In a world where privacy is becoming more and more of a hot topic issue, you may have heard that running your own email server will help you reach a new level of digital independence. There are other benefits too, but it's not all good. There are both a lot of reasons to run your own email server and to not run your own email server, and these are some of the most important points to consider.

6 Reason you should: Complete control over your data

This one is obvious

The biggest, and most obvious point about running your own email server is you control everything. Nobody can scan your inbox for marketing reasons, see what you write, or even analyze the metadata of your messages. While people who receive your emails might be using services that will, the point is that at the very least, you're covered.

Running your own server gives you piece of mind that you control at least part of the equation when it comes to your online communication. It may only be 50% of it, but that's better than 0%, and still makes it harder for services to track you specifically. Plus, if you're talking to someone that uses a secure email platform (like Proton) or even hosts their own email server, then you're getting complete privacy and control.

5 Reason you shouldn't: Maintenance

It won't just "work"

If you want to build an email server for convenience, the truth is that the beginning of it will be anything but that. You'll need to keep on top of updates, security patches, and backups, to ensure that everything is in working order and to protect you against any potential data loss. That's a lot of additional stress if you're someone that may not necessarily be super comfortable with more technical projects.

However, services like Gmail handle this for you, which is part of why you pay for services like those with your data. It costs money to keep things running smoothly, and you'll need to be prepared to put in a decent amount of work yourself into keeping everything in top-tier shape comparable to the best email providers.

4 Reason you should: No monthly fees

Some services can set you back a bit of money

While the likes of Gmail and Outlook are free, you'll be spending a bit of money on other services that might hand you over a bit more control. With your email server though, especially if you're running it on a NAS, you don't need to worry about that. You'll be paying your normal electricity costs for your NAS anyway, and chances are, you already own a domain that you can use for your email address.

All you need is the initial hardware and software stack to do it, but if you have a NAS, you're already ready to go and won't need to worry about spending any extra money on it. Plus, you can even turn an older PC into a NAS.

3 Reason you shouldn't: Fewer apps to choose from

There still are apps, though

Your server will use SMTP as a protocol, meaning you can add it to other apps like Gmail, but chances are that it won't be as seamless as when you normally use your email on your phone. For example, services like Gmail will send push notifications to your device, so you can get your emails instantly.

It's not a huge downside as you just need to manually check your emails every once in a while, but it can still be frustrating if you're used to receiving push notifications in order to check in on your emails during the day.

2 Reason you should: Complete customization

You control everything

A personal email server offers levels of customization you’ll never get with services like Gmail or Outlook. You can configure spam filters, encryption settings, email forwarding rules, and even custom domains exactly how you like.

Want to implement strict security policies, use niche protocols, or experiment with self-hosted features? You can do all of that with your own email server. It’s also a great learning opportunity for anyone interested in IT or cybersecurity.

1 Reason you shouldn't: There are easier alternatives

For the privacy conscious, there are a lot of options

If privacy and control are your primary reasons for considering an email server, there are alternatives to hosting one yourself. Services like ProtonMail, Tutanota, and Zoho Mail offer encrypted and ad-free email hosting with minimal effort on your part.

These platforms provide many of the benefits of running your own server without the technical challenges. For most people, it's probably a smarter middle ground to instead switch over to a privacy-first email host rather than running your own server.