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Head-to-head · Personal Email Services

iCloud Mail vs Fastmail Masked Email

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score iCloud Mail #4 in Personal Email Services 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Apple
Fastmail Masked Email #6 in Personal Email Services 8.6/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Fastmail

iCloud Mail leads on 3 checks, Fastmail Masked Email on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreiCloud Mail · 8.8/10
  • Free planonly iCloud Mail
  • Free trialonly Fastmail Masked Email
  • Most featuresiCloud Mail · 2 of 3

iCloud Mail scores higher on our rubric for personal email services: 8.8 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.

iCloud Mail offers free plan; Fastmail Masked Email doesn't. iCloud Mail leads on mailbox storage: 50 GB versus 5 GB. iCloud Mail leads on attachment limit: 5120 MB versus 50 MB.

iCloud Mail is the better fit for apple device users. Fastmail Masked Email is the better fit for masked email and privacy controls.

  • iCloud Mail fits best

    Apple device users

  • Fastmail Masked Email fits best

    Masked email and privacy controls

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Side by side

Feature iCloud Mail 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Fastmail Masked Email 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.6
Ranking #4 in Personal Email Services #6 in Personal Email Services
Best for Apple device users Masked email and privacy controls
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price — $4/user/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 30 days
Deployment Cloud, Desktop, Mobile Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, iOS Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Integrations 2 integrations 6 integrations
Features iCloud Mail 2/3 · Fastmail Masked Email 0/3
Custom domain ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Email aliases ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Ad-free inbox Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Mailbox storage 50 GB (best) 5 GB
Attachment limit 5120 MB (best) 50 MB
Platform access Web_mobile_desktop Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Synchronizes mail and settings across Apple devices, Windows, and iCloud.com
  • Supports up to three @icloud.com aliases and custom domains with iCloud+
  • Mail Drop supports attachments up to 5 GB
  • 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 mail shares its 5 GB storage allotment with other iCloud data
  • Custom email domains require an iCloud+ plan
  • Standard messages are limited to 20 MB
  • 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

For people who use Apple devices, iCloud Mail provides an @icloud.com address and keeps mail changes and settings synchronized across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and iCloud.com. It also works with Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook. The…

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. iCloud MailPersonal Email Services 8.8Free plan
  2. Fastmail Masked EmailPersonal Email Services 8.630-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • iCloud Mail — where it wins

    • Synchronizes mail and settings across Apple devices, Windows, and iCloud.com
    • Supports up to three @icloud.com aliases and custom domains with iCloud+
    • Mail Drop supports attachments up to 5 GB

    Where it doesn't

    • Free mail shares its 5 GB storage allotment with other iCloud data
    • Custom email domains require an iCloud+ plan
    • Standard messages are limited to 20 MB

  • 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
  • iCloud Mail8.8/10 · Free plan

    A practical email service for Apple users, with aliases and larger attachments through Mail Drop.

    Visit AppleFull 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