7 Best Cheap Email Hosting Providers (Free to $6 a Month)
Elizabeth Kraus has more than a decade of first-hand experience building and growing a boutique digital marketing agency and double that in small and mid-size business marketing management. She provides expert answers to marketing questions related to branding, content marketing, web development, email, social media, and SEO.
Jocelyn Dimaculangan has spent 14+ years in the online publishing industry while studying digital marketing and SEO trends. As a staff writer for Fit Small Business, she shares her expertise by creating articles that tackle the latest trends in marketing.
This article is part of a larger series on Business Email.
At $6 a month or even free, the best cheap email hosting providers are reliable, secure, and provide solid features to add value for small businesses. In fact, some of the cheapest email hosting services include email forwarding, free domains, team-friendly tools, and advanced features to save you time and money. We reviewed dozens of platforms to find the absolute best cheap email hosting for small businesses.
- Zoho Mail: Overall best cheap email hosting for small businesses, and best free email provider
- Google Workspace: Best low-cost email hosting services for collaborative teams
- IONOS: Cheapest email hosting plans for those wanting a free domain included
- Microsoft 365: Affordable email hosting for businesses needing robust storage or advanced features and automations
- Proton Mail: Top choice for companies wanting cheap email hosting with a high level of security
- DreamHost: Cheapest way to get unlimited emails, a domain, and web hosting for startups and small businesses on a budget
- IceWarp: Most affordable email hosting plan for teams wanting an app with integrated video and audio calling
Best Cheap Email Hosting Providers at a Glance
Email Host | Free Plan | Starting Cost per Month | Key Features in Plans $6 & Under |
|---|---|---|---|
 | ✓ | $1* |
|
 | ✕ | $6 |
|
 | ✕ | $1* |
|
 | ✕ | $6 |
|
 | ✓ | $6.99 |
|
 | ✕ | $1.67 |
|
 | ✕ | $2.80 |
|
*Cost of base-tier paid plan with annual billing; some providers also offer monthly billing at a higher rate
Zoho Mail: Best Cheap Email Hosting Provider Overall
Zoho Mail
Overall Score:
5.00 / 5
What We Like
- Get up to five free business email addresses on a domain you own
- Option to connect to a free customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Scalable, robust plans with secure business email, collaboration tools, productivity apps, and video conferencing for $3 or $6 per month
What's Missing
- Webmail only
- Low storage limit in free plan
- No plans that include a free domain, unlike IONOS and Bluehost
Best For
- Budget-conscious startups, freelancers, and small businesses that need free, no-frills email
- Small teams looking for all-in-one solutions with productivity software, collaboration tools, and video conferencing in a cheap email hosting service
Zoho Mail is one of the cheapest email hosting services available. It offers free business email hosting for up to five ad-free email accounts, has powerful privacy features, and offers high image attachment sizes in Workplace plans.
It also comes with extras, like the ability to integrate the free Zoho CRM plan, which is great for sales teams and ecommerce businesses. To learn more about its features or how to set it up, check out our article showing how to use Zoho email for free.
Zoho Mail’s business email plans (Workplace plans) scale up based on the amount of storage included, so you only pay for what you need. However, the free plan is the ideal solution if you want a professional email address but do not depend heavily on email (and you already own a domain).
The storage limit is low at just 5GB per email address, but it’s still higher than the 2GB included in IONOS $1 per month plans (though IONOS plans come with a free email domain). Those needing a lot of storage should consider Microsoft 365 (and Outlook), which comes with 1TB per user, or Google Workspace’s entry plan with 30GB and Gmail business email—both start at $6 per month.
Zoho Mail has two Workplace plans meant explicitly for businesses. Like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, they come with productivity software (documents, spreadsheets, and slide-based presentations), collaboration tools, backup and restoration, eDiscovery, and even video conferencing. Unlike Google or Microsoft, however, Zoho Mail’s $6 per month Professional plan also includes a free domain name.
