What are the limits of the free Gmail plan?

Up to 15 GB of storage, shared with Google Drive and Google Photos. An @gmail.com address — no custom domain. No business email, admin or security controls — those are Google Workspace features.

What is the best free alternative to Gmail?

Proton Mail — End-to-end encrypted, open-source, Swiss — the privacy default. It scores 84 on Macrostack's transparent Sovereignty Score. Free (1GB); paid Mail Plus ~$4/mo; bundled Proton Unlimited adds Drive, VPN, and Pass

Is Gmail free? What it actually costs in 2026

The short answer

Gmail is free with up to 15 GB of storage — shared with Google Drive and Google Photos, so a full Drive fills your inbox too.

Every Google account comes with up to 15 GB of storage at no cost, and Gmail draws on the same pool as Drive and Photos. There is no separate email allowance.

What the free tier actually includes

Up to 15 GB of storage, shared with Google Drive and Google Photos
An @gmail.com address — no custom domain
No business email, admin or security controls — those are Google Workspace features

Where the wall is

Two different walls. For a person it is the 15 GB pool — photos and Drive files eat the same space as email. For a business it is the domain: email at your own company address is a Google Workspace feature, not something free Gmail does.

After that: Personal: Google One Basic, 100 GB for $1.99 a month. Business: Google Workspace Starter at $7 per user per month ($4.90 during a three-month promotion), with 30 GB of pooled storage per person and custom business email.

Can you self-host Gmail? No — cloud only

Gmail is a Google service and cannot be self-hosted. Running your own mail is possible with the open-source options compared on this page, and it is real work — deliverability is the hard part.

When paying is still the right call

If you live inside Google's ecosystem (Drive, Docs, Calendar, Android) and don't need encryption or independence, Gmail is excellent and free. The alternatives matter most when privacy, encryption, or owning your identity is the priority.

What you are locked into

Moderate: your address is widely shared and your Google account may anchor other services, but mail itself is portable (IMAP export/import, auto-forwarding, and import tools on the new provider). Budget a transition period running both in parallel.

If you would rather not pay: Proton Mail

Proton Mail

End-to-end encrypted, open-source, Swiss — the privacy default.

Free (1GB); paid Mail Plus ~$4/mo; bundled Proton Unlimited adds Drive, VPN, and Pass

See all 4 Gmail alternatives compared

Compare the free options head-to-head

Proton Mail vs Tuta (Tutanota)→Proton Mail vs Mailbox.org→Proton Mail vs Fastmail→

Read from Google's own pricing and documentation on 2026-09-11 — 1 days ago. Vendors change prices without notice; confirm before you commit.