Free Email, general free e-mail services: TheFreeSite.com

In this section, TheFreeSite.com takes a look at the best general-purpose free E-mail services on the Web. These services are all totally free and are usually supported by advertising. Even if you already have an E-mail account on your home computer, a Web-based E-mail account can be very handy for corresponding when you're on the road. Please send us E-mail if you're aware of any such free E-mail-related services that we haven't listed below.

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Visto - Here's a highly useful free E-mail service, as well as an online "personal information manager" (PIM) that can help you organize your business and social life. Services here include an appointment calendar; group applications for community building and an integrated event tracker. Visto also automatically synchronizes your data every time you log into the service (and supports many popular PIMs, such as Microsoft Outlook). Sign up now and you'll be entered into a contest in which you could win a Toshiba Notebook, a Targus Rolling Case and an Epson Printer.
2ndmail - This nifty free Web-based E-mail service lets you create a variety of vanity E-mail addresses in the form of "yourname@yourchoice.2ndmail.com." 2ndmail gives you two megabytes of storage space and offers loads of helpful features, including filters, folders, signatures, attachments and POP and IMAP services.
TheFreeSite.com E-mail - TheFreeSite.com now offers its own free E-mail service. This service gives you six megabytes of space for your messages and attachments. There's a handy filtering feature to let you sort your mail into different folders and block spam, and the service can be configured to allow you to read your POP mail, as well. Requires Internet Explorer or Netscape, version 4 or more recent.
Net@ddress - This major free E-mail service offers a solid package that gives you five megabytes of space and features mail forwarding and multiple sigs. You can also exchange your address info here with other applications. If you do not want to read your E-mail through the Web, you can use your favorite POP mail client (such as Pegasus or Eudora, etc.) to retrieve your stored mail from Net@ddress.
- Net@ddress has begun charging $1 per month for E-mail forwarding and POP access services. (Let's hope this isn't the start of a trend among free E-mail providers). Net@ddress's other basic services will remain free.
Panda Mail - Here's a free service that allows you to check on and write E-mail, using your existing POP3 E-mail account. (This way, you don't need to obtain or configure programs such as Outlook or Netscape Composer). This is a handy service is you're on the road a lot, or if you're on vacation or at a friend's house.
HotPOP - (HotPOP has temporarily suspended accepting new users). An above-average E-mail service that's packed with useful features. HotPOP offers free POP3 mail, E-mail forwarding, and can handle attachments of up to 500 kilobytes in size. They also offer spam and mailbomb protection. They offer multiple domains, including HotPOP.com, ToughGuy.net, PunkAss.com, BonBon.net, Phreaker.net and SexMagnet.com.
MailandNews.com - How'd you like to be able to access your E-mail via your phone? Or access your existing POP3 E-mail account via the Web, anywhere you go? MailandNews.com, a fast-rising free E-mail and newsgroup access provider offers all this, as well as a free Web-based E-mail service that gives you a hefty 10 megs of space for your messages and attachments.
- Although the E-mail-by-phone feature is free (via a toll-free phone number), you'll have to make a long-distance call to access your E-mail, if you don't live in the U.S. or Canada.
Postmark.net - Here's a speedy, easy-to-use free Web-based E-mail service. With Postmark.net, you can send and receive messages with attachments, (and HTML attachments are displayed in-line). Features include spell checking, message filtering and an address book. Each account has a five-megabyte limit and outgoing attachments have a one-megabyte limit. No spamming allowed.
- This is one of the most reliable free E-mail services around. However, you do have to complete a lengthy questionnaire to sign up here.
- Postmark.net recently phased out banner ads. But in their place, members can expect "a limited number of messages from advertisers via E-mail," according to a Postmark.net statement.
- Postmark now offers POP3 access (which means that users can download and read their mail using POP3-compliant mail software, such as Outlook Express).
ZenSearch E-mail - Here's a strong contender in the free E-mail service genre. ZenSearch offers many features, including filters for dealing with spam, an address book and the ability to check your POP account from the Web. They also offer good tech support. Your address here will be YourName@zensearch.com.