Zoho Mail Pricing & Features
Plan & Features | Free Forever | Mail Lite | Mail Premium | Workplace Standard | Workplace Professional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per Month* | Up to 5 free accounts | $1-$1.25 | $4 | $3 | $6 |
Storage | 5GB per user | 5-10GB | 50GB | 30GB | 100GB |
Attachment Size Limit | 25MB | 250MB | 1GB | 500MB | 1GB |
Integration(s) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Admin Dashboard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Add to Your Preferred Email App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Collaboration Tools | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Productivity Software | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Video Conferencing | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | 10 participants | 100 participants |
Advanced Security & Encryption | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Domain | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*With annual billing; all plans offer monthly billing at a higher cost
Zoho Mail has a Free Forever plan for up to five users, each with 5GB of storage. If you need more than five email addresses, you can get cheap email hosting plans starting at $1 per month (per user) via the Mail Lite plan (5GB) or $1.25 for Mail Premium (10GB).
If you need more than 5GB of storage, upgrade to the Zoho Mail Workplace Standard plan at $3 per month. It includes 30GB storage, 30MB attachments, and access to Zoho’s suite of productivity tools. Or get robust tools for video conferencing and collaboration in the Workplace Professional plan for $6, including 100GB of storage plus another 100GB of shared storage.
If security is a concern, the two Workplace plans are your best option. They come with business-class secure email, including encryption to protect your accounts and the content of your emails. The Professional plan also includes archiving, eDiscovery, backup, and restoration for even more peace of mind.
Learn more about what’s included for the cost in each plan using the drop-downs below:
Free Forever ($0)
The Free Forever plan gives you up to five business email addresses with an ad-free experience. You can use IMAP, POP, or SMTP settings to connect your email address to your preferred mail app or download the Zoho Mail app via the Apple App or Google Play stores. Even on the free plan, you get team collaboration features that lower your dependence on email by allowing your team to collaborate with messages using Zoho’s webmail or mobile app.
Mail Lite 5GB ($1) or 10GB ($1.25)
For as little as $1 per month for each user when billed annually, the Mail Lite plan increases the attachment size limit from 25MB to 250MB. For an additional quarter (25 cents) per user, per month, you also get a storage boost from 5GB to 10GB. Additionally, you now have the option to use your own email client by connecting via IMAP/SMTP or Microsoft ActiveSync.
Mail Premium ($4)
Workplace Standard ($3)
Zoho’s Workplace Standard plan is available at $3 per user on a monthly basis (billed annually), and comes with the Zoho Workplace, a unified platform with apps that can be used for email, messaging, and audio and video conferencing. It also has a cloud office suite with shared file storage with 10GB WorkDrive storage per user. This plan has 30GB Mail storage per user and allows attachments up to 500MB.
Workplace Professional ($6)
For $6 per user, monthly (billed annually), the Workplace Professional plan comes with a generous mail storage size of 100GB and a massive 100GB WorkDrive storage per user. The Zoho Meeting app can be used for video conferencing of up to 100 participants. You’ll also have peace of mind since this plan comes with email backup and restoration.
Zoho Mail Ease of Use
Zoho Mail is widely known as one of the most user-friendly, cheap email hosts. There are detailed, step-by-step instructions for everything from registering for a plan to connecting your domain. Should you get stuck, live chat and email ticket support are there to help. Zoho also has many other tools, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) system that integrates easily so you can streamline your business workflows in one place.
Need a completely free business email solution? Learn more about affordable business email, including nine legit ways to get a completely free business email.
Google Workspace: Best Email Service for Collaborative Teams
Google Workspace
Overall Score:
4.70 / 5
What We Like
- Secure and intuitive Gmail business email
- 30GB storage to start with is more than most other providers
- Collaboration and productivity tools (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Chat, Calendar, and more)
- Video conferencing with all plans
- Extensive integrations
What's Missing
- No free domain name, unlike IONOS or DreamHost
- Like Microsoft 365, has the highest starting cost on this list at $6 (user/month)
Best For
- Teams and businesses in need of world-class collaboration tools
- Startups and small businesses needing low-cost productivity software and video conferencing as well as cheap email hosting
- Businesses wanting robust administrative controls
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is an industry-leading email hosting and business software provider. Its Gmail business email hosting package is extremely intuitive, packed with added value, and affordably priced, starting at $6 per user, per month. In fact, Gmail made our list of the best email apps for small businesses.
