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It's not the same thing, because by paying for it you have a binding contract and can switch providers too. If you don't pay for it, then you don't have a claim on that email address, as the terms of use can change at a moment's notice.

If paying for it is a problem, then pay it in advance for 10 years and setup automatic renewal. Also leave a digital will. You probably want to do that anyway.

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How is that not the same thing as paying for an email account with fastmail?

In terms of the binding agreement, it isn't any different, except you can can move to different providers whereas if you don't own that domain, the service provider has you by the balls.

I use my own domains but if those expire someone else can gain access to my email? Don't forget that domain names can be valuable and may need to get sold if someone bids high enough.

So you mean to say "email done your own uncompromising way"?

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