Hotmail - Owned by Microsoft, Hotmail is the largest free Web-based E-mail provider, with over 40 million registered users. Hotmail offers mail filtering that allows you to direct mail into folders and gives you the ability to check up to four POP accounts at once. They also feature a spell checker and a signature option, as well as the ability to customize the layout. You can add up to 20 recipients per message, as well as send attachments (although this process is cumbersome). You can send attachments using Hotmail if your Web browser supports the attachment of files (such as Netscape Navigator 2.0 or later, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 or later, etc.). No spamming allowed. Annoyingly, when you log out of Hotmail, you're automatically redirected to Microsoft's home page. Another drawback is that Hotmail only gives you 2 megabytes of space, which is less than most free E-mail services offer.
- In late August, Hotmail fell victim to "potentially one of the largest security E-mail breaches ever," according to ZDNN Tech News. ZDNN reported that a "disastrous flaw" in Hotmail may have let anyone read the private E-mail of any customer. Hotmail claims to have resolved this problem.
- Many users have reported difficulties accessing their accounts in early April after Hotmail upgraded its servers. PC Week magazine reported that a bug in the security features of Internet Explorer, versions 4 and 5, may be the cause.
- Hotmail offers its users the option of scanning attachments for viruses.
- WebTV users were reporting problems with Hotmail at one time. But many of these problems appear to have been solved when Hotmail released an upgrade version for WebTV users.
- We've also had complaints from our visitors about problems with Hotmail's folder management system, particularly for WebTV users. Also, some visitors have reported problems with retrieving file attachments.
Juno - A pioneering, unique service with over 8 million users, Juno offers free E-mail service to anyone in the United States and Puerto Rico with access to a computer and a modem. Unlike the other free E-mail services we list here, with Juno, you don't even need access to the Web. To take advantage of the free (ad supported) service, members must install on their computers Juno's proprietary software package. (No DOS or Mac version is available.)
- Juno is now forcing some of its customers to cut back to one E-mail delivery per day, because of the high cost of telecommunications in some parts of the U.S., according to The New York Times. Some users who log in to check their mail more than once a day will be required to pay $2.95 per month (although this reportedly only effects less than 1 percent of Juno users).
AmExMail - (This service is currently down for "maintenance.") This is a competent free Web-based E-mail service. With AmExMail, you can have a permanent E-mail address, so if you move, change ISPs or switch jobs, you'll always get your mail. AmExMail also offers message forwarding, as well as junk mail blocking, filters and mail collection from multiple accounts.
- AmExMail has begun charging $1 per month for E-mail forwarding and POP access services. (This feature is still free for American Express card holders).
CoolMail - An intriguing free service that allows you to listen to your E-mail from any POP3 account by phone. The only "catch" is that when you log in, you must listen to a message from their sponsor, before you can hear your mail messages. You can then respond using any of four pre-defined replies that you've created. You can also send audio replies to any other CoolMail member, and they can reply to you. The first 60 minutes of calling CoolMail each month is free. The basic service, CoolMail Bronze, has no monthly charge and includes toll-free access from anywhere in North America.
CNN E-mail - Now CNN has gotten into the free E-mail act. CNN E-mail (provided through Mail.com) offers a typical Web-based E-mail package. You can read your E-mail on the Web, forward messages and sign up for free E-mail updates from CNN Interactive on various topics, including "Latest Headlines" and more. Visitors have reported log-in problems from time to time.
ZDNet Mail - A competent Web-based E-mail service, ZDNet Mail allows you to access your E-mail from any computer via a browser. It's easy to access and offers you a permanent address (even if you change Internet service providers). Features include: an address book, the ability to send graphics, etc. as attachments, an autoresponder (which you can set up to reply to people when you're on vacation). Other features include the ability to give your messages your own personal "signature" and junk mail filtering. You can also check your POP mail account(s) with ZDNet Mail.
Excite Mail - Like virtually every portal these days, Excite offers free Web-based E-mail. Excite's package appears to be solid and relatively trouble-free. You may customize the size of your viewing window here. There's a three-megabyte limit on space. Excite Mail offers spam filtering and a signature option (to automatically append messages to your outgoing mail). You can also have Excite mail retrieve your POP E-mail from up to five other accounts.
- When you sign up for Excite Mail, you have the option of also creating your own free "Personalized Front Page," which you may customize with information on local weather, news, your horoscope, etc.
- Excite Mail currently offers a special offer for new subscribers. When you sign up, you may request 100 custom-printed business cards for free (although you have to pay $1.10 for postage).