With an uncluttered interface, straightforward navigation, and built-in collaboration tools, Gmail business email setup and customization are simple. This, along with the inclusion of Google’s productivity suite, make Google Workspace an ideal email and collaboration solution for non-tech-savvy businesses that don’t want to spend a lot of time on email setup or maintenance.
Notably, collaborative teams can work on documents, spreadsheets, and slides at the same time, unlike with the software of its chief rival, Microsoft 365. In addition, users get all of the available features in Google Workspace apps starting from $6, whereas getting some advanced features and downloaded desktop apps requires upgrading to a more expensive Microsoft 365 plan. Learn more in our article comparing Gmail vs Outlook email side by side.
Google Workspace Email Pricing & Features
Plan & Features | Business Starter | Business Standard | Business Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per Month | $6 | $12 | $18 |
Email Accounts | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Storage | 30GB* | 2TB* | 5TB* |
Attachment Size Limit | 25MB send 50MB receive | 25MB send 50MB receive | 25MB send 50MB receive |
Security | Standard | Standard | Enhanced |
Free Domain | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Integrations & Plugins | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Admin Dashboard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Productivity Software | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Collaboration Tools | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Video Conferencing | 100 participants | 150 participants | 500 participants |
*Pooled storage used between Google Drive, Gmail, Chat, Docs, and other Google Workspace services
Google Workspace plans are billed monthly, starting at $6 for secure business email on your domain. You can set up as many as 30 email aliases, and your plan includes productivity tools and 30GB of storage.
While it’s possible to get cheaper email hosting that connects to Gmail, the real selling point is access to Google Workspace. With every plan, you get Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, as well as calendars, Chat for team messaging, and Meet for video conferencing—making it the best cheap email hosting service for collaborative teams.
Wondering how Microsoft Office 365 compares? Check out the in-depth look at Google Workspace vs Office 365.
Learn more about what’s included for the cost in each plan using the drop-downs below:
Business Starter ($6)
The Business Starter plan is the lowest-priced plan Google offers for their Workspace suite of collaborative office tools. The entry-level plan includes 30GB of storage and third-party integrations with many popular platforms like Asana.
Business Standard ($12)
The Business Standard plan boasts a 2TB storage limit. The email security, management, and support features remain the same, but your video conferencing participant limit increases from 100 to 150.
Business Plus ($18)
The Business Plus plan comes with a 5TB storage limit, email eDiscovery and retention, and you can accommodate up to 500 video conferencing participants per meeting. It also comes with access to Google Meet attendance reports and the capability to transcribe meetings and save them to Google Drive. In addition, security and admin controls are enhanced, including Vault and advanced endpoint management.
Google Workspace Ease of Use
The Google Workspace registration process is straightforward, but the admin console can be confusing for beginners. While there are well-documented articles about how to set up services, such as your domain, Google doesn’t provide live customer support (unlike Microsoft). Gmail, on the other hand, is very intuitive and easy to use for business email.
The Gmail business email interface feels modern, and users can customize their views in many different ways. You can even add other email accounts to Gmail to view all your emails in one place rather than jumping back and forth between apps. Third-party integrations are also easy with Gmail, making it a great option for sales, marketing, finance, and other business teams.
With Google Workspace comes more apps, like Docs, Sheets, and Slides. When working collaboratively, you’ll automatically get email notifications when teammates tag you in a document, allowing you to quickly respond, make changes to the document, and so on. Chat and Meet are accessed right from your email dashboard on the left side menu, making it easy to communicate in any format with colleagues, prospects, and customers.
IONOS: Cheapest Email Hosting Provider With a Free Domain
IONOS
Overall Score:
4.60 / 5
What We Like
- Ultra-cheap—just $1 per month
- Includes a free domain name
- Live customer support 24/7
- Risk-free for 30 days
- Strong security and privacy features
- Website builder plans with a free domain and email account for $1 per month the first year
What's Missing
- No productivity tools, unlike Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
- Bluehost and DreamHost are cheaper if you need multiple email accounts—but only for the first year
- Less storage than the free Zoho Mail plan
Best For
- Budget-conscious businesses that need a domain and email as cheap as possible
- Light email users who don’t need a ton of storage
- Small businesses looking for the cheapest business email hosting with encryption ($5 per month Business plan)
IONOS (formerly known as 1&1 or IONOS by 1&1) is a web host and domain registrar that offers affordable email hosting with a free domain name. It stands out by offering secure email hosting for only $1 per month, including spam protection, modest storage, a free domain name, and live customer support. Alternatively, you can purchase a domain for $1 for the first year and get a free business email address in the process.
