Why hackers moved from Gmail to Fastmail

3 hackers described this switch in public comments. Their words, with links to the originals.

Gmail 5 hackers criticize it
→
Fastmail 6 hackers recommend it

What hackers said about the move

“I switched from Gmail to Fastmail over a decade ago now, and it has been fantastic.”
enraged_camel, 2026-10-30original comment ↗
“I recently switched from Gmail to Fastmail and by and large I’m happy with it.”
afavour, 2026-02-12original comment ↗
“I moved from gmail to fastmail a few years ago”
blibble, 2026-02-03original comment ↗

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Gmail vs Fastmail

GmailFastmail
Hackers who recommend46
Hackers who criticize52
Moved away from it42
Moved to it34

Counts are distinct hackers in the sampled comments, not market share.

Criticism of Gmail

“Unfortunately it doesn’t sync properly with Gmail.”
stackghost, 2026-10-14original comment ↗
“I don't like the Gmail UI or any of the organisation features, but I also don't really need to use them.”
danpalmer, 2026-08-18original comment ↗
“Then again I also moved from gmail to mailbox.org and am a happy camper since.”
f4stjack, 2026-06-03original comment ↗
“I think but cannot conclusively prove that Gmail drops Apple transaction emails on occasion ( like receipts ).”
havaloc, 2026-02-12original comment ↗

Praise for Fastmail

“I use mail.app with my fastmail account and it’s perfect.”
stackghost, 2026-10-14original comment ↗
“I love Fastmail as a product, but I realised it wasn't what I wanted anymore from my email.”
danpalmer, 2026-08-18original comment ↗
“I have been extremely happy with the service. Fairly priced, very fast even with a huge inbox, and they don’t add unnecessary features or bloat.”
danielhep, 2026-06-12original comment ↗

Other moves from Gmail

Other moves to Fastmail