mail.com

mail.com is a web portal and web-based email service provider[1] owned by the internet company 1&1 Mail & Media Inc., headquartered in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania, USA.[2] 1&1 Mail & Media Inc. is a subsidiary of United Internet Group, a publicly listed company based in Germany which is considered a pioneer of online communication.[3]

Not to be confused with Penske Media Corporation, formerly Mail.com Media.
Mail.com
Type of businessWebmail provider
Type of site
Webmail provider
Available inEnglish, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Romanian
HeadquartersChesterbrook, Pennsylvania, United States
Area servedWorldwide (except German-speaking countries)
IndustryInternet
ParentUnited Internet
URLwww.mail.com
AdvertisingYes
RegistrationYes
Launched1995 (1995)

mail.com offers a free, advertising-supported email service that is primarily aimed at private users, as well as small- and medium-sized businesses.[4]

On its portal, mail.com offers local and global news of the day, covering the latest political, economic, technological, entertainment, sports and lifestyle topics. It also provides a search engine, which is enhanced by Google.[5]

Features

Mail.com's email service includes features such as 30 MB of storage for emails, choice of over 200 domains, online file storage, collecting of emails from other accounts with the free Mail Collector, organizer, and spam and virus protection.[6]

Domains

When creating a free email account, users can choose from more than 200 domains for their personal email address including geographical locations, professions, beliefs and interests, such as asia.com, consultant.com, religious.com, acdcfan.com, and catlover.com.[7]

Security

Mail.com is one of the last remaining major email providers who do not ask for a personal phone number to set up an inbox, allowing access to users who do not have or do not wish to provide a phone number to a third party simply to use email. Although this allows for greater privacy[8], this also means their users do not have the option to secure their email accounts by using two-factor authentication (2FA), which is a form of multi-factor authentication. Other major email providers such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, and AOL Mail provide the option to switch on 2FA which means any user who logs in to their email account from a new device will require a specific code.

mail.com is considered a secure email provider, with all clients’ private data stored in the company-owned data center located in Lenexa, Kansas, USA.[9] mail.com uses SSL to ensure secure data transfer via the internet.[10] Both in the mail.com account and on the online portal, users’ data is strictly protected. All collected data is processed in compliance with legal requirements and according to the highest security standards.[11] The purpose is to provide visitors with relevant ad content according to their preferences and interests.[12] It is not possible to revoke the collection of traffic data, as it is needed to provide the email service free of charge. However, there are configuration options to control interest-based advertisement and newsletter settings.[13]

Every mail.com email account is protected by an antivirus software that scans through emails and attachments, while only checking for malware. Once detected, all viruses, Trojans and spyware are immediately removed by the software to prevent harm to users’ computers, tablets and smartphones. Regular software updates ensure protection against the latest threats.[14] The anti-spam filter, which is embedded in every mail.com email account, also helps detect unwanted junk mail and automatically sorts it into the spam folder. This keeps the users’ inbox free of scams and unwanted advertisement.[15] mail.com also provides best-practice tips[16] in order to increase security for mailboxes.

Attachments

With regard to attachment size limits, mail.com is the market leader among major free email service providers.[17] It lets users send large files via email, allowing a maximum attachment size of 30 MB.[18]

Storage

Mail.com offers its users an email storage capacity of 65 GB, which is equivalent to 500k emails.[19] On top of that, up to 2 GB of files, pictures and videos can be saved in the mail.com File Storage. This cloud solution also makes it possible to share files online with multiple people at once. [20]

Organizer

The Organizer, also integrated in every mail.com account, lets users schedule tasks and events and sends them automatic appointment reminders as well as daily appointment overviews.[21] Similar to desktop organizer applications, users can set reminders, send event invitations by email, share calendars with others and import and export data to and from the *.ics and *.csv formats.

Mobile apps

Mail.com offers free email apps for Android and iOS to help users manage their emails on the go.[22] Access to these apps can optionally protected by a four-digit PIN.[23]

Mail Collector and other migration services

The Mail Collector is a feature that lets users merge email accounts from different providers. With mail.com as primary account, all other email addresses can be imported into the mail.com account. The Mail Collector then automatically forwards all incoming emails into the primary mailbox.[24] Furthermore, mail.com’s migration service allows the transfer of contacts and online calendars from all email accounts to the primary account, as well as moving files, photos and videos from other cloud providers to the mail.com File Storage.

