If what you want is private/secure encrypted email that the provider itself can not even read, I recommend you arcanechat.me

Are there any good free alternatives to Gmail or do all the good ones cost money?

I assume so since Gmail makes all its money selling YOU…

One option i haven't seen mentioned is Startmail. They also have a searh engine that's okay.

I've been moving over to Fastmail. Easy to use, tons of features, great price. 👍

Also quick tip regardless of which provider you end up on: Register a domain name for yourself and use it for your email address. This way if you want to change email providers again in the future or even host it yourself, you can take your domain name and addresses with you.