@comatory, think it this way. Google should be paying you $40/yr for using their service. Fastmail's business is emails. But Google's business is ads not search

@comatory, think it this way. Google should be paying you $40/yr for using their service. Fastmail's business is emails. But Google's business is ads not search. That is a big difference. Considering that I have been using Fastmail's free service since 19 Oct 2003. I can assure you that they are doing a great job. The people at Fastmail need to live and their charges are very nice for the service they provide. Their webmail is great and delivery is good. But if your concern is staying away from PRISM, then I guess getting up your own is the way to go. Hotmail(Outlook.com) is great but there is not guarantee its going remain the same. Yahoo mail was great at one time, now its just a pain. Good Luck. Do tell what is your final decision. I too am planning to move away from Gmail.