https://thenextweb.com/news/google-gsuite-free-alternatives-analysis
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/01/google-tells-free-g-suite-users-pay-up-or-lose-your-account/
I've always been surprised this didn't come years ago. I have two legacy accounts, one from when they first came out in 2006 and another from 2010. Free, branded email without any of the ads that you get in Gmail was a pretty good deal - $0 for 16 years. Going forward, it's $6/mo. You can switch to MS for $5/mo, but then you would have the horrible Outlook mail experience (I'm still scarred from having to use it for work from 2014 to 2020).
Fastmail gets a big thumbs up from Jake
I love the concept of Hey.com - if I were starting from zero, I would start there. I still might. It's the first thing that feels new in email since Gmail came out. It's only twice as expensive as Google, which could easily be worth it if it saves an hour a month.
Meanwhile, other users are responding like this
QuoteFucks sake. I've got a couple email addresses and YouTube accounts on legacy GSuite, and I have no intention of financially rewarding google for this bullshit. Email seems easy enough to migrate but YouTube...? Ouch.
So a company gives you 16 years of branded, ad-free email hosting now decides it wants money for that service and it's suddenly bullshit? They are giving people several months of continued free hosting, followed by 50% off the first year (so $36 for the whole year) meaning that for $36 you can put off a decision until June 2023 and that's "bullshit"?
I am certain that the woman who posted that has no expectation of being paid for her labor. I am certain she has taken vows of poverty and lives like a saint and is simply asking that the rest of the world do so too.