Is Fastmail or Yap better?

Neither clearly leads. Fastmail starts at $3/month and Yap at $6.9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Fastmail or Yap?

Fastmail starts at $3/month and Yap at $6.9/month.

Does Fastmail or Yap run on more platforms?

Fastmail runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Yap runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.

What is Fastmail best used for?

Fastmail is most often used for someone who wants their email address tied to a domain they own rather than a free provider they do not, a small business wanting hosted mail on its own domain without running mail server infrastructure, a person leaving gmail specifically to stop an ad-funded provider processing their mail, a household migrating several accounts to one paid provider with shared billing. Of those, someone who wants their email address tied to a domain they own rather than a free provider they do not and a small business wanting hosted mail on its own domain without running mail server infrastructure are not what Yap is typically brought in for.

What can Fastmail do that Yap cannot?

Fastmail covers Custom domain hosting, Masked email, Unlimited aliases, Integrated calendar and contacts. Yap covers Dictation at the cursor, On-device recognition, Automatic language detection, Text cleanup.

Productivity · head to head

Fastmail vs Yap

Fastmail

Productivity

Paid email hosting with custom domains, calendar and contacts, run without ad-based revenue

From: $3/month
Free plan: No

Visit Fastmail Full review

Yap

Productivity

Fast dictation. Private by design.

From: $6.9/month
Free plan: No

Visit Yap Full review

The short version

Fastmail starts at $3/mo, Yap at $6.9/mo.
Only Fastmail lists custom domain hosting; only Yap lists dictation at the cursor.
Where Fastmail falls short: there is no free tier at all, so a user just wanting to try it commits to a paid trial rather than a permanently free option.
Where Yap falls short: intel Macs are not supported; the Mac app needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later), and the iPhone app needs an iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 or newer.
Prices and features on this page were last checked on 12 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fastmail and Yap actually diverge.

Attributes where Fastmail and Yap differ
Attribute	Fastmail	Yap
Starting price	$3/month	$6.9/month
Pricing model	Per user per month	Subscription
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows	macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Identical on both: free tier (No), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Fastmail

Custom domain hosting
Masked email
Unlimited aliases
Integrated calendar and contacts
Migration tools
JMAP support

Only in Yap

Dictation at the cursor
On-device recognition
Automatic language detection
Text cleanup
Hands-free recording
Local history
Voice input for coding tools
Phone keyboards

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Fastmail

Someone who wants their email address tied to a domain they own rather than a free provider they do notnot Yap
A small business wanting hosted mail on its own domain without running mail server infrastructurenot Yap
A person leaving Gmail specifically to stop an ad-funded provider processing their mailnot Yap
A household migrating several accounts to one paid provider with shared billingnot Yap

Yap

Dictating emails, messages and documents in any app on Mac or Windowsnot Fastmail
Speaking long prompts into ChatGPT, Claude or a coding agentnot Fastmail
Voice input for developers who cannot send code or screen contents to a cloud servicenot Fastmail
Reducing keyboard use for people with RSI or wrist painnot Fastmail
Drafting by voice where audio must not leave the device, such as legal or therapy notesnot Fastmail

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Fastmail

It does not provide end-to-end encryption by default, so users specifically wanting zero-knowledge mail should compare it against Proton Mail or Tuta rather than assume parity
Moving to Fastmail is a real migration with DNS changes for a custom domain, unlike installing a client such as Spark or Bluemail over an existing account
There is no free tier at all, so a user just wanting to try it commits to a paid trial rather than a permanently free option
Storage limits on the entry Basic plan are modest next to the free allowance Gmail gives, and heavy attachment users will need Standard or above
Being based in Australia means it falls under Australian data access law, which some privacy-focused buyers weigh differently from Swiss or German jurisdictions used by Proton Mail and Tuta

