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Head-to-head · Personal Email Services

Gmail vs Fastmail Masked Email

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 checks side by side
Higher score Gmail #1 in Personal Email Services 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Gmail
Fastmail Masked Email #6 in Personal Email Services 8.6/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Fastmail

Gmail leads on 3 checks, Fastmail Masked Email on 1, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreGmail · 9.4/10
  • Lowest starting priceGmail · $1.99/mo
  • Free planonly Gmail
  • Free trialonly Fastmail Masked Email
  • Most featuresGmail · 1 of 3

Gmail scores higher on our rubric for personal email services: 9.4 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #6.

Gmail offers free plan; Fastmail Masked Email doesn't. Gmail is cheaper to start at $1.99/mo against $4/mo. Gmail leads on mailbox storage: 100 GB versus 5 GB. Fastmail Masked Email leads on attachment limit: 50 MB versus 25 MB.

Gmail is the better fit for people who want free email across web and mobile. Fastmail Masked Email is the better fit for masked email and privacy controls.

  • Gmail fits best

    People who want free email across web and mobile

  • Fastmail Masked Email fits best

    Masked email and privacy controls

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Side by side

Feature Gmail 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Fastmail Masked Email 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.6
Ranking #1 in Personal Email Services #6 in Personal Email Services
Best for People who want free email across web and mobile Masked email and privacy controls
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $1.99/mo (best) $4/user/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 30 days
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Integrations 2 integrations 6 integrations
Features Gmail 1/3 · Fastmail Masked Email 0/3
Custom domain — Not checked yet
Email aliases ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Ad-free inbox — Not checked yet
Specs
Mailbox storage 100 GB (best) 5 GB
Attachment limit 25 MB 50 MB (best)
Platform access Web_mobile_desktop Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free plan includes 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos
  • Inbox categories, search, labels, and spam and phishing protection
  • Web and mobile access, plus IMAP and POP for compatible clients
  • Generates unique masked addresses and lets you block or delete them
  • Supports aliases, catch-all addresses, and replies from masked addresses
  • Includes migration tools, calendar, contacts, and broad platform coverage
Cons
  • Free storage is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos
  • Google One Basic adds shared storage, not a standalone Gmail tier
  • Custom-domain email requires Google Workspace
  • No free plan; paid access starts at $4 per user per month
  • Basic excludes IMAP, POP, SMTP, CalDAV, and CardDAV access
  • Masked Email is part of Fastmail rather than a separately priced product
Our verdict

Gmail is Google's personal email service for people who want an inbox accessible on the web and on iOS and Android. A free account includes a Gmail address and 15 GB of storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Inbox…

Read the review →

Fastmail Masked Email generates unique email addresses for online accounts, helping keep a real address private and allowing individual addresses to be blocked or deleted. It is a feature of the broader Fastmail hosted email service, which…

Read the review →
  1. GmailPersonal Email Services 9.4Free plan
  2. Fastmail Masked EmailPersonal Email Services 8.630-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Gmail — where it wins

    • Free plan includes 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos
    • Inbox categories, search, labels, and spam and phishing protection
    • Web and mobile access, plus IMAP and POP for compatible clients

    Where it doesn't

    • Free storage is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos
    • Google One Basic adds shared storage, not a standalone Gmail tier
    • Custom-domain email requires Google Workspace

  • Fastmail Masked Email — where it wins

    • Generates unique masked addresses and lets you block or delete them
    • Supports aliases, catch-all addresses, and replies from masked addresses
    • Includes migration tools, calendar, contacts, and broad platform coverage

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan; paid access starts at $4 per user per month
    • Basic excludes IMAP, POP, SMTP, CalDAV, and CardDAV access
    • Masked Email is part of Fastmail rather than a separately priced product
  • Gmail9.4/10 · Free plan

    A capable free inbox with shared Google storage and a paid path to more space.

    Visit GmailFull verdict →
  • Fastmail Masked Email8.6/10 · 30-day trial

    A paid Fastmail service for masked addresses, hosted email, calendars, and contacts.

    Visit FastmailFull verdict →

More comparisons

All personal email services comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update