Choose an email address you can keep using with StartMail
startmail.comUse a lasting alias for an account that may send receipts, replies or recovery messages. Choose the inbox plan separately: Compare Personal and Business by current domain limits, storage and separate-account needs.
Check the selected plan’s current monthly bill or full annual payment; domain registration and additional accounts are separate decisions.
Personal: keep the right address active
- Will this account need future mail?A personal or quick alias sends and receives in your StartMail inbox. Keep it active while you expect replies or account recovery; deactivation and permanent deletion are different choices.
- Do you need encrypted sending?Check whether your exact sender address—main address, StartMail alias or custom-domain alias—supports the encryption workflow you need.
Compare current domain limits, storage and separate-account needs on the selected plan. An alias changes the address you share; it does not automatically encrypt a message or erase delivered copies.
Business: separate domains, role addresses and accounts
An owned domain or a business mailing address does not by itself establish that Business is required. Compare the actual domain and separate-account needs.
- Own and verify the domain.Domain registration is separate from the email subscription. Check the verified-domain setup before changing mail delivery.
- Choose the recipient accounts.A subscription manager can assign a domain alias such as support@example.com to selected people in a group subscription. The alias is an address, not another paid staff inbox or a shared ticket queue.
- Plan the move.Check mailbox capacity and the documented migration route before domain cutover. StartMail also documents an IMAP alternative; do not assume an instant or interruption-free transfer.
Does a contractor need an address, or access to selected mail?
In this hypothetical example, one owner hires one contractor to handle project inquiries. The owner wants unrelated mail outside the task and continuing access to the project record. One business address does not establish how either person signs in or which messages they can see.
- StartMail: the role-address arrangement above describes recipient accounts, not verified selected-message permissions. Confirm the actual access and removal process; do not infer a shared ticket queue or an extra account included in the plan.
- Fastmail: its documentation distinguishes aliases from users with their own credentials and mailbox. Shared folders can be limited to selected account users, with removable permissions. Its permission labelled “only view” also allows forwarding, copying and replying; check the actual actions, not just the label. Addresses versus users · Folder permissions.
- Gmail delegation: a delegate can read, send and delete mailbox email; an alias cannot itself receive delegation. Work or school delegation is limited to people or groups in the organization and requires administrator enablement. This may expose more mail than this project requires. Delegation scope and removal.
Before choosing, record the permitted messages, sending identity, continuing record owner and where future inquiries should arrive.
Before the engagement ends, check the provider’s actual removal steps and the required records’ continuing availability. Removing access, preserving business records and handling copies already received are separate checks; none is established by this example. Do not share passwords.
Keep an adequate existing arrangement. For occasional work, the owner may handle email and pass only the task information needed, if that meets the job. A separate mailbox is not automatically necessary. Product, plan, licensing, administrator access, retention and removal consequences still need confirmation; no price or equivalent provider capability is inferred.
The three linked Fastmail and Gmail documents were read November 1, 2026 (UTC); no account or workflow was tested. This date applies only to those references. StartMail observations retain their existing date below.
Compare the Business service at StartMail. Confirm the selected account count, billing period and renewal price. No first-account discount or extra-account inclusion is assumed.
Official sources and limits
- Personal and Business features and payment terms
- Alias types and encrypted-sending limit
- Burner alias documentation
- App and Webmail differences
- Domain alias management
- Migration and domain-cutover instructions
- Current plan prices and trial
Public product details checked October 29, 2026. This is documentation-based guidance, not a tested account, a security guarantee or a promise about a checkout offer.