Tuta (Tutanota): 1 GB Free Storage — How to Back Up and Archive Your Emails
How much free storage does Tuta offer? 1 GB. Tuta (formerly Tutanota) is one of the most well-known privacy-focused email providers with end-to-end encryption. But with only 1 GB of free storage, your mailbox can fill up quickly. Here is how Tuta's storage works and how to back up your emails before you run out of space.
Tuta Free: 1 GB of Dedicated Email Storage
According to the official Tuta pricing page and support documentation, the free plan includes 1 GB of storage for private users. This storage is dedicated to email — it is not shared with cloud services or other applications. That is more transparent than Gmail (15 GB shared with Drive and Photos) or iCloud (5 GB shared with Photos, Backups, and Drive).
However, 1 GB is modest in international comparison: Gmail offers 15 GB, Outlook.com provides 15 GB of pure mailbox storage, Yahoo Mail gives you 20 GB, and mail.com leads with 65 GB. Tuta is on par with German providers like GMX and WEB.DE (1 GB mail each), though it offers significantly stronger encryption in return.
Why Tuta Has No IMAP
Tuta uses a proprietary protocol and deliberately does not support IMAP, POP3, or SMTP. The reason: end-to-end encryption requires decryption to happen on the client side. Standard protocols like IMAP cannot process the encrypted messages stored on Tuta's servers.
This means you cannot use Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or other standard email clients to access Tuta. All access goes through Tuta's own apps (web, desktop, iOS, Android). However, Tuta does provide a built-in export function that lets you download emails as EML files.
How to Export and Back Up Tuta Emails
Even without IMAP, you can back up your Tuta emails. Tuta provides a built-in export function in the desktop app and web client:
Open Tuta and select a folder
Open Tuta in your browser or desktop app. Navigate to the folder you want to export.
Select and export emails
Select the emails you want to export and use the built-in export function to download them as EML files.
Save locally and organize
Save the EML files in a well-organized folder structure on your computer or an external drive.
Delete backed-up emails from Tuta
After confirming your local backup, delete the exported emails from Tuta to free up storage space.
Tuta vs. Proton Mail: Privacy Providers Compared
Tuta and Proton Mail are the two most well-known privacy-focused email providers. Both offer end-to-end encryption, but differ in important ways:
| Feature | Tuta | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Free Storage | 1 GB | up to 1 GB (500 MB start) |
| IMAP | No | Only via Proton Mail Bridge |
| Encryption | End-to-end (AES + RSA) | End-to-end (PGP-based) |
| Export | Built-in EML export | Via Bridge + IMAP client |
When Is a Paid Plan Worth It?
Tuta offers paid plans starting at around $3/month (Revolutionary) with 15 GB of storage. This is worth considering if you use Tuta as your primary email and do not want to manually manage storage regularly. Alternatively, you can periodically archive older emails locally and stay on the free plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much free storage does Tuta offer?
1 GB of dedicated email storage on the free plan. The storage is not shared with other services.
Can I use Tuta with Thunderbird or Apple Mail?
No. Tuta does not support IMAP, POP3, or SMTP. You can only access Tuta through its own apps (web, desktop, iOS, Android).
Is Tuta more secure than Gmail?
Tuta provides end-to-end encryption for all emails between Tuta users. Gmail encrypts data in transit but not the contents on its servers in the same way. However, Tuta offers only 1 GB free compared to Gmail's 15 GB.
How does Tuta compare to Proton Mail?
Both are privacy-focused with end-to-end encryption. Tuta offers 1 GB free with no IMAP. Proton Mail offers up to 1 GB (starting at 500 MB) and supports IMAP through the Bridge desktop app.