What is an email service provider (ESP)?
As the name suggests, the term ‘email service provider (ESP)’ refers to a platform that allows a user to send an email to another user or group of users.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What is the best email service provider (ESP)?
To determine the best (ESP), you will need to answer three simple questions:
- What do you need one for?
- What features do you need?
- How much are you willing to spend?
Let us take a look at each one in more detail:
First, if you are planning to just email your family, friends, and colleagues, then a free (ESP), such as Gmail would be more than enough—literally. It will not only let you send and receive emails, but also give you access to a host of super handy Google tools, including:
- Google Drive
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Google Slides
- Google Meet
Of course, if you are an email marketer, you will need a completely different set of tools, which brings us to the next point:
To figure out what the best (ESP) is for you, you will need to know exactly what features you need. If you are looking to do email marketing, for example, your chosen email service provider (ESP) has to at least allow you to do the following:
- Create email lists
- Segment said email lists
- Send out emails in bulk
- Track the performance of your email marketing campaigns
Finally, you also need to consider your budget because while some (ESP) are free, others, especially the ones designed specifically for email marketing, charge a monthly fee.
Question #2: How much does the typical email service provider (ESP) cost?
A typical (ESP) that is designed for personal or work-related use is 100% free to use, but some, such as Gmail, may charge a small fee for useful add-ons such as extra storage once you run out.
In contrast, an email service provider (ESP) that is designed for email marketing and other similar mass emailing purposes typically charge a monthly fee that can range anywhere between $10 and $300 per month, depending on the features you need.
The good news is that even if you had to pay a monthly subscription to use a commercial email service provider (ESP) for your email marketing needs, you will be monetising your email list anyway, so you will not have to pay for the service out of pocket.
Question #3: What can I do with an (ESP)?
The things you can do with an email service provider (ESP) would ultimately depend on the platform you choose.
As we have seen earlier, if you choose one that is designed for personal use, then you will only be able to send and receive emails to and from your family, friends, and colleagues (in addition to a couple of handy extras if you use something like Gmail).
In contrast, if you go with something that is specifically designed for email marketing, then you will have access to a host of tools that allow you to do just that really well.
Question #4: What is the most secure (ESP)?
Some of the most secure email service providers (ESP) around include:
- ProtonMail
- Tutanota
- Countermail
Let us take a look at each one in more detail:
Swiss-based ProtonMail is designed in a way that even the team behind it cannot access your emails. It also has data centers that are designed to withstand a full-on nuclear attack.
Tutanota allows you to not only send secure emails to and receive secure emails from other users of the service, but also password protect all your emails to users of other email service providers (ESP).
Finally, Countermail not only has servers that only store fully encrypted emails, but also allows you to use a USB key that is stored on your device to decrypt your emails, making it virtually impossible for anyone else to read your mail even if they manage to get access to your account.