Privacy + Gmail alternatives = No integrations?
Since I need to fix my email SPF, DKIM, and DMARC settings, I've begun to search for Gmail alternatives. If you go the privacy/encryption route, it seems you're giving up 3rd-party integrations. So that means NO Zapier, NO HubSpot, NO Calendly, or whatever SaaS you use to sync up your workflow, correct?
Or am I missing something?
You can set up DMAC, SPF and DKIM on a custom domain using the DNS records.
Thanks for the reminder. Since I'm about to change those settings, I realized it would be a good time to switch email providers.
I was looking into different privacy email providers and noticed 3rd-party integration was missing.
So far in my search, Zoho have Zapier integrations.
I was looking at @keenencharles email thread to get the lowdown on Zoho & other alternatives.
I'm really not trying to go back to the dark ages of no extensions & manual CRM/calendar syncing.
@helengriffinjr Yeah, not a lot of providers have extensions beyond the tech giants so you will have a hard time finding a drop in replacement. Some providers use the CalDAV protocol which would allow to you to sync calendars but the trouble is third party services tend not to support it (despite in doing so would result in a much wider support than just Google).
If you find one that has a calendar built in, then you might be able to export an .ics feed from a 3rd party service and have have it sync like that.
@helengriffinjr Zoho does have a sync option for Google calendar and Outlook. And CalDav as well. Not sure about any other integrations though.
@nblackburn yeah, you're right. Zoho seem to be my go to option in regards to integrations. I can still create a workflow and MVP using it along with Zapier and HubSpot.
@keenencharles Since majority of the market uses Google for authentication, I'll probably sync Zoho & Google cal. Don't you have to manually upload CalDav w/ .ics files? Or does it automatically sync?
@helengriffinjr You should get a link to the feed which you can import into the calendar.
Providing the link contains the latest events then it will be up to date and remain in sync.
I use Protonmail (this would be one of the main privacy/encryption offerings for email) on a custom domain. Personally I love this setup. However, I do still use a Gmail account for my calendar.
I have SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up. Proton does have a calendar but it is in beta right now and currently you cannot use it to invite other people to meetings so its usefulness is limited unless you're one of the rare people who only uses their calendar for scheduling their own time only.
Zapier currently has no integrations with Proton, so it's not possible to have a complete workflow through that. I don't know about Hubspot. Calendly will work but you're going to have to download ICS files from what Calendly sends you and add it to another calendar manually.
If privacy is not a huge concern to you and integrations are, then Zoho (as others have mentioned) is probably a better option. However if you're the other way, then it's probably better to go with something like Proton.
Yeah, I end up going with Zoho Mail and using Zapier to connect it w/ HubSpot. I'm still syncing Calendly & HubSpot to Google cal.
I wasn't impress w/ Zoho other offerings. I found completing basic tasks within & across those apps was very inconsistent. For instance, mail merge is horrible. It made me have buyer's remorse for even switching.
@helengriffinjr I also found a lot of Zoho not to my liking, I used them last year when my work account was through them.
You could also (if privacy is a lesser concern) keep using Gmail or Zoho with the integrations and use a desktop/mobile app to interact with it, which hopefully might have better features (such as they merge you mentioned). That way the integrations and workflows will still work with that service but you will get an improved interface, one more to your liking.
Also worth mentioning is Hey, which might be worth exploring. I tried it a few months ago, and if they had the privacy features ProtonMail has, I might have switched.
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