Yap

Intel Macs are not supported; the Mac app needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later), and the iPhone app needs an iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 or newer
Recognition is local but the app is not fully offline: it needs internet for first launch, activation and periodic access checks, and offline access lasts at most 24 hours
The Windows installer downloaded from the website is not code-signed, so Windows shows a SmartScreen warning; the Microsoft Store version is signed
25 languages are supported, and the vendor notes accuracy varies by language, voice and recording conditions
The free period is only 3 days, after which continuing requires a card for the 10-day trial; there is no free tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Fastmail

$3/month

Basic$3/mo
- 6GB storage
- No custom domain support
- Core mail, calendar and contacts
Standard$5/mo
- 60GB storage
- Custom domain support
- Masked email and aliases
Professional$9/mo
- 150GB storage
- Multiple custom domains
- Priority support

Yap

$6.9/month

Monthly$6.9/mo
- Unlimited on-device dictation
- 25 languages, detected as you speak
- Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android
Yearly$69/yr
- Same app and features as monthly
- Saves $13.80 a year against monthly billing
- 10-day trial with a card

Which should you pick?

Choose Fastmail if

You need custom domain hosting.
You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
You also want masked email.

Fastmail review

Choose Yap if

You need dictation at the cursor.
You work on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
You also want on-device recognition.

Yap review

Questions people ask

Is Fastmail or Yap better?: Neither clearly leads. Fastmail starts at $3/month and Yap at $6.9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fastmail or Yap?: Fastmail starts at $3/month and Yap at $6.9/month.
Does Fastmail or Yap run on more platforms?: Fastmail runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Yap runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
What is Fastmail best used for?: Fastmail is most often used for someone who wants their email address tied to a domain they own rather than a free provider they do not, a small business wanting hosted mail on its own domain without running mail server infrastructure, a person leaving gmail specifically to stop an ad-funded provider processing their mail, a household migrating several accounts to one paid provider with shared billing. Of those, someone who wants their email address tied to a domain they own rather than a free provider they do not and a small business wanting hosted mail on its own domain without running mail server infrastructure are not what Yap is typically brought in for.
What can Fastmail do that Yap cannot?: Fastmail covers Custom domain hosting, Masked email, Unlimited aliases, Integrated calendar and contacts. Yap covers Dictation at the cursor, On-device recognition, Automatic language detection, Text cleanup.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fastmail: Is Fastmail a client like Spark, or does it host my email?

It hosts the mailbox itself; there is no separate provider underneath it the way Spark sits over Gmail.

Yap: How much does Yap cost?

A free account works for 3 days with no card. After that a 10-day trial with a card leads to $6.90 a month or $69 a year. Cancel before the trial ends and you are not charged.

Source

Fastmail: Does Fastmail offer end-to-end encryption?

Not by default in the way Proton Mail or Tuta do; its privacy position rests on being subscription-funded rather than ad-funded.

Yap: Does Yap upload my voice?

No. Speech recognition runs on the device and audio is not uploaded to a transcription service. Completed text is kept in a local history you can copy or delete. An internet connection is needed to download the speech model on first use.

Source

Fastmail: Can I use my own domain?

Yes, from the Standard plan up, with full alias and masked email support.

Yap: Which computers does Yap run on?

Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) and Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Intel Macs are not supported. There are also apps for iPhone (iOS 17 or later) and Android 10 or later, covered by the same subscription.

Source

Yap: Which languages does Yap support?

25 languages. Each recording detects its own language from the audio, so there is no need to select languages in advance.

Source

Yap: Does Yap work offline?

Transcription runs locally, but internet access is required for first launch, activation and periodic access checks. Offline access lasts up to 24 hours.

Source

Fastmail vs Yap

Fastmail

Yap

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Fastmail

Only in Yap

What people use each for

Fastmail

Yap

Where each one falls short

Fastmail

Yap

Pricing, plan by plan

Fastmail

Yap

Which should you pick?

Choose Fastmail if

Choose Yap if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Fastmail

More on Yap

Keep looking

Other head to heads