Email clients implemented as web applications running on a web server are known as webmail, or web-based email.
With webmail, a user can send and receive email from anywhere, using a web browser, as long as there is an Internet connection. There are several webmail providers, free and commercial, and several Internet service providers offer a webmail client as part of their ISP client, as do web hosting companies.
Although there were some earlier implementations, the first commercial webmail was Webex, which later became EMUmail, which operated from 1995 until it was sold in 2001. EMUmail was also one of the first applications with a free version that included embedded advertising, as well as a commercial version without advertising.
Hotmail and RocketMail both began in 1996, fiercely competing with one another for years. Hotmail is now Outlook.com, a Microsoft product, while Rocketmail was sold to Yahoo! in 1997, and closed to new accounts in 2013.
Other webmail services have filled in the gaps left by these early services, including Google's Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, ProtonMail, StartMail, and Hushmail.
Some webmail providers offer a desktop client using the POP3 protocol along with its webmail client. Using both, however, email messages that are downloaded through the desktop client are then removed from the server, although an option is generally available to leave downloaded mail on the server. Other desktop clients use the IMAP4 protocol, which allows the contents of a mailbox to be consistently displayed both in the webmail inbox and on the desktop. Actions that the user takes relating to the email, either online or on the desktop, will be reflected in the other.
Webmail clients have varying capabilities when it comes to displaying HTML tags in email.
Independent webmail providers are either free or offered through a subscription plan, although some of them offer both options. Some free webmail providers, particularly Gmail, are known to analyze the contents of users' emails for the purpose of targeted advertising. Other privacy concerns have also been raised.
Some independent webmail providers market their services to businesses and individuals who have a concern for privacy, offering features such as encrypted email and other security services. Examples of this type of webmail service are Hushmail, Startmail, and ProtonMail.
Webmail providers and webmail services are the focus of topics in this category.
Recommended Resources
CryptoHeaven is a provider of zero-knowledge secure email, encrypted email hosting, messaging, and online storage, offering automatic and transparent email and file encryption and hosted online email, including secure and anonymous email, secure online storage and file sharing, and secure instant messaging. Individual and multi-user accounts are available. Its plans and pricing are posted, and further information about its services, products, and clients are posted on its site.
http://www.cryptoheaven.com/
Developed and operated by Google, Gmail is a proprietary but free email service, in which users can access their mail on the web, and through third-party programs that synchronize email content through POP or IMAP protocols. Gmail users can store up to 15GB of data, and receive emails up to 50MB in size, including attachments, and send emails up to 25MB. Gmail's basic HTML version will work on nearly all web browsers, and an app is available to allow for access to the service while offline.
https://mail.google.com/
Launched in 1999, Hushmail is an encrypted web-based email service, offering encrypted e-mail and vanity domain services. Using OpenPGP standards, Hushmail can send authenticated, encrypted messages in both directions, as long as both the recipient and sender are Hushmail users or have uploaded PGP keys to the Hush key server. The service will also allow a message to be encrypted with a password, and stored for pickup by the recipient, or sent in cleartext.
https://www.hushmail.com/
Previously known as Merak Mail Server, the IceWarp Mail Server is a business email and collaboration server developed by IceWarp Limited. The proprietary webmail service features email with custom domains, shared calendars, document editing, messaging, and advanced tools for team collaboration. It can be run in the Cloud or on a local server using either Windows or Linux. Its features and available applications are highlighted, and its price options are listed.
https://www.icewarp.com/
Hosted on SourceForge, KCheckGMail is a KDE systray application that provides users with notifications of new emails arriving in their Gmail account. Available in several languages, it provides email snippets, customizable search and check intervals, secure logins and password safety, using the KDE wallet. A full list of features is posted, along with screenshots, project information, and development notes, along with a help section.
http://kcheckgmail.sourceforge.net/
Previously known as MyKolab, Kolab Now is a web-based email and groupware service owned by Kolab Systems AG, based in Switzerland. Marketing its services as a privacy webmail provider, citing the benefits of Switzerland’s strict privacy laws, individual and group accounts are available, with monthly subscription plans. User plans are compared side-by-side, each promising that user data will not be used for advertising purposes, transmitted to third parties, or scanned for data mining purposes
https://kolabnow.com/
ProtonMail is an end-to-end encrypted email service founded at the CERN research facility by Andy Yen and others. Operated by Proton Technologies AG, the webmail service uses client-side encryption to protect the contents of emails and user data before they are sent to ProtonMail servers in Switzerland. The service supports webmail clients, the Tor network, and dedicated iOS and Android applications. Full access is by monthly subscription, although free and other premium options are available.
https://protonmail.com/
Released in 2008, Roundcube is a web-based IMAP email client. Using Ajax technology, Roundcube is written in PHP and can be employed along with a LAMP stack or any other operating system that supports PHP. Free and open-source, the webmail service is subject to the terms of the GNU General Public License, and is developed by the Roundcube Team. A list of its features is posted on its site, along with development news, plugins, support options, and a download page.
https://roundcube.net/
Licensed under the GNU General Public License, SquirrelMail includes both a web-based email client and a proxy server for the IMAP protocol. The webmail portion of the system was begun by Nathan and Luke Ehresman in 1999, while the IMAP proxy server product was created by Dave McMurtrie in 2002, and adopted by the SquirrelMail Project team in 2010. SquirrelMail is a complete webmail system, although extra features are available in the form of plugins, many of these third-party.
http://www.squirrelmail.org/
Affiliated with Startpage, a privacy web browser, StartMail is privacy webmail, with personal and business options, both offering one-click PGP encryption, encrypted emails, and server security. Its personal price plan includes 10GB of space, IMAP support, 10 custom aliases, and unlimited disposable aliases, while its business plan allows users to administer multiple mailboxes centrally. The benefits of its service are spelled out, along with its pricing and support services.
https://www.startmail.com/
Zoho Corporation is an India-based software company specializing in web-based tools and information technology, including business email hosting. Promising secure email hosting with encryption, 99.9% uptime, custom email addresses, and a control panel, a full list of its features is presented on its site, along with three levels of hosting, billed annually, which are compared side-by-side, one including a communication suite with business email and office applications.
https://www.zoho.com/mail/
