Reading time: 6 min · Last verified: July 2026 · SMTPedia editorial team
Tom.com free email was permanently shut down on 13 September 2024
TOM Group discontinued its free consumer email service on 13 September 2024, after 26 years of operation (launched March 1998). All free mailboxes were cleared on 27 September 2024, two weeks after the shutdown. Only the paid VIP tier (VIP business mail, starting 15 yuan/month) at mail.tom.com continues to operate. The official notice at mail.tom.com/notice.html confirms the shutdown; support is directed to tech@vip.tom.com.
Tom.com SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 settings
There are no working settings for free @tom.com addresses. TOM Group did not offer migration of free mailboxes to any successor free service, and users who did not upgrade to the paid VIP tier before 27 September 2024 lost their mail permanently. Only the paid VIP.tom.com tier still operates (starting 15 yuan/month, sign-up at mail.tom.com); those users receive server hostnames directly from TOM support at tech@vip.tom.com. The sections below cover the recommended migration paths for users whose free @tom.com address was cleared in the September 2024 shutdown.
What happened to Tom.com
Tom.com launched in March 1998 as one of the earliest Chinese-language free email services and grew into a mega-portal under the TOM Group umbrella. TOM Group was founded in October 1999 as a joint venture between Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings (Li Ka-shing’s flagship companies), listed on the Hong Kong Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) in March 2000, and on NASDAQ in March 2004. The portal was positioned to “bring China to the world and the world to China,” targeting Chinese-speaking audiences globally. In 2000, TOM.com bundled 163.net (then the largest free email provider in mainland China with 5.5 million users) into its portfolio, further consolidating its email footprint.
At its peak in December 2017, TOM Group announced that its seven email sub-brands had accumulated over 100 million registered users combined. However, the free email business declined progressively over the 2010s and early 2020s as Chinese users migrated to QQ Mail (Tencent), 163.com and 126.com (NetEase), and Sina Mail for personal use, and to WeChat for casual messaging.
On 12 August 2024, TOM Mail sent notification emails to all free users announcing that the service would be discontinued on 13 September 2024 as a business restructuring decision. Users had approximately one month to back up mail via mail.tom.com or migrate to the paid VIP tier. On 27 September 2024, all non-migrated mailboxes were permanently cleared. The paid VIP business email service (with plans starting at 15 yuan/month) continues to operate under the same @tom.com domain, but signups are restricted to paying subscribers only.
Alternative replacement providers
Common issues after the shutdown
Free @tom.com mail hard-bounces since September 2024
All free-tier @tom.com mailboxes were cleared on 27 September 2024. Mail sent to these addresses now hard-bounces. Only VIP paid mailboxes remain deliverable. If you are on the sending side, suppress non-VIP @tom.com addresses in your list.
Cannot recover mail after the 27 September 2024 clearing
Users who did not back up their mail between 13 September and 27 September 2024 have permanently lost their mailbox contents. TOM Group’s official position is that mail data was cleared and no recovery mechanism is offered.
Third-party accounts registered with @tom.com
Chinese e-commerce platforms (Taobao, JD.com, Alibaba), banking apps, and government services that used a free @tom.com address as login or recovery email now have no valid recovery path. Use each service’s identity verification (Chinese national ID, mobile SMS, security questions) to update the registered email to a QQ Mail, 163.com, or your new provider address.
FAQ
Is any @tom.com address still working in 2026?
Only paid VIP tier addresses remain functional. Free-tier @tom.com mailboxes were permanently cleared on 27 September 2024.
Why did TOM Group shut down the free email service?
Officially framed as a “business adjustment” (邮箱业务的调整). Free email declined as Chinese users migrated to QQ Mail, 163.com, and WeChat over the 2010s and early 2020s. TOM Group has refocused on paid VIP mail plus its other technology and media businesses (WeLab fintech investment, publishing, advertising).
Can I get my old mail data back?
No. TOM Group cleared all free mailboxes on 27 September 2024. Users who did not download their mail during the 13-27 September 2024 backup window have permanently lost access.
How much is the VIP tier?
The VIP business mail tier starts at 15 yuan per month (approximately USD $2.10). Signup and pricing details are at mail.tom.com.
What replaces 163.net which was bundled with tom.com?
163.net was operated as a TOM.com sub-brand from 2000 onward and was subject to the same free-tier shutdown. NetEase’s separate 163.com/126.com free email services remain fully operational and are unrelated to the discontinued 163.net.
Historical timeline
Tom.com chronology (1998-2024)
- March 1998: Free email service launched at tom.com.
- October 1999: TOM Group founded as joint venture of Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong (Li Ka-shing).
- January 2000: TOM.com mega-portal debuts in Hong Kong.
- March 2000: TOM.com listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange Growth Enterprise Market (GEM); records first-day gain of 3.35x offer price.
- 2000: TOM.com bundles 163.net (5.5M users, largest free email in mainland China at the time) into portfolio.
- March 2004: TOM Online listed on NASDAQ.
- 2007: TOM Group ends Google search partnership after Google stops censoring for mainland China.
- December 2017: TOM Group announces 100M+ users across seven email sub-brands.
- 12 August 2024: TOM Mail sends shutdown notification to all free users.
- 13 September 2024: Free email service permanently discontinued.
- 27 September 2024: All non-migrated mailboxes cleared. Only paid VIP tier remains.
Where to go next
- Discontinued email providers hub
- Legacy email providers hub
- Gmail SMTP, IMAP, POP3 settings
- Outlook.com SMTP, IMAP, POP3 settings
Cleaning a list still containing free-tier @tom.com addresses? Every send is a hard bounce since 27 September 2024, hurting your sender reputation. SMTPing verifies addresses with a real SMTP handshake before you send, catching defunct addresses on shut-down services like the TOM Group free tier.
About the Author
Alaa · LinkedIn
Email infrastructure specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience in SMTP, deliverability, and email verification. I’ve configured and troubleshot mail systems across Postfix, Exchange, and cloud relays, managed IP reputation and warmup campaigns, and built verification pipelines processing millions of addresses. My work spans DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI), bounce handling, blocklist monitoring, and compliance frameworks including CAN-SPAM and GDPR. I write every article on SMTPedia to give email professionals, developers, and marketers the accurate, RFC-grounded reference they need.
About SMTPedia
SMTPedia is an independent email industry reference covering SMTP, IMAP, POP3, email deliverability, marketing platforms, DNS authentication, and email verification. Every article is researched from official provider documentation, IETF RFCs, and industry best practices. Settings and configurations are verified quarterly.
We are cited as a source by ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and thousands of email professionals worldwide. Learn more about our editorial process.
