It feels strange to say that I’ve used Gmail for decades. Am I really that old? Is Gmail really that old? Somehow the years snuck up on me.
For most of that time I was happy with Gmail. Sure—as the saying goes, “if you don’t pay, you’re the product”—but it met my needs so well that I accepted the trade-off in privacy and data control. I have several personal domains – like CharlesConklin.com – and the email addresses from those integrated flawlessly with Gmail.
Platform decay (a term popularized by Cory Doctorow) is when a digital platform gradually gets worse over time as it shifts from serving users to maximizing profit. Early on, platforms focus on being useful and attractive, but once they gain dominance, they start prioritizing advertisers, partners, or revenue—leading to more ads, higher costs, reduced privacy, and unwanted features. Over time, the user experience declines because the platform relies on lock-in, making it harder for people to leave.
Sadly though, in another case of platform decay, the Gmail of today isn’t the Gmail of yesteryear. Google has invested heavily in AI development and is now burning it’s old business models to push AI and recoup some of that investment. Gmail has been intentionally depreciated with features and support for custom domains being removed in order to promote Google Workspace. Actually, I would have be willing to pay for Workspace if it worked as well as Gmail had in the past but Workspace is designed for business and doesn’t carter to personal usage nearly as well as Gmail did.
At the same time, Google Workspace subscription prices have risen partly due to bundled AI features like Gemini. That means paying more while still dealing with the same underlying concerns around privacy and data usage. It’s hard not to see this as part of a broader trend: large tech platforms declining in quality while adding cost and unwanted features.
The final turning point for me was the removal of the last viable workaround for using custom domains with Gmail. That was a clear sign that it was time for me to jump ship before it was too late.
Gmail was a great service and there’s really nothing comparable. It was clear that I’d need to switch to a paid subscription service to have anything close to what Gmail use to provide at the cost of privacy and data control. I wrote off other big tech options, like Microsoft, since they are engaged in the same pattern of platform decline as Google.
My research lead to me two alternatives from mid-tech…
- Proton Mail: Based in Switzerland, Proton Mail built around privacy. It offers end-to-end encryption, minimal tracking, and no ads. Its ownership structure—combining a for-profit company with oversight from a nonprofit foundation—helps protect its mission. It also bundles additional services like a VPN and cloud tools, positioning itself as a broader privacy ecosystem.
- Fastmail: Based in Australia, is one of the oldest independent email providers still operating today founded back in 1999. It’s a straightforward subscription service: no ads, no tracking, and no attempt to be anything other than a great email provider. After a period under outside ownership, it’s now employee-owned again and focused squarely on its core product.
I initially leaned toward Proton Mail, but the more I researched, the more I became concerned about feature creep and long-term pricing. I’ve also seen too many well intended tech firms drift as they’ve become profitable. Fastmail, by contrast, has stayed remarkably consistent for over two decades. Its focus on doing one thing well, email.
So I recently completed the switch to Fastmail and it’s been good so far. I’ll update you on how it goes if there’s interest.
Note: This is actually slightly misleading. I didn’t deactivate my Gmail account. My Gmail address is still up and running. But now those Gmail emails are being ported to Fastmail. The migration process was surprisingly fast and painless.