Aster Mail Free

This is a brief 'heads up' of the relative newcomer to email: Aster Mail

It's a very interesting offering, as they allow the use of one's own domain in this free account.

I won't go into any depth about how to sign up for an account, etc. I'm sure that you're capable of finding out how to do that for yourself!

My Observations

First of all, although Aster - the company - is based in the US, their mail servers and infrastructure are run by Hetzner in Falkenstein, Germany. Here's a better explanation of their set up:

Is Aster Safe If It's Based in the US?

After signing up and testing the free 10 GB account, I was quite impressed by the overall set up and the layout of their UI.

It was also easy to set up one of my own personal domains - the instructions were straightforward and in a matter of minutes it was all set up and working.

As I'm still talking about their free account, there are some limitations:

  1. Only one own domain allowed.
  2. A maximum of five aliases allowed. Once an alias is created, you cannot delete it for a month.
  3. No catchall - you have to rely on the five own domain aliases only.
  4. No IMAP/SMTP - access via webmail and installers for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
  5. No auto-forward rules.
  6. Only two mail filters.

The paid plans include more aliases, more custom domains, catchalls, larger attachments, and unlimited mail filters. IMAP/SMTP is available via their 'Aster Bridge'. 

The main 'selling point' of this free account is the use of one's domain. If you're on the lookout for a free home for your own domain emails, it's certainly worth a try!

Update

Although it was easy to set up my own domain - the instructions were clear and logical - I did encounter a problem with my sent emails not being signed.

I reported this to Aster Mail via their Discord channel, and Lucas Findley (The Founder and CEO of Aster Privacy) took the time to work through the problem with myself, and eventually all was good - my sent emails from my own domain were now being signed.

Kudos to Lucas for going 'above and beyond' to assist me!

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