Email Storage Limits Compared: Gmail vs Outlook vs Yahoo vs iCloud (2026)
Not all email providers are equally generous. While Gmail offers 15 GB and mail.com gives you 65 GB, providers like GMX and WEB.DE start with just 1 GB. ProtonMail gives you only 500 MB. Here is the complete comparison of all major providers — with free limits, paid options, and IMAP support.
The Complete Storage Comparison (as of 2026)
The table below shows the free storage limits of all major email providers. Notable: the most popular providers in Germany (GMX, WEB.DE, T-Online) offer only 1 GB each — which explains why so many users see the "mailbox full" warning. Yahoo has recently cut its storage from 1 TB to 20 GB, catching millions of users off guard.
| Provider | Free Storage | Shared With | Paid Option | IMAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mail.com | 65 GB email + 2 GB cloud | Separate (mail and cloud are independent) | Premium from ~$3/mo | Yes |
| Yahoo Mail | 20 GB | Email only | Yahoo Mail Plus available | Yes (App Password required) |
| Gmail / Googlemail | 15 GB | Shared with Google Drive and Google Photos | Google One from $1.99/mo (100 GB) | Yes |
| Outlook.com / Hotmail / Live | 15 GB email + 5 GB cloud | Separate (attachments use cloud storage) | Microsoft 365 from $69.99/yr (50 GB email + 1 TB cloud) | Yes |
| iCloud Mail | 5 GB | Shared with Photos, iCloud Drive, Backups | iCloud+ from $0.99/mo (50 GB) | Yes (App-Specific Password required) |
| Zoho Mail | 5 GB per user | Email only | Mail Lite from $1/mo (10 GB) | Yes |
| GMX | 1 GB email + 4 GB cloud | Separate (mail and cloud are independent) | ProMail from ~$3/mo (5 GB) | Yes |
| WEB.DE | 1 GB email + 4 GB cloud | Separate (mail and cloud are independent) | WEB.DE Club from ~$5/mo | Yes |
| Tuta (Tutanota) | 1 GB | Email only | Revolutionary from ~$3/mo (15 GB) | No (proprietary protocol) |
| freenet Mail | 1 GB email + 2 GB cloud | Separate (mail and cloud are independent) | freenet Mail Power from ~$2/mo | Yes |
| T-Online (Telekom) | 1 GB | Email only | Expandable up to 15 GB (paid add-ons) | Yes |
| mail.de | 1 GB | Combined for mail and files | mail.de Plus available | Yes |
| Mailo | 1 GB email + 500 MB files | Separate (mail and documents/photos are independent) | Mailo Premium available | Yes |
| Proton Mail | up to 1 GB | Email only | Proton Mail Plus from $3.99/mo (15 GB) | Only with Proton Mail Bridge |
Last updated: March 2026. All information without guarantee. Storage limits may change at any time.
Key Takeaways
The Biggest Free Storage: mail.com (65 GB)
mail.com stands out with 65 GB of free email storage — more than four times what Gmail offers. This makes it an excellent choice for users who receive many large attachments and do not want to worry about storage limits.
The Most Popular: Gmail (15 GB Shared)
Gmail offers 15 GB, but this is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos. If you store lots of photos in Google Photos or have files in Drive, your email storage shrinks accordingly. Google warns that accounts exceeding the limit for more than 2 years may have all data deleted.
The Confusing One: Outlook.com (15 GB + 5 GB)
Outlook.com has a split system: 15 GB for email messages and 5 GB of cloud storage (OneDrive). However, email attachments count against the 5 GB cloud storage, not the 15 GB email storage. This catches many users off guard, as the 5 GB cloud limit fills up faster than expected. The same limits apply to hotmail.com and live.com addresses.
The Big Cut: Yahoo Mail (1 TB to 20 GB)
Yahoo Mail offered 1 TB of free storage for years, encouraging users to never delete anything. In 2025, they slashed it to 20 GB. Starting May 2026, some accounts may see the limit drop to 15 GB. Users who exceeded the limit had their inboxes locked, with incoming emails being permanently lost.
The Shared One: iCloud (5 GB for Everything)
Apple gives you 5 GB total — shared between Mail, Photos, iCloud Drive, device backups, and app data. A single iPhone backup can use 2-3 GB, leaving very little room for emails. Many users do not realize their emails compete for space with their photo library and iPhone backups.
The German Problem: GMX, WEB.DE, T-Online (1 GB Each)
Germany's most popular email providers — GMX, WEB.DE, and T-Online — all offer just 1 GB of free email storage. GMX and WEB.DE each add 4 GB of separate cloud storage, and freenet Mail offers 2 GB of cloud on top, but the pure mailbox limit remains 1 GB. This is 15 times less than Gmail and 65 times less than mail.com. These tiny limits explain why "mailbox full" is one of the most common email-related searches in Germany. Tuta (formerly Tutanota) and mail.de also cap free accounts at 1 GB.
The Privacy Pick: ProtonMail (500 MB)
ProtonMail focuses on privacy and end-to-end encryption, but its free storage is the smallest of all major providers at just 500 MB. By completing onboarding tasks, you can increase this to 1 GB. Important: IMAP only works through the Proton Mail Bridge desktop application.
The Universal Solution: Archive Locally Instead of Paying
Regardless of your provider, there is a free solution for full mailboxes: archive old emails locally. With mailriva, you export emails via IMAP to your computer. Folder structure and all attachments are preserved. Then you delete the archived emails from your online mailbox and immediately free up storage space.
This works with any provider that supports IMAP — including Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo, iCloud, GMX, WEB.DE, T-Online, Zoho, AOL, and mail.com. No cloud service, no third-party uploads — everything runs directly from your computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which provider offers the most free storage?
mail.com offers the most at 65 GB. Yahoo Mail offers 20 GB (reduced from 1 TB). Gmail offers 15 GB shared with Drive and Photos.
Why are German providers so stingy with storage?
GMX, WEB.DE, and T-Online all offer only 1 GB free. This is a business model: tight free limits drive users toward paid plans like ProMail or TopMail. In international comparison, 1 GB is extremely low.
What can I do when my mailbox is full?
You have two options: buy a storage upgrade from your provider, or archive old emails locally. With mailriva, you export your emails via IMAP to your computer and delete them from the online mailbox afterward.
Do all providers share storage with other services?
No. Gmail shares 15 GB with Drive and Photos. iCloud shares 5 GB with Photos, Drive, and Backups. Outlook.com has separate limits. GMX, WEB.DE, and Yahoo use dedicated email storage.
Does ProtonMail support IMAP?
ProtonMail only supports IMAP through the Proton Mail Bridge, a desktop application that runs locally. Direct IMAP access to ProtonMail servers is not possible due to the end-to-end encryption architecture.
Gmail Storage Full
15 GB shared — how to free up space
Outlook.com Storage Full
15 GB email + 5 GB cloud — the limit explained
Yahoo Mail Storage Full
From 1 TB to 20 GB — what to do
iCloud Storage Full
5 GB for Mail, Photos, Backups, and more
Proton Mail Storage
Only 500 MB to 1 GB — back up your emails
Tuta Storage
1 GB for encrypted emails
Free Up Storage
General guide for all providers
Backup Emails
Archive your emails locally