Which email provider do you use - and is it the right one?

Email. It used to seem so modern, but now with the advent of social media, smartphones and WhatsApp, it can often seem like such an old-fashioned thing.

But it’s a vital way of identifying us online – think of the number of services where your ‘username’ is your email address – it’s a great way for us to keep in touch with our various providers and suppliers, and it’s just a really effective means of communication.

But the thing about email is it’s all the same, right? It doesn’t matter who your provider is – they all do the same job…

Well, that’s largely true, but there are a number of factors that might influence why you’d want to choose a particular email provider over another.

Consistency

This is probably the most controversial point for an internet service provider (ISP) like Zen to make, but there is a key difference between free email services (from the likes of Google and Microsoft) and those supplied by internet providers.

With a free email, it doesn’t matter who your ISP is. You’ll always have the same email address. It’s important to remember that, with an ISP-supplied email address, if you move to another provider you either won’t be able to take your address with you, or you’ll have to pay to do so.

Features

Some of the better-known free email accounts come with a range of useful features and functions.

One of the main things you’re guaranteed is compatibility across all your devices, thanks to dedicated apps and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) functionality.

(IMAP keeps your emails on your provider’s server, so you can access them from multiple locations. Some ISP-provided email is POP3 – Post Office Protocol - only, which means the first device accessing the email downloads it and deletes it from the server – potentially messy if you’re using multiple devices.)

Most email providers will of course give you the option to access your emails via a webmail service, making it accessible from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection and a web browser (though webmail is often less user friendly than its desktop or app-based counterparts).

Whoever your email provider is, you should receive some degree of spam protection (where unwanted or harmful emails are redirected to a ‘spam’ or ‘junk’ folder). But some of the larger free email providers would claim that their filters are superior – probably worth checking out some reviews for yourself.

And services like Gmail even attempt to intelligently sort your emails for you – giving you separate inboxes for regular mail, social and promotions for example.

Extras

Sign up to a free email account, and you’re often getting more than just an email address.

When it comes to the ‘big three’ especially (Google’s Gmail, Microsoft’s Outlook and Apple’s iCloud) your email account will come bundled with free cloud storage along with handy calendar and contacts services that can be synced to your various devices (including mobile). All useful, and beyond the traditional ‘sending and receiving messages’ offered by email itself.

Some email services (like those from Google, Microsoft, Apple and Yahoo) also crucially come with the option for two-factor authentication, an increasingly important security feature that we recommend should be enabled wherever available.

And other extras like email aliases (where your provider gives you alternative email addresses so you don’t always have to give away your main address) are among the useful features from a number of suppliers.

If you’re looking at changing your email provider (or comparing your current provider with the rest), we recommend looking into the extra features and security that each provides (information is easily available online).

Your digital life

One thing some of the leading free email accounts have going for them is the way they tie into the other services those businesses offer.

If you’re an iPhone or Android user, you’ll know how tied in your phone is to your iCloud or Gmail account – such as syncing calendars and contacts, sending alerts, or buying apps, movies and music.

It can make your digital life much easier and more convenient – if you only use Apple devices, for example, they’ll tend to just ‘work together’ within your iCloud account.

Of course, if you’re not a fan of living in that type of ‘walled garden’, that’s a reason to look into getting your email from elsewhere.

Unique

If the standard ‘yourname@emailprovider’ type of address just isn’t unique enough for you, there’s always the possibility of getting an email address all of your own.

You’ll have to pay for the privilege, and will need some basic understanding of managing email accounts, but buying a web hosting package means you’ll also be able to use your own unique email address, based on your chosen domain name.

So, that means you might be able to use a ‘firstname@surname’ type of address, or even include your favourite sports team, animal or hobby in your address – standing out from every other run of the mill email account.

Privacy

Lots has been said and written about email privacy, and there is a widely held belief that many providers read the contents of their users' emails (usually for advertising purposes).

The extent to which our emails are fair game is disputed, but perhaps one of the advantages of having a premium or ISP-supplied email address is you’re less likely to be targeted by adverts.

Why settle for one?

Email addresses are often compared to physical addresses, and for the most part that comparison is valid.

But – unlike with your actual address – there is no requirement for you to have only one. In fact, many users find that having different email addresses for different purposes is beneficial.

For example, you might use your ISP email for communications with and from your provider. Another address might be just for communicating with your family and friends. While a third email address might be used for other accounts (like Amazon or your bank). You might even use a further account for throwaway purposes (how many times does a website ‘need’ your email address, and wouldn’t it be nice to provide them with a less important one?).

Support

If you think you’ll need support for your email account, that can influence the provider you choose.

A quick phone call to your ISP can help them to sort out any problems you’re having with their email service, for example. Other providers might require you to self-help or contact them online for support – and the quality of support you receive will likely vary from provider to provider.

If support is important to you, it’s worth giving this a little thought and researching further.

As you can see, the differences may often be subtle and, perhaps, not relevant to you. But when you’re thinking about the right email provider there are numerous factors to take into account.

Do you prefer to use your Zen email address, or would you rather use a free provider like Gmail or Outlook?

We’d love to know how many of you regularly use your Zen email, and what you look for from your provider. That’s why we’ve put together a short survey for you to provide us with your feedback.

Take the survey