encrypted email service · Runbox Solutions

Runbox

Name: Runbox
Price: 1.86 USD

Norwegian mailbox from €19.95 a year with IMAP, your own domain, PGP through add-ons and a public transparency report.

36/100

#8 of 9 encrypted email services
Facts checked 8 Oct 2026

In short

The cheapest plan, Micro, costs €19.95 a year with 2 GB of mail storage and one custom domain; there is no free plan¹.
Every plan starts with a 30-day trial, and there is a 60-day money-back guarantee¹¹.
Runbox 7, the web app, is open source under GPLv3 or later on GitHub⁵.
Its transparency report counts 4 requests received in 2025 and 1 so far in 2026⁴.
Runbox's help pages cover encryption between people with PGP, through add-ons such as Mailvelope⁸.

Runbox suits people who want an inexpensive mailbox in Norway with IMAP, custom domains and a public transparency report^1,3,4. It does not document zero-access storage, only encryption in transit and on disk, and its help pages cover PGP through add-ons^3,8. There is no free plan and no native app, and no audit or certificate is named^1,2,9.

Best for: People who want a low-cost private mailbox in Norway that works in any mail program.

Where the points come from

Encryption0 of 27

Trust and audits10 of 26

Apps and access8 of 18

Mailbox10 of 13

Price8 of 16

Encryption 0 of 27 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Stored mail the provider cannot read	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's security and features pages, which describe encryption in transit and on disk only³.	0 / 10
Automatic end-to-end encryption between its own users	Not publishedNot published; the encryption help pages cover only PGP that users set up themselves, such as with Mailvelope^7,8.	0 / 8
Encrypted mail to other providers	Not publishedNot published; the help pages list PGP through add-ons and mail programs, and no built-in tool or password-protected message feature^8,3.	0 / 6
Encrypted contacts or calendar	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's features page, which mentions CardDAV and CalDAV sync without encryption³.	0 / 3

Trust and audits 10 of 26 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Independent audit since 2024	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's privacy and security page².	0 / 8
Open-source apps	YesRunbox 7 web app is GPLv3 or later on GitHub; the vendor says not every component is open source^2,5.	6 / 6
SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's privacy policy or security page^2,10.	0 / 4
Transparency report	YesThe report has a 2026 section and counts 4 requests received in 2025 and 1 in 2026⁴.	4 / 4
Security key for two-factor sign-in	Not publishedNot published; the account security help lists authenticator-app codes and one-time passwords only¹².	0 / 4

Apps and access 8 of 18 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Official apps	NoneRunbox offers a progressive web app and lists no native desktop or mobile apps⁹.	0 / 10
Works in standard mail programs	YesThe vendor says it fully supports IMAP, POP and SMTP for standard mail programs³.	8 / 8

Mailbox 10 of 13 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Your own domain	YesMicro includes 1 custom domain; higher plans include more^1,3.	5 / 5
Mail storage on the cheapest paid plan	2Micro, the cheapest plan, has 2 GB of mail storage¹.	2 / 5
Export your whole mailbox	YesHelp page recommends syncing mail to an IMAP mail program, then copying the message folders out⁶.	3 / 3

Price 8 of 16 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free plan with an encrypted mailbox	NoNo free plan; every plan has a 30-day trial limited to 100 MB of mail¹.	0 / 6
Cheapest paid plan	$1.86/moMicro, €19.95 a year on yearly billing (€1.66 a month); VAT treatment not stated¹. Converted at €1 = $1.1186¹³.	8 / 10

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
Micro1 person	€19.95/year¹	$1.86	2 GB mail, 200 MB files, 1 domain
Mini1 person	€34.95/year¹	$3.26	10 GB mail, 1 GB files, 5 domains
Medium1 person	€49.95/year¹	$4.66	25 GB mail, 2 GB files, 10 domains
Max1 person	€79.95/year¹	$7.45	50 GB mail, 5 GB files, 25 domains

Prices are shown in euros; the page does not say whether VAT is included. Plans are billed yearly, or every 3 years at a lower rate; monthly billing is not offered¹.

Strengths

Public transparency report with yearly counts of requests received, complied with and rejected, current to 2026⁴.
The Runbox 7 web app is open source under GPLv3 or later⁵.
Works in any IMAP mail program, and the help pages explain how to copy mail folders out over IMAP^3,6.
Every plan allows at least one custom domain, with unlimited aliases on your own domain^1,3.

Limits

No documented key tied to your password: Runbox describes encryption in transit and at rest on disk only³.
Runbox's PGP guides cover browser add-ons and mail programs; attachments are not encrypted with the basic plugins⁸.
The only app is a progressive web app; Runbox lists no native apps⁹.
No independent audit or security certificate is named^2,10.
Billing is yearly or every 3 years; the entry plan has 2 GB of mail storage¹.

What Runbox Solutions says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

Runbox says its service is powered entirely by renewable energy and hosted in Norway¹¹.

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 access
85/100
$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 program
73/100
$3.36/mocheapest paid plan
3
Forward EmailPeople with their own domain who want IMAP access and a low price
56/100
$3/mocheapest paid plan
4
mailbox.orgPeople who want to read their mail in Thunderbird or Outlook and switch on encryption themselves
49/100
$1.12/mocheapest paid plan

All 9 encrypted email services

Sources

Runbox pricing, Runbox. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Runbox privacy and security, Runbox. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Runbox email features, Runbox. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Runbox transparency report, Runbox. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
runbox/runbox7, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Exporting your data, Runbox Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Encryption FAQs, Runbox Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Encrypting your Runbox email, Runbox Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Mobile access, Runbox Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Runbox privacy policy, Runbox. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Runbox home page, Runbox. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Account security and two-factor authentication, Runbox Help. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Euro foreign exchange reference rates: US dollar, European Central Bank. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

Website: runbox.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Runbox Solutions.