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Email Mailboxes — Simple & Encrypted

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​

FeatureSimple MailboxesEncrypted Mailboxes
IMAP Access✅✅
Any Email Client✅✅
Certificate RequiredNoYes (S/MIME)
At-Rest EncryptionServer-levelPer-message (AES-256)
Zero-Knowledge—✅
Setup ComplexityMinimalModerate

:::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​

  1. Email Arrives — Someone sends email to your domain
  2. Auto Encrypt — For encrypted mailboxes, S/MIME encryption is applied automatically
  3. Secure Storage — Encrypted email is stored in your mailbox using Maildir format
  4. 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​

  • 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

Open Source​

The Encrypted IMAP service is open source: github.com/gliepins/Motorical-Encrypted-IMAP