Riseup Email
Riseup Email is a free email account available through webmail or a mail client.
What Riseup Email is
Riseup Email is a free email account available through webmail or a mail client. It offers 1 GB of mailbox storage and is part of what Riseup describes as movement-run communication infrastructure for activists and allies. Creating an account requires an invite code from someone who trusts you; signup does not require a phone number or personal information. You can connect mail clients using IMAP or POP, with SMTP for outgoing mail. Riseup recommends Thunderbird and lists options for Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. Riseup says messages are individually encrypted on its servers and unlocked with the account password, but this is not end-to-end or client encryption; users can add Mailvelope or another OpenPGP solution. The service says it does not log internet addresses or embed the sender’s IP in outgoing email. Trash is deleted after 21 days and Spam after 7 days. Riseup does not back up all old messages, so users are responsible for keeping copies. The service is funded by small user donations.
Good
- Free plan includes 1 GB of storage.
- Accessible by webmail or mail clients.
- Supports IMAP, POP, and outgoing SMTP.
- Signup requires no phone number or personal information.
- Riseup says it does not log internet addresses.
Watch out
- An invite code is required to create an account.
- Email is not end-to-end encrypted by default.
- Trash is deleted after 21 days; Spam after 7.
- Riseup does not back up all old messages.
Who it suits
It may suit activists and allies seeking movement-run email and willing to obtain an invite. Users who need old messages should be prepared to keep their own copies.
Verdict
Riseup Email offers free, invite-based email with webmail and mail-client access. Its 1 GB limit, lack of built-in end-to-end encryption, and limited backups are important considerations.
Plans and prices
From Riseup Email's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Riseup Email | Free | 1 GB mailbox · invite code required · Trash auto-deleted after 21 days · Spam auto-deleted after 7 days · Funded by user donations |
The facts
Each one read from Riseup Email's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Access
- Creating an account requires an invite code from someone who trusts you.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Account privacy
- Riseup says signup does not require a phone number or personal information and uses invite codes instead.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Aliases and filters
- Account settings support email aliases and filtering rules.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Audience
- Riseup describes its email as part of movement-run communication infrastructure for activists and allies.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Backups
- Riseup says it does not have backups of all old messages and makes users responsible for keeping their data safe.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Backups limitation
- Riseup warns that it does not keep backups of all old messages.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Client support
- Riseup recommends Thunderbird and publishes setup guidance for email clients including Geary and iOS Mail.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Data deletion
- Users can destroy their account data from account management.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Encrypted disk
- Riseup says its physical servers use full-disk encryption and are not cloud-hosted.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Encryption at rest
- Riseup says messages are individually encrypted on its servers and can only be unlocked using the account password.checked 8 Oct 2026
- End-to-end encryption
- Riseup says its email is not end-to-end or client encrypted unless users add Mailvelope or another OpenPGP solution.checked 8 Oct 2026
- End-to-end encryption limit
- Webmail is not end-to-end encrypted; users must use OpenPGP through a compatible client or Mailvelope.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Funding
- Riseup says its email service is funded entirely by small donations from users.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Funding model
- Riseup says the email service is funded entirely by small user donations.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Invite-only signup
- Account creation uses invite codes instead of requiring a phone number or personal information.checked 15 Oct 2026
- IP privacy
- Riseup says it does not log users’ internet addresses and does not embed sender IP addresses in outgoing mail.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Legal disclosure history
- In a 2017 statement, Riseup disclosed complying with two sealed FBI warrants and said new accounts would receive personally encrypted storage.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: invite restriction
- Privacy Guides participants criticize the service for remaining invite-only, which limits normal consumer signup.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: limited documentation
- A Privacy Guides participant describes Riseup documentation as adequate but not especially extensive.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: no custom domains
- Privacy Guides participants say Riseup does not support custom domain names.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: no MFA
- Privacy Guides participants report that Riseup does not offer multi-factor authentication.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: spoofing concern
- A Whonix forum post criticizes the absence of a DMARC policy and says this can enable spoofing of Riseup addresses.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 1999checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Lacey, Washington, USAchecked 28 Sep 2026
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