timedrop vs FutureMe: An Honest Head-to-Head
A fair, no-spin comparison of timedrop and FutureMe for sending a letter to the future, privacy, media, delivery, price and who each one is really for.
The short version. FutureMe is the simple, time-tested way to email your future self a text note, on a subscription that starts at $2 a year. timedrop is the encrypted option that carries photos and your voice, delivers to other people and reaches up to ten years out. We make timedrop, so weigh that. But the differences below are real and we’ve tried to be fair.
At a glance
- FutureMe: text-only email to your future self, running since 2002, with a big public archive. Every letter needs a subscription, $2 a year for one letter a year and $12 a year for unlimited letters with images and video. Letters are stored as readable text.
- timedrop: end-to-end encrypted capsules with text, photos and a voice note, delivered to you or someone else on a date from one week to ten years. Four free capsules a year, then $2 each. Newer, smaller track record.
Where FutureMe wins
- The entry plan is $2 a year, which is about as cheap as a yearly letter gets.
- Two decades of track record, it effectively invented the category.
- The public archive of anonymous letters is genuinely moving to browse.
- Dead-simple if all you want is a text note to your own inbox.
Where timedrop wins
- Privacy: your capsule is encrypted on your device; we store ciphertext we can’t read. FutureMe stores letters as plain text.
- Media: photos and a voice note alongside your words. Your child can hear your actual voice.
- Sending to others: timedrop is built to deliver to a recipient on the date, with a backup address.
- Horizon: deliberate dates up to ten years; great for milestone letters.
Being straight about timedrop’s downsides
- Much newer than FutureMe, with a smaller community and shorter track record.
- Free for four capsules a year; beyond that it’s $2 per capsule.
- Encrypted at rest with scheduled delivery. The server wraps your key so it can deliver on the day.
Which should you choose?
Want a quick text-only note to your own inbox? FutureMe at $2 a year is hard to beat. Want it private, with photos and your voice, delivered to someone on a specific future day? That’s what timedrop is for. And your first capsule is free to try.
Frequently asked questions
Is timedrop free, and how much is FutureMe?
timedrop gives you one free capsule with no account and four free capsules a year with a free account; additional capsules are $2 each. FutureMe runs on annual subscriptions, $2 a year for one letter to yourself each year and $12 a year for unlimited letters with images and video, so every FutureMe letter needs a paid plan. timedrop adds encryption, photos and voice in return.
Is FutureMe or timedrop more private?
timedrop. It encrypts your capsule on your device and stores ciphertext it can’t read, while FutureMe stores letters as readable text. If privacy matters, that’s the main difference.
Can I send a letter to someone else?
With timedrop, yes. It’s designed to deliver to a chosen recipient on the date, with an optional backup email. FutureMe focuses on letters to your own future self.
