Fastmail
From ~$5 per mo
Gmail
Free / paid via Google Workspace
Fastmail is a fast, private, ad-free email service with excellent custom-domain support. Gmail is the free, ubiquitous email tied to Google's ecosystem. Fastmail wins on privacy, speed, and domains; Gmail wins on free features and integration.
Pick Fastmail if you want a fast, private, ad-free email service with excellent custom-domain and alias support.
Pick Gmail if you want free, feature-rich email with the best search and deepest Google ecosystem integration.
Fastmail and Gmail both deliver reliable email, but they differ on privacy and model. Fastmail is a paid, independent service focused on a fast, ad-free experience, strong privacy, and best-in-class handling of custom domains and aliases, which appeals to people who want to own their email identity without Google. Gmail is the free, dominant service with powerful search, generous storage, and deep integration across Google's ecosystem.
On price, Fastmail starts around $5 a month, while Gmail is free for personal use (paid via Google Workspace for custom domains and business). The choice is mostly fast, private, ad-free email with great domain support (Fastmail) versus free, feature-rich, integrated email (Gmail).
We compare privacy, custom domains, features, price, and ecosystem.
| Quick facts | Fastmail | Gmail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From ~$5/mo | Free (personal) |
| Ad-free / privacy | Best-in-class | Good |
| Custom domains & aliases | Best-in-class | Workspace |
| Ecosystem integration | Good | Best-in-class |
| Best for | Private email + domains | Free, integrated email |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | F Fastmail | G Gmail |
|---|---|---|
| Fast, ad-free experience | Best-in-class | Good |
| Custom domain support | Best-in-class | Workspace |
| Aliases & masked addresses | Best-in-class | Good |
| Powerful search | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Generous storage | Good | Best-in-class |
| Open standards (IMAP/JMAP) | Best-in-class | Good |
| Ecosystem integration | Good | Best-in-class |
| Free to use | No | Yes |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-26.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Fastmail is private, fast, and great with domains, but it is paid and less integrated than Gmail.
Gmail is free and deeply integrated, but it is tied to Google's ecosystem and not ad-free in spirit.
For private, domain-centric email Fastmail wins; for free, integrated email Gmail wins.
The average person juggles a dozen subscriptions and forgets at least one. Subkept is a privacy-first subscription tracker: add Fastmail, Gmail, and everything else, then get renewal reminders, price-hike alerts, and a clear monthly total, with no bank connection, ever. Free for up to 5 subscriptions, no time limit.