Hushmail vs. Gmail

You don’t have to be a secret agent to use email encryption. If you communicate with others and share sensitive information, you may want to encode your messages so that only your recipient can read them. One of Hushmail’s most compelling features is its ability to encrypt email. Gmail can't do this, but it does have tools that Hushmail lacks.

Explore the Common Features

Gmail and Hushmail have user interfaces that share a few common features. For instance, after you log in to your Hushmail account, you'll see folders Inbox and Sent folders just as you do in Gmail. Both services let you compose messages and use tools that apply colors, bold text format messages using other options. Like Gmail, Hushmail has a Preferences section that helps you manage your account and tweak the way the service works.

The Hushmail Encryption Advantage

As a Hushmail member, you can send encrypted emails to anyone. If your recipients are Hushmail members, their browsers automatically decrypt your message so they can read it. If they don't have Hushmail accounts, they recieve a Hushmail Express message. They can read that messages’s instructions to learn how to find and decrypt the real message you emailed them. When you create an account, your get an email address that ends in @hushmail.com.

The Gmail Google Advantage

Unlike Hushmail, Gmail integrates with other Google services you may rely on. For instance, you can send an attachment from Gmail to your Google Drive account. You can also search the Web from within Gmail and communicate with other people using the built-in chat and circles features. If you'd like to make a free call to a US or Canadian phone, you can do that using Google Voice through the Gmail Web interface or Hangouts feature.

Give HushMail a Try

Gmail and Hushmail provide free email but you can upgrade Hushmail if you'd like more storage space or you need additional features the paid plans make available. You don't have to give up your Gmail account to test Hushmail. Visit Hushmail and sign up for the free plan if you'd like to try it. If you choose the free plan, you must log in to your account at least once every three weeks. The free plan also limits your message storage space to 25 gigabytes.