Online Office

Online Office is a free alternative to Microsoft Office. This all-in-one document editor, presentation maker and spreadsheet creator was developed for mail.com users and can be used directly in their email account. This online application enables the user to open, create and edit files, presentations and spreadsheets in the browser without installing a software locally first.[25]

MailCheck

MailCheck is a browser extension for automatic email notifications, available for Chrome[26], Firefox[27] and Safari[28]. It can be downloaded for free and works for all email addresses at the same time (including those of other providers). Once logged into the account, the user automatically remains logged in for future access. The MailCheck icon displays the number of unread emails directly in the browser and provides a preview of those messages for each account. Optional push and ringtone notifications inform the user of any new incoming mail. By clicking the MailCheck icon, emails can be instantly retrieved.

Alias email addresses

An alias address allows users to customize the sender email address shown in their correspondence by creating an additional email address within an existing mail.com account. Up to ten alias addresses can be registered at the same time, all associated with the main mail.com email account. This feature enables the use of multiple email addresses from a single mailbox. For example, private and business emails can sent from the same account with the user choosing the sender information the recipients of each email will see.[29]

Other features

When composing and sending emails, users have the option to use the integrated spellcheck, define an individual signature for each sender address[30], attach a vCard, and set a status for the email (such as “high priority” or “confidential”)[31]. In a period of absence, an auto-responder can be set to automatically reply to all incoming messages[32]. mail.com deploys anti-virus and spam detection software to keep user inboxes free from dangerous and unwanted emails[32]. While the spam folder automatically collects junk mail, multiple additional folders can be created for manually organizing and sorting emails[33]. Email filter rules can also be set up. This feature allows users to define certain conditions under which incoming messages will be automatically moved into particular folders. Each email account also comes with an integrated online address book to save and retrieve private and professional contacts (e.g. addresses, phone numbers and birthdays)[32]. Users can customize their accounts by setting their preferred account language (English, Spanish or French) and changing the design theme[34].

Inactivity

Mail.com closes and deletes free accounts that have been inactive for 6 months; there is no way to recover deleted free email accounts and the data they contained. To prevent this, it is recommended that users log into their accounts at least once every six months via a web browser, the mail.com mobile app, or the mail.com MailCheck.[35][36]

Usability

The mail.com interface, including its manifold features, is designed to be intuitive and easy to use.[37] The drag & drop function[32] can be used to sort emails into folders, attach files or organize appointments in the Online Calendar.[38] The mail.com search function can be used to search the entire email account for a particular contact, message, appointment or file by typing a keyword into the search field.[39]  Various password recovery options help users to regain access to their accounts if they have forgotten their password.[40] In addition, mail.com’s support page covers all common user questions and provides explanations and solutions.[41] This Help Center can be accessed directly from the mail.com inbox. For more specific concerns, the mail.com customer service can be reached via contact form.[42]

Premium Service

For a fee, mail.com offers its users an upgrade to a Premium service which provides users with various add-on features[32]. This package includes ad-free inbox, telephone support, POP3 and IMAP integration, automatic email forwarding to another email address, read receipt, mailbox personalization, scheduled sending and email recall.

History

Mail.com was originally formed in 1995 as Vanity Mail Services (corporate name Globecomm Inc.),[43] by Gerald Gorman, an investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and Gary Millin, a Harvard Business School student at the time.[44]

They spent a majority of Gorman's wealth[44] to register and promote a total of 544 domains, and later began to buy domain names from other companies. At one time the company owned more than 1,200 domains on speculation, including world.com, usa.com, india.com, Europe.com, asia.com, doctor.com, scientist.com, and lawyer.com.[45] To raise money to pay the yearly domain registration fees, they offered vanity domain email services to the public[46] from the domains they owned under the brand name iName,[46] and later began hosting mail services on behalf of the owners of other domains, and for Internet service providers. The speculation was often successful. In 1999 the company sold kosher.com, london.com, and england.com for $2 million.[47]

By 1999 the company had raised venture financing from Primus Capital Funds and Sycamore Ventures, and changed its name to mail.com. It conducted an initial public offering in June 1999.[48] By 2000 it was supporting 14.6 million email accounts, mostly for free, and remained unprofitable.[46] It sold the mail.com domain and consumer email services division to Net2Phone,[49] changed its name to Easylink, and changed its business operations to focus on managed file transfer services in April 2001, after acquiring Swift Telecommunications, which in turn had spun off the "Easylink" business unit from AT&T.[50][51][52]

In 2004 Jay Penske, son of automobile racing figure Roger Penske, joined and became CEO of Velocity Services, an affinity marketing and Internet services company operating as Interactive Digital Publishing Group.[53] The company acquired the mail.com domain, and re-launched it as a new service in 2007.[54] Parent company Mail.com Media went on to acquire content websites such as Deadline Hollywood, Movieline and the Boy Genius Report.

