Letters vs email¶
How Letro Letters differ from ordinary email — and why, for confidential communication, a Letter avoids the risks email was never designed to handle.
Security note: Email was built to move openly between many different servers. That openness is exactly what makes it vulnerable to interception, spoofing, and phishing. A Letter keeps email's formal, on-the-record role but removes that exposure by staying inside Letro's encrypted environment.
At a glance¶
| Letro Letters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Encryption | Usually not end-to-end; providers and servers along the way can read content | End-to-end encrypted; only you and the recipient can read it |
| Who can read it in transit | Mail servers on both sides, and potentially anyone who intercepts it | No one — not the network, not Letro |
| Sender identity | The "From" address can be spoofed; trust is guesswork | Tied to a real Letro identity (PostNumber) you can verify |
| Where it travels | Across many external mail servers, outside your control | Stays inside Letro's encrypted environment |
| Spam & phishing | A constant exposure — anyone can email you | No external mail surface, so no spam/phishing inbox to defend |
| Best for | General, open correspondence | Confidential, formal, on-the-record communication |
Why the differences matter¶
- End-to-end encryption vs open relay. A normal email is typically readable by the mail servers that carry it and can be exposed if any of them is compromised. A Letter is encrypted end to end, so its content is never readable in transit.
- A trusted sender vs a spoofable "From". Email's sender address can be forged — the entire phishing industry depends on it. A Letter's sender is a verified Letro identity, so the recipient can rely on who it's really from. See Verify other people.
- Inside Letro vs across the open internet. Email hops between external servers you don't control. A Letter never leaves Letro's encrypted environment, so there's no external mail path to intercept, log, or mine.
- No inbox to attack. Because Letters don't ride on email, there's no open mailbox for strangers to reach — which removes the spam and phishing surface entirely.
What email still does that Letters don't¶
A Letter is for communicating within Letro's trusted environment. Email remains how you reach people who aren't on Letro at all. Letters aren't trying to be your public inbox — they're the secure place for the confidential, formal communication that shouldn't have been going out by email in the first place.
Good to know¶
- Letters don't require your recipient to manage keys or settings. The encryption and identity work happen inside Letro automatically — see How Letro protects your messages.
- For reaching people outside your organization, Letro uses managed guest access rather than opening an email channel — a controlled way to include external contacts. (On a Dedicated Server, your organization governs this.)
- New to Letters? Start with What are Letters and Benefits of Letters.
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