Encryption6 of 27
Trust and audits0 of 26
Apps and access10 of 18
Mailbox4 of 13
Price4 of 16
encrypted email service · Hush Communications
Hushmail
OpenPGP email with a Personal plan at $59.99 a year, IMAP access and no free plan.
In short
- The Personal plan costs $59.99 a year and starts with 15 GB of storage; there is no free plan1,2.
- Hushmail says it has served small healthcare practices "since our beginnings in 1999"8.
- Mail to people outside Hushmail can be encrypted with a password or security question and read on a secure web page3.
- The web app encrypts on the server and the passphrase is sent to it; only the iPhone app encrypts on the device3.
- Two-step verification offers text, email or an authenticator app; no security key is listed4.
Hushmail suits people who want encrypted mail they can send to anyone and read in Outlook or Apple Mail over IMAP1,5. The catch is the design: webmail encryption runs on Hushmail's servers, and unencrypted messages are stored unencrypted3,7,9. The vendor's pages name no audit, transparency report or open-source code. The Personal plan has no custom domain2.
Best for: People who want simple encrypted replies to anyone and IMAP access.
Where the points come from
Encryption 6 of 27 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Stored mail the provider cannot read | NoHushmail's web server uses your private key to decrypt mail, and unencrypted messages are stored unencrypted3,7,9. | 0 / 10 |
| Automatic end-to-end encryption between its own users | NoMail between Hushmail users is OpenPGP encrypted, but webmail does it on the server; only the iPhone app encrypts on the device3. | 0 / 8 |
| Encrypted mail to other providers | YesSend to non-Hushmail addresses with a security question or generated answer; recipient reads on a secure web page3,8. | 6 / 6 |
| Encrypted contacts or calendar | NoWhite paper says contacts and other metadata are not encrypted with the user's OpenPGP key3. | 0 / 3 |
Trust and audits 0 of 26 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Independent audit since 2024 | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's privacy policy or security analysis article7,9. | 0 / 8 |
| Open-source apps | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's privacy policy or security analysis article7,9. | 0 / 6 |
| SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Not publishedNot published; the site footer shows a HIPAA badge but names no SOC 2 or ISO 270017,9. | 0 / 4 |
| Transparency report | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's privacy policy, which gives no counts of legal requests7. | 0 / 4 |
| Security key for two-factor sign-in | Not publishedNot published; the two-step article lists text message, email and authenticator app only4. | 0 / 4 |
Apps and access 10 of 18 points
Mailbox 4 of 13 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Your own domain | NoThe Personal plan page and plan table say Personal has no custom domain; plans with domains are for practices and businesses1,2. | 0 / 5 |
| Mail storage on the cheapest paid plan | 15Personal Basic starts with 15 GB1. | 4 / 5 |
| Export your whole mailbox | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's privacy policy; it does not describe a way to export a mailbox7. | 0 / 3 |
Price 4 of 16 points
The rule behind each line: how we score encrypted email services.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Basic1 person | $59.99/year1,2 | $4.99 | 15 GB to start, unlimited aliases, 60-day money-back guarantee |
| Personal + NordVPN1 person | $95/year1 | $7.92 | Personal Basic plus a NordVPN add-on at $35 a year |
The pricing page also offers a 3-year Personal term; the page shows no price for it and no renewal price1,2.
Strengths
Limits
- Webmail OpenPGP encryption is done server-side, so the passphrase reaches Hushmail's servers3.
- Messages that are not encrypted are stored unencrypted on Hushmail servers7.
- No free plan and no custom domain on Personal2.
- Contacts and other account data are not encrypted with the user's key3.
- Only an iPhone app is listed; no Android, Windows or Mac app6.
What Hush Communications says
Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.
- Hushmail says its encrypted email is made for everyday use and describes its mail as TLS and OpenPGP encrypted8.
Other encrypted email services
- 1
Proton MailPeople who want a free encrypted mailbox that grows into a paid one with custom domains and Outlook or Thunderbird access85/100$3.99/mocheapest paid plan - 2
Tuta MailPeople who want contacts and calendar encrypted too, and are fine using Tuta's own apps instead of a mail program73/100$3.36/mocheapest paid plan - 3
Forward EmailPeople with their own domain who want IMAP access and a low price56/100$3/mocheapest paid plan - 4
mailbox.orgPeople who want to read their mail in Thunderbird or Outlook and switch on encryption themselves49/100$1.12/mocheapest paid plan
Sources
- Hushmail personal plans, Hushmail. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Hushmail pricing, Hushmail. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Hushmail Authentication and Encryption Design (white paper), Hushmail. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Turn on two-step verification for your Hushmail account, Hushmail Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- POP, IMAP and SMTP server hostnames and ports, Hushmail Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Hushmail for iPhone, Hushmail. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Hushmail privacy policy, Hushmail. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Hushmail home page, Hushmail. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Security analysis, Hushmail Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Website: www.hushmail.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Hush Communications.