In September 2010, Mail.com Media sold Mail.com to United Internet, which intended to integrate it into GMX Mail. While existing accounts could be accessed from anywhere, users accessing the site from German-speaking countries could no longer sign up and were instead invited to use United Internet's GMX services geared to those markets (gmx.de, gmx.at, gmx.ch).

At the beginning of September 2013, Mail.com e-mailed all account-holders of madrid.com, london.com and tokyo.com addresses, stating that they would no longer be able to send or receive e-mail as of 28 September 2013.

References
  1. Tsotsis, Alexia. "Mail.com Media Sells Mail.com To United Internet Group". TechCrunch.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  2. https://www.mail.com/company/about/
  3. https://www.mail.com/press/538716-gmx-acquires-mailcom.html
  4. https://www.mail.com/int/company/about/
  5. https://www.mail.com/int/news/
  6. "mail.com". Facebook.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  7. "mail.com more than 200 domains". Mail.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  8. Crider, Michael. "The Four Best Free Email Services". How-To Geek. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  9. "Press releases about mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  10. "Secure Data Transfer - mail.com help". support.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  11. "Data Protection with mail.com FreeMail". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  12. "Data Protection & Advertisements at mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  13. "Data Protection with mail.com FreeMail". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  14. "Free Antivirus Email Protection | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  15. "Email Spam has met its match | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  16. "Best Practices - mail.com help". support.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  17. "Attachment Size Limits for Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Facebook, WhatsApp". The Windows Club. 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  18. Fisher, Stacy. "These Are the 11 Best Email Accounts You Can Use for Free Right Now". Lifewire. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  19. "Organize, manage, and store emails | mail.com email storage". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  20. "Secure & free webmail features for your mails". Mail.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  21. Becker, Braden. "The 9 Best Free Email Accounts and Service Providers for 2020". blog.hubspot.com. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  22. Tschabitscher, Heinz. "Customize Your Email With Mail.Com". Lifewire. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  23. "Email App for Mobile Communication | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  24. Alternatives, Top Ten (2019-01-16). "Mail.com Alternatives | Similar Sites Like Mail.com". Top Ten Alternatives. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  25. "Online Office: Create & Edit Files on the Go | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  26. "MailCheck Chrome—email in your browser | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  27. "MailCheck Firefox—email in your browser | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  28. "The MailCheck Safari add-on | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  29. Fischer, Stacy. "These Are the 11 Best Email Accounts You Can Use for Free Right Now". Lifewire. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  30. "Creating a Signature - mail.com help". support.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  31. "Sending Options - mail.com help". support.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  32. Tschabitscher, Heinz. "How Do Mail.com and GMX Mail Stack Up?". Lifewire. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  33. "Managing Folders - mail.com help". support.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  34. "Home Page - mail.com help". support.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  35. "mail.com TOS; 2. Term and Termination, clause 2.4".
  36. "Know When Your Mail.com Account Will Expire".
  37. "Mail.com Reviews, Pricing, Key Info, and FAQs". The SMB Guide. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  38. "Free Webmail Account - Discover the Benefits | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  39. "Search Your Inbox: Easily Locate What You Need | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  40. "Password: Keep it Secure | mail.com". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  41. Help Center (map), retrieved 2020-06-24
  42. "Contact us". www.mail.com. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  43. "EasyLink Services Corp. To Appear on MN1.com". M2 Communications (press release). 6 September 1996.
  44. Andrea Peterson (11 February 1999). "Mail.com Intends to Profit by Giving Away Its Product". Wall Street Journal.
  45. Lawson, Stephen (28 March 2000). "Mail.com Buys Chinese Portal, Plans World.com". ComputerWorld. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  46. Michael Bociurkiw (2000-06-02). "Mail.com Shouldn't Stay Master of Its Domains". Forbes.
  47. Stephanie Gruner (1999-06-17). "European Firms Pay Big Money to Obtain '.Com' Domain Names". Wall Street Journal.
  48. Larry Barrett (30 June 1999). "Mail.com surges on ISP deals". cnet.
  49. Gwendolyn Mariano (2001-06-21). "Outages delay Mail.com service". cnet.
  50. "Mail.com to Acquire Swift Telecommunications, Including AT&T's EasyLink". internetnews.com. 2001-02-21.
  51. Faith Keenan (2001-07-04). "On the Third Try, a Dot-Com Charm?". Business Week.
  52. "Mail.com Changes Corporate Name and Identity to EasyLink Services Corporation". Easylink (press release). 2 April 2001.
  53. Shipnuck, Alan (July 12, 2004). "Hitting Cleanup". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 101 no. 2. p. 89. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  54. Amit Chowdhry (2008-10-22). "Quadrangle Capital, WI Harper Group, and Novel TMT Ventures Delivers $35 Million to Mail.com". Pulse2. Archived from the original on 2014-12-21. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
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