Which email service?

My email subscription is about to run out (Lavabit) and I'm debating on whether or not I should move to a free service. I've never used Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo and have always stuck by Lavabit. I know it's all personal preference but which email service should I switch to? I send relatively low volumes of mail and mostly use a school email for anything education related. I heard that Gmail reads emails, while Hotmail doesn't but I'm just wondering which of the services I should move to, if at all?