Tuta (Tutanota) vs Fastmail
Both are alternatives to Gmail. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Fastmail vs Tuta (Tutanota) — same comparison, one verdict.
Tuta (Tutanota) is open source (GPL-3.0) and Fastmail is not (Proprietary) — so the real question is whether you want to own the email & secure mail stack or rent it.
Tuta (Tutanota)
The cheapest end-to-end encrypted mail — quantum-safe by default.
Tuta (formerly Tutanota) is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted email provider based in Germany under GDPR. It's the budget privacy pick: a free tier with full E2E encryption, and it uniquely encrypts the subject line too. In 2026 it became the first major provider to ship quantum-safe encryption (TutaCrypt, Kyber-1024) to all users by default. The trade-off versus Proton is that it doesn't support OpenPGP, so encrypted mail to outside contacts uses password-protected messages instead.
Fastmail
Fast, reliable, standards-based mail — the productivity pick.
Fastmail is a long-running independent email host (Australian) built for speed, reliability, and standards support rather than encryption. It doesn't offer end-to-end encryption, but it doesn't scan your mail, sell your data, or show ads — you're the paying customer, not the product. Excellent custom-domain support, great apps, and best-in-class deliverability make it the honest pick when you want to leave Gmail for independence and quality without the constraints E2E encryption imposes.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Tuta (Tutanota) | Fastmail | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 80 | 45 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Local-first data | No | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Pricing | Free (1GB, E2E encrypted); Revolutionary ~€3/mo; Legend ~€8/mo | From about $5/user/month; 30-day free trial; custom domains included |
Tuta (Tutanota) edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Weighing both against staying on Gmail? Is Gmail free? What it actually costs →
Tuta (Tutanota)
Strengths
- +Open-source, E2E encrypted — including subject lines
- +Quantum-safe encryption for all users by default
- +Cheapest encrypted-mail paid tiers; German/EU privacy law
- +Free tier includes an encrypted calendar
Trade-offs
- −No OpenPGP or IMAP (uses its own encrypted protocol)
- −Fewer ecosystem extras than Proton
- −Search is client-side by design — an encryption trade-off
Fastmail
Strengths
- +Fast and reliable, with excellent IMAP/JMAP standards support
- +No ads and no data selling — you're the customer
- +Superb custom-domain and multi-identity handling
Trade-offs
- −No end-to-end encryption
- −Closed-source, commercial service
- −Australian jurisdiction (Five Eyes) may matter to some
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Tuta (Tutanota)
if you want the source and the option to fork it, and open-source, E2E encrypted — including subject lines.
Choose Fastmail
if fast and reliable, with excellent IMAP/JMAP standards support.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — no OpenPGP or IMAP (uses its own encrypted protocol), and no end-to-end encryption. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Tuta (Tutanota) vs Fastmail — common questions
Is Tuta (Tutanota) a better fit than Fastmail for email & secure mail?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Tuta (Tutanota) scores 80 to Fastmail's 45 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Fastmail earns its place on a different axis — fast and reliable, with excellent IMAP/JMAP standards support. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Neither of these is local-first by default, so plan the exit at the point you adopt rather than later. Export what matters on a schedule instead of trusting you can retrieve it on demand — that is the most common way a email & secure mail migration turns into a project instead of an afternoon.
Are Tuta (Tutanota) and Fastmail both alternatives to Gmail?
Yes — both appear in our Gmail comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Gmail and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-07-14. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.