I had the digital equivalent of an epiphany the other day. I opened my inbox and saw…email. Only email. There were no ads, no AI-generated summaries, and no prompts. It was a strange, yet welcome, feeling after years of using Gmail. Checking my inbox no longer felt like an argument with an algorithm. That’s because I switched to Fastmail earlier this year.
It all began when I started distancing myself from American big tech platforms, where Google sits high on the list. I wanted something more private and more personal, with less bloat. Fastmail, an Australian company, caught my eye as a well-regarded alternative to Gmail. Six months in, I am confident I made the right choice.