for most users and especially businesses.
Hence, confidentiality and confidence are vital factors for organizations and typical users alike. This is where email encryption enters the scene.
How can the email encryption software help me?
Email encryption software is basically scrambling the contents of your message so that even if it’s intercepted it cannot be read by the attackers.
At this point, the importance of mail encryption is undeniable, and fortunately, the market is filled with open source privacy software that can provide it.
However, you can also employ an email-scanning software tool to remove malware and protect your PC from any email-driven attack.
Here are the best email encryption software tools along with their set of features and advantages.
What is the best encrypted email service to get?
ProtonMail – Great encryption
ProtonMail is a great service that can encrypt your emails. This email provider is located in Switzerland and, therefore, it has to comply with strict Swiss privacy laws.
The service offers end-to-end encryption, meaning that only you and your recipient can decrypt and read each other’s emails. Your email messages will remain encrypted from third parties and even from the ProtonMail servers.
It’s worth mentioning that this service doesn’t require any personal information in order to register, and even your IP address won’t be logged, so your privacy will remain protected.
The service is completely free and simple to use, and thanks to the modern design, you won’t have any issues getting used to ProtonMail.
Overall, ProtonMail is a great email encryption service, and it’s available for free. The service is available on multiple platforms including Android, iOS, Web.
Unfortunately, there’s no desktop client available, but that’s not a major problem for most users.
We have to mention that the Free version has limitations in terms of storage, the number of email addresses, and messages that you can send per day.
So, if you want to remove those limitations, you might want to consider getting a yearly subscription plan.
Let’s quickly look at its key features:
- Open source and free (with certain limitations)
- End-to-end encryption
- No log policy
- Easy to use and modern design
- Availability on iOS, Android, and Web
ProtonMail
Secure your emails with end-to-end encryption and enjoy Swiss-grade privacy.Hushmail for Personal Use – Plenty of storage space
Hushmail for Personal Use allows users to secure their email in order to keep their personal conversations private.
Using this piece of software, you will be able to regain control of your private data and enjoy the experience of having a clean inbox with no advertising.
You will have the chance to choose the emails that you want to send using this tool’s powerful encryption features, and this will result in private and confidential conversations.
When you get this solution, you’ll benefit from 10 GB of storage space to fill with your precious sensitive information.
It doesn’t look like much but for a personal inbox with OpenPGP encryption, it’s quite satisfactory.
You also need to know that the encryption between Hushmail users is automatic but when you send an email to an external inbox, they will get a link and a passphrase to access it.
There is a 60-day money-back guarantee so you can test it for a while and see if it fits your requirements.
Let’s quickly look at its key features:
- Includes 10 GB of storage space and multiple layers of security
- Uses OpenPGP encryption that is guaranteed to protect the content of your email
- Your emails will not be analyzed to display all sorts of ads
- Mask your email address by using various aliases
- Dedicated customer support
- Two-step verification to prevent unauthorized access to your account
Hushmail for Personal Use
Secure your email account with Hushmail’s built-in OpenPGP encryption.Bitmessage – Great blockchain encryption
Bitmessage is a P2P communication protocol that is used in order to send encrypted messages to another user but also to lots of subscribers for instance.
This protocol is decentralized and trustless. In other words, you will not have to trust any entities such as root certificate authorities.
You may freely view the Python source code on Github, and there will also be available step-by-step instructions on how to run the source code on Windows and more.
Bitmessage’s transfer mechanism is similar to Bitcoin’s transaction and block system, and you can find out more about this on Bitmessage’s whitepaper.
That means that the users will receive all messages, and they will be responsible for attempting to decode each message to see whether it’s bound for them.
Let’s quickly look at its key features:
- Strong authentication
- Users can freely view the Python source code on Github
- Cryptocurrency-like block system for the transfer mechanism
- The messages will be decoded at their destination
RetroShare – Various distributed systems
RetroShare was created back in 2006, and its primary target was to provide secure communication and file sharing between friends.
Developers have been joining the platform ever since, and they improved the software significantly.
RetroShare creates encrypted connections to your friends and guarantees that nobody will spy on you. This is entirely decentralized, and this means that RetroShare does not involve using central servers.
The program is open-source and free, and you will never have to deal with any costs, ads, or Terms of Service.
RetroShare is not just an email client because it also offers a lot of other features like chat rooms, forums, and a lot more.
Let’s quickly look at its key features:
- It creates encrypted connections in order to build a network of computers
- Provides various distributed services including channels, forums, and more
- The program is available on Windows systems
- Send text and images and discuss in decentralized chat rooms for maximum security and anonymity
- Stores messages to deliver them while you are offline
Sendinc – Simple and familiar interface
And last, but definitely not least, Sendinc is another excellent way of sending secure emails that you should learn about.
It’s also fast, safe, and free and it packs a great deal of fantastic safety-related features and advantages.
This is not an email client but an add-in for Microsoft Outlook that allows enhanced security features.
When you receive an email protected with Sendinc, you will get a link to view the contents in a separate, secure environment.
The email doesn’t store the encryption keys so only the recipients you send it to will be capable of decrypting it. However, they don’t need to have the software themselves.
Let’s quickly look at its key features:
- Military-grade encryption for emails (within Microsoft Outlook through a dedicated Add-In)
- Does not store the encryption keys
- Noadditional programs needed to see the messages
- Compliance with GLBA, HIPAA, SOX, and more
- Integrate email encryption straight into your applications with its APIs
These are our top recommendations for encrypted email software, and we advise you to head over to their official websites and check out their complete sets of features before making a choice.
Keep in mind that protecting your sensitive data and your communication is vital these days, and this is enough reason to consider using such software.
You might also be interested in our article on how to open encrypted files in Windows 10 that will also help you understand file security and the software that will help you with that.
If you have used any of the tools or you have better ideas, don’t hesitate to leave us a note in the comments section below.
