Gmail is fast becoming the most popular web-based email platform. This is due to several reasons. It’s free, offers a lot of free storage (over 7GB and counting), and is provided by one of the best-known internet brands – Google.

However, some people are not completely satisfied with the service that Gmail provides. One of the biggest complaints is contextual advertising. It can be disconcerting when you get an email from your dad asking if you are going to attend the New York Giants football game, and you see that Google has placed various ads around the email asking you to buy tickets for the Giants. It looks like Google is reading our emails!

If this describes you, then this guide may help you. These are some of the best free alternatives to Gmail for email on the internet.

1. Yahoo! Mail

Yahoo! Mail started early providing free email accounts, and they are still by far the most popular web email service. In March 2010, Yahoo! The mail actually had more traffic in the US than all other email sites combined! Yahoo offers free email with unlimited storage space. One downside to their service is that they say they will delete all your messages if your account is not accessed for 4 months.

2. Windows Live Mail

This is the second most popular email service in the United States. Formerly known as Hotmail, MSN Live Mail offers you 5GB of storage and a choice of domains for your email. You can choose an email address @hotmail, @live, or @msn. They also allow you to consolidate all your other email accounts in their interface. This is useful if you have a Yahoo! email account or you would still like to view your old Gmail emails through a new interface.

3. Hushmail

For people looking for an alternative to Google due to privacy concerns, Hushmail may be a good option. Although they have never been very popular, Hushmail has a high customer satisfaction rating dating back to 1999. This service automatically encrypts all emails you send. If normal emails are like sending a postcard, Hushmail allows you to send sealed envelopes. They offer 2GB of free storage, but you can pay more if you ever need it.