The list of free email accounts is nearly endless. This means it can be difficult to find the best free email account to setup. Luckily, there is a lot of information out there that can help you make the choice, whether you want to have online email, or whether you want it on your desktop. Let's take a look at what's out there in regards to the best free email account to setup.

1. GMail

GMail was once classed as "the alternative". Ten years on, however, they have become one of the best known out there and many people's favorite. It has some really cool features, including the categorized "smart labels". Plus, you can access the various other Google things like Drive cloud service and YouTube. However, it does mean that you are tied to Google, and that they scan your emails to target ads, which may feel like an invasion of privacy.

2. Outlook

Outlook is one of the oldest options out there, and almost everybody knows how to use it. However, it does have a cluttered interface. On the other hand, thanks to the "Quick View", you can see only the messages you want to. It comes in 106 different languages, which is also very cool. However, it has a relatively slow interface, and only a 5GB storage limit.

3. iCloud

iCloud is great if you have an iOS device. It also doesn't have any advertisements at all. Plus, it's Apple, so it is cool. However, it is quite minimalist, with no special features. Signing up can be a bit lengthy, and you can only use it if you have an iOS or OS X device.

4. Hushmail

Hushmail has some of the strongest encryption built in as standard. The interface is easy to use and free of clutter, and there is no third party advertising. However, if you open a free account, you only get 25 MB of storage, and you can only access it on mobile phones by going through the web. The interface and features are also quite basic.

5. Yahoo!

Yahoo! offers tabs for easy multitasking. You get a full terabyte of storage, which is huge. It is almost 20 years old now, so it is the respected grandfather on the block. That said, maybe it is time to move on. The appearance is quite old fashioned, and the large advertisements are quite obtrusive as well.

The above are some of the best free email account to setup options out there for you. Each have their own pros and cons, and only you can decide which ones weigh heavier for you as a personal user. Two issues that usually seal the deal for people are advertisements and storage space. So if those are your main concerns, Hushmail is perhaps the best option if you want to be free from ads, and Yahoo! will be the best option if you need a lot of storage space. Take the time to look at each of the options that are out there and review the specific features that they offer to come to an ultimate decision.