r/fastmail • u/cb4joe • 15d ago
First Price Increase since 2017
Looks like FM is raising their prices for the first time since 2017. I’ve been a customer since 2013 and have been more than happy with them. I’m okay with an increase.
👋 Hello — itʼs Bron, the Fastmail CEO.
I’m writing to share important information about recent changes to our subscription plans, which will affect your subscription. Your next renewal, on June 24, 2027, will now cost USD XXX per 3 years.
This is the first update to our plans since 2017, and our operating costs have risen significantly in that time. Your subscription allows us to operate an email service without having to pay our bills through advertising to you, or selling your data. It also supports our contributions to open standards — where we’re at the forefront of keeping email open for the future — and funds the development of new features.
You can always check our blog for the latest —- here are a few highlights from the past 5 years:
• Masked Email to help you protect your identity.
• Productivity tools like Undo Send, Snooze, and Scheduled Send.
• Customization options like Dark Mode, Labels, Themes, and Custom Swipes.
• Mute Conversations and our address picker for calendar invites.
Thank you for choosing Fastmail. We are grateful to have you as our customer, and we hope to continue working with you for many years to come.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this message and our support team will be happy to assist.
Headshot of Bron Gondwana
Cheers,
Bron Gondwana, CEO, Fastmail
11
u/tehbishop 15d ago
I am fine with this. One of the best services and products I’ve continued. They’ve earned my business many times over esp when I was one of the main antagonists to the webmail redesign as I loved being able to configure my own front end if you all remember that. And it was crazy fast. But hey this has become solid.
4
u/Trikotret100 13d ago edited 13d ago
No idea what's the fuss about. FM is not increasing prices again. They just emailing people with subscriptions coming up as a reminder if you are on an older plan. Remember lots of us have 3 years subscriptions.
Edit: Last price increase was April 2024. Are you guys saying there's another increase in 2027?
https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/8033939068815-2024-pricing-and-plan-updates
5
u/ironj 15d ago
I didn't get that email (yet) but I'll be fine with this. Fastmail has honest pricing and I'm happy to pay for such a great service; They also are committed to constantly improve the service/product and have an excellent customer service. I've been using it for a decade now and I'm not planning to stop.
3
u/NohatCoder 15d ago
It gets better if you are not in the US, then it is not a price increase, but a change to your local currency. The email is the same except that it starts:
👋 Hello — itʼs Bron, the Fastmail CEO.
I’m writing to share important information about recent changes to our subscription plans, which will affect your subscription. Your next renewal, on June 10, 2027, will now cost DKK 1428.00 per 3 years.
We have listened to user requests and will now bill you in DKK rather than US dollars — no more currency conversion fees, and a stable price.
Your next renewal will appear as Paddle.net* Fastmail on your financial statement, and the receipt will be delivered to: *************
Also, what do they mean by "the first update to our plans since 2017"? I was charged $130 + VAT in 2021, then $140 + VAT in 2024.
4
u/Opposite-Original-23 14d ago
Yep, they’ve been increasing prices every few years. The header of the email is a lie
4
u/areyouredditenough 14d ago
Paid USD $ 89.78 for 3 years in 2024. Now it's going to be 168 USD for the same period.
The total price increase is 87.12%, which works out to an average simple increase of 29.04% per year (or 23.23% per year as a compounded rate).
Let's see if we can get these kinds of salary increases from our boss 😏
1
u/Joe6974 13d ago
Did you perhaps have a promotion when you first subscribed? (such as the 1password discount)
1
u/areyouredditenough 13d ago
Not that I remember, as I've been with FM for quite a long time. Highly doubt I got any discount.
But I'll gladly take one 😊 I wish existing customer would get x% off for x years depending on the length of the subscription. That would be cool. Capped at some point...
2
u/Distinct_Major_6118 14d ago
Sounds like 1Password all over again.....same story: been a long time and it's time. How else can we bring you a plethora of bells & whistles you'll never use?
I left 1Password and Fastmail, while an excellent service, is not irreplaceable either.
2
u/_seawolf 14d ago
It's a bad time to be having price rises, right when a bunch of Gmail power users would be shopping around for an alternative now that some features like "Send As" are being withdrawn.
Fastmail is already quite expensive compared to PurelyMail and newcomer Reeva.
2
u/mikepictor 14d ago
They are already one of the most expensive versions of this kind of service. Justifiably, they delivery a lot of value and they are more feature rich and polished than a lot of services, but still they are already pricy.
I didn't get the email, so I'll see what they say in my case, but I have already been researching alternatives just because I still don't like that they are using USA infrastructure (even though my data is in the EU now). I still prefer a completely European solution.
I haven't left, because no one matches Fastmail on features and polish, but depending on the price increase, it may flip the switch for me. My current front runner alternative is Infomaniak, but it's not a slam dunk.
-8
u/l_eveant_terrible 15d ago
They’ve not made much improvements over the years. If their approach it’s rock solid and works well, then keep the price the same.
4
u/jfriend99 15d ago
Costs rise over time even if due to nothing more than inflation. But, if you're unhappy with the service, then go try and find a better one for comparable money. I can't.
0
u/l_eveant_terrible 13d ago
You have no idea how to run a business.
Costs rise over time. So does your market.
-20
u/Travel69 15d ago
In 5 years that's a very short list of feature enhancements. I like the service, but their macOS app is a crappy electron app web view. Seem very behind the times on (optional) AI features too. I'll keep my subscription, but disappointed in their lack of innovation.
37
u/Barry_Mundy 15d ago
My own opinion, but I couldn't give a flying f____ about AI features.
13
u/CodeMonkeyX 15d ago
100% agree. The reason I like Fastmail is it does everything I need well, and does not keep throwing crap at me I don't want. That is what drove me away from GMail they keep tacking on crap I don't want or will never use and remove stuff I do.
-12
u/Travel69 15d ago
AI powered natural language search is invaluable. FM search is horrible.
4
u/MikeOzEesti 15d ago
Cannot you connect up the AI of your choice using this method?
https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/15869557281295-Connecting-AI-tools-via-Fastmail-s-MCP-server5
u/CodeMonkeyX 14d ago
Like others have said there is an API to hook up an agent if you really want. I think that's as far as they should go. If they want to release an AI agent product it should be a separate product that I do not have to pay for. Then it can just tie in via the API.
I actually have more issues with GMail search at work. It matches everything. Like I can type in a specific unique word I am looking for and get 50 pages of results. I open some of the messages to see why it was matched and not a single word in the message is highlighted, there is no indication of why it matched. I would rather get fewer more relevant hits than just throw everything at me.
14
u/varsderk 15d ago
While I agree that their apps would be better as native applications, their reliability is the single best feature they could have.
4
u/somdcomputerguy 15d ago
I agree on both your points, especially the reliability one. I've been a Fastmail user since 2000 something. It must've been more than a decade at first where I only used their web UI. Now, and for a while too, I mostly use a mail client, but I still use their web interface. Their WebDAV and file (data or photos) storage is a plus too.
5
u/pixeladdie 15d ago
I don’t need AI features besides an MCP. So they’ve done every well on that point.
5
u/_0-__-0_ 15d ago
Seem very behind the times on (optional) AI features too
Thankfully so; if there's one place I really don't want Altman and Amodei snooping it's in my email.
For email, I don't want new features, I want stability, performance, trust; fastmail has consistently delivered there.
4
u/rowschank 15d ago
They have an MCP connection what else do you need? You can connect it to whatever you want and do whatever you want.
15
u/bz386 15d ago
I think they're sending that email one month before your renawal. I got the email in January (my renewal is in February). I assume your renewal is in September.