Ok. So, finally I decided to write about various web based email services that I have been actively using for last several years. I have been using Yahoo Mail - Hotmail since 1997 and Gmail since 2004.
Here is a comparison of main features that I use the most. Here is the rating:
| Rating | Points |
| N.A. | 0 |
| Bad | 1 |
| Good | 2 |
| Very Good | 3 |
| Excellent | 4 |
Features | Gmail | Yahoo Mail Beta | Windows Live Hotmail |
| IM | Good | Good | N.A. |
| RSS | N.A. | Excellent | N.A. |
| Interface | Bad | Very Good | Excellent |
| Ease of Use | Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Forwarding | Excellent | N.A. | Bad |
| Search | Good | Good | Good |
| Speed | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| POP | Good | N.A. | N.A. |
| IMAP/push email | N.A. | Good | Good |
| Mobile Accessibility | Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Calendar | Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Privacy/Spam Protection | Bad | Good | Good |
| Total Points | 21 | 30 | 23 |
I haven't included "Storage Space" because I have never run out of it. Very organized user that I am 1 GB is more that enough. But, if it is to be counted Yahoo Mail would get definitely more points than competitors.
Verdict:
- Consumers have already selected the winner over the years. Yahoo mail undoubtedly dominates in the email field with 6 times and 2 times more active users than Gmail and Hotmail respectively in the US (according to recent ComScore data). Disclaimer: I have not included AOL that has more active users than Gmail as I am not an active user of it. These are my personal views and are not endorsed by my employer in anyway. 