ApexMail - ApexMail offers a well-rounded package, including auto-responders, forwarding, spell checking, attachment virus scanning, advanced address book/contact management and color schemes. There's also an E-mail addresses search engine, message filtering and more. ApexMail is also compatible with international languages. They also offer you the ability to embed HTML into your E-mail, as well as a reminder service. Besides English, there's also a French version of the service. POP3 and SMTP access are available here, but only if you pay for their "Platinum" service ($20/year).
Bigfoot - Among the services that Bigfoot offers are: A free, lifetime, E-mail address; customized E-mail delivery; E-mail control and functionality and a way to "Just Say No!" to junk E-mail. Bigfoot has recently begun offering new features such as free autoresponders (E-mails that are automatically sent to your visitors in your absense) and reminder services, to remind you of birthdays, appointments, etc. Visitors have been complaining lately about slow service with Bigfoot.
N2Mail - N2Mail offers free advertiser-supported Web-based E-mail. Features include the ability to send attachments (Web pages or GIF image files) and a "vacation reply" feature that'll automatically respond to people when you're away. N2Mail also offers a signature feature that lets you customize your messages with your own personal sign-off. You can configure your account as a convenient "one stop" location to access all of your POP mail accounts.
Free Stamp - (This service has been suspended). Free Stamp is an E-mail service that offers free POP E-mail accounts, which allow you to receive file attachments and rich text E-mail (with color photos and text effects). You may use any program to check your mail, including the excellent freeware E-mail clients, Eudora Lite and Pegasus. Note: FreeStamp users report that they've experienced access problems from time to time lately.
MailStart.Com - This nifty free service allows you to use your browser to read your E-mail, reply, forward, delete and send new messages, making your E-mail accessible from anywhere. There's no need to obtain a different E-mail address or to have your mail forwarded; this system is a gateway that actually contacts your mail server and converts the content to HTML allowing easy access to your regular E-mail.
Personal Connections - This advertising supported service offers free E-mail, with your own personalized address, as well as many other cool features, such as online business cards, home pages and an "online whiteboard" (which is your own notice board, where you have a useful place to jot down your ideas, store your Internet "clippings" and publicly share your news). Our only quibble with this service is that the sign-up process is too cumbersome. Also, as this service is based in Britain, access times can sometimes be slow for U.S. users.
NetForward - (Temporarily not accepting new users). A free, permanent, portable E-mail service. With this service, you will never go through the hassles of changing your address with your friends and family, business associates, etc. NetForward also allows you to choose your own custom domain so your E-mail address can read (for example): CyberJunkie.com, The18thHole.com, TheWaterCooler.com, etc.
MailCity - An average free E-mail service that offers you four megabytes of space. Features easy user interface, folders to organize your mail, MIME file attachments, a good address book and an interesting auto-response feature to deliver replies when you're on vacation. MailCity also offers a mail collection feature (that is, this service will gather your E-mail from other POP3 E-mail accounts).
MauiMail - MauiMail offers Web-based POP3 E-mail with an interface that isn't cluttered and confusing. It's simple and easy to use and is custom configurable. Also includes an address book and signature editor.
Yahoo! Mail - A reasonably competent (and quite popular) free service, Yahoo! Mail allows you to access your personal E-mail from any Net-connected computer: in offices, homes, libraries, anywhere. This service offers a number of features and lets you organize mail into folders, search & filter your mail, attach files, create an address book, etc. There's also an autoresponder function that'll reply to your messages when you're away on vacation. Some of our visitors report problems accessing Yahoo! Mail with Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Supernews - These guys offer free Web-based E-mail with now-standard features, including the ability to sort your mail into folders. Also offered in French, German and Spanish. Service can be slow at times.
Lycos E-mail - The major search engine Lycos has gotten in on the free E-mail act. Here, you can access your own private E-mail account from any computer worldwide.
Crosswinds Internet Communications - Sign up for your free E-mail account. "Real" and forwarded E-mail supported. This service may not be used to send spam, or mailing lists, however, other commercial purposes are allowed, as long as they are not for mass mailing purposes.
Pobox - This site offers a one month free trial of their various E-mail services, which include lifetime E-mail address, junk mail protection, mailbomb protection, mail sorting and more.
GeoCities - The largest free Web space provider, GeoCities also offers free POP3 E-mail service and E-mail forwarding accounts. Note: TheFreeSite.com offers the Web's top roundup of free Web space providers here.

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