Email Mailboxes — Simple & Encrypted
Mailboxes are now created and managed in the Gluo portal (gluo.eu), not in the Motorical dashboard. Gluo and Motorical share the same underlying mailbox infrastructure, so this is purely a change of where you manage things — not a change of provider.
:::tip Already a Motorical customer? Sign in or register at gluo.eu using the same email address as your Motorical account. Your Gluo account is automatically linked to your existing Motorical account — no separate setup required. :::
Motorical provides two types of email mailboxes to fit your needs:
-
Simple Mailboxes — Standard IMAP mailboxes compatible with any email client (Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.). Perfect for everyday email without certificate setup. Fast, easy, and works with all your favorite email tools.
-
Encrypted Mailboxes — Zero-knowledge S/MIME encrypted mailboxes where emails are automatically encrypted before storage using industry-standard certificates. Maximum privacy — the server never has access to your decrypted content.
Both mailbox types support IMAP access, custom domains, and optional SMTP credentials for sending.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Simple Mailboxes | Encrypted Mailboxes |
|---|---|---|
| IMAP Access | ✅ | ✅ |
| Any Email Client | ✅ | ✅ |
| Certificate Required | No | Yes (S/MIME) |
| At-Rest Encryption | Server-level | Per-message (AES-256) |
| Zero-Knowledge | — | ✅ |
| Setup Complexity | Minimal | Moderate |
:::tip Recommendation Start with Simple Mailboxes for ease of use. Upgrade to Encrypted Mailboxes when you need maximum security and zero-knowledge architecture. :::
How It Works
- Email Arrives — Someone sends email to your domain
- Auto Encrypt — For encrypted mailboxes, S/MIME encryption is applied automatically
- Secure Storage — Encrypted email is stored in your mailbox using Maildir format
- IMAP Access — Access via standard IMAP with your credentials (and private key for encrypted)
Key Capabilities
Simple Mailboxes
- Universal email client compatibility
- Easy setup — no certificates needed
- Standard IMAP access on port 993 (SSL/TLS)
Encrypted Mailboxes (S/MIME)
- End-to-end security with AES-256
- Zero-knowledge architecture — server never sees your plaintext
- RSA 2048/4096 key support
- PKCS#12 certificate management
Storage & Access
- Standard IMAP protocol
- Maildir storage format
- Configurable retention policies
- Multi-device sync
- Backup & export
Management (via the Gluo portal)
- Bulk mailbox operations
- Certificate auto-generation
- IMAP credential management
- Domain verification
- Usage analytics
Integration
- API-first architecture
- Webhook notifications
- SMTP companion service
- Custom domain support
Your Motorical plan and limits
Your mailbox entitlements (how many mailboxes, storage, etc.) are still part of your Motorical subscription — see Pricing for current plan details. Those limits don't change as part of this move; only where you manage mailboxes day-to-day has moved to the Gluo portal.
Open Source
The IMAP Services project is open source: github.com/motorical-smtp/imap-services