IONOS also has cheap website builder plans from $1 per month, inclusive of email hosting and a domain, which could save your business even more as you build your brand presence online. If you’re a freelancer, startup, or small business with a limited budget, any of these plans could be right for you.
Granted, the 2GB of storage included in IONOS cheap email hosting plans is paltry compared to the other providers on this list. Even Zoho Mail’s free plan and comparably priced Mail Lite come with more. However, IONOS security features are more advanced, and encryption is cheaper on its Business plan at $5 per month vs Zoho Mail’s Professional plan at $6.
IONOS Email Pricing & Features
Plan & Features | Mail 1 | Mail 1+ | Mail Business |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per Month* | $1 | $4 | $5 |
Email Accounts | 1 | 1 | 1-10 |
Storage (Expandable) | 2GB+ | 12GB+ | 50GB+ |
Attachment Size Limit | 100MB | 100MB | 100MB |
Free Domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Webmail App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Add to Your Preferred Email App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Sync Across Devices | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Virus Protection & Spam Filtering | Standard | Standard | Advanced |
Data Encryption | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*Billed annually
IONOS plans start at $1 per month for 2GB of storage (about 10,000 emails) and a maximum attachment size of 100MB. Given the comparatively low storage included, those working with large files or sending lots of emails might want to use Zoho Mail or upgrade to the Business plan.
There are no plans with productivity software or video conferencing. For these, it might be better to purchase a domain through IONOS ($1 the first year) and get a Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 plan to get the productivity, collaboration, and communication software your small business needs.
Learn more about what’s included for the cost in each plan using the drop-downs below:
Mail 1 ($1) & Mail 1+ ($4)
IONOS offers two starter plans for small business owners to consider. The Mail 1 and the Mail 1+ plans give you 2GB and 12GB in storage limits, respectively. The 100MB attachment size limit is more than that offered by some of the big players, like Google Workspace.
Mail Business ($5)
The Mail Business plan increases your storage capacity to 50GB while still offering a competitive price of $5 per month. It also comes with premium virus protection and advanced spam filtering—and provides data encryption for the most secure business email. This plan also includes modest collaboration tools like shared calendars, contacts, and tasks.
IONOS Ease of Use
IONOS makes it easy to choose an email plan, get a domain for business email, and create business email addresses. The web-based email interface is also intuitive, adding to the simplicity of using a cheap email provider without a learning curve.
You’ll find basic business email features like the ability to create custom email signatures and set up auto-responders. There’s also a calendar and address book for your contact list and tasks to keep you on track. In addition, you can configure rules to filter emails, such as automatically forwarding emails from specific senders or domains somewhere else or sending them to the spam folder (or to trash).
You can connect your email account to top email apps like Google Workspace using IMAP and SMTP or POP settings should you prefer to use another interface over IONOS’ webmail app. Alternatively, it’s also easy to add other email addresses to your IONOS web app to see all your emails in one place.
Microsoft 365: Best for Businesses Wanting Outlook’s Advanced Email Features
Microsoft 365
Overall Score:
4.60 / 5
What We Like
- Cheapest email hosting service with the most base-tier storage (1TB)
- OneDrive facilitates easy file sharing
- Time-saving automations
- Most advanced email features and security
- Higher starting video conferencing limits than Google (300 participants)
What's Missing
- Costs more to download desktop apps
- No free domain with any plan
- Highest starting cost on this list ($6/month)
- No video conferencing in base tier
Best For
- Businesses that want the advanced tools and automations of Outlook and Microsoft 365 software
- Small businesses that want high video conferencing limits in a cheap email hosting plan
- Those working with large files or lots of emails in need of a large storage limit
There are many benefits to using Microsoft 365 and Outlook business email. It offers the most advanced security, has the solid collaboration, chat, and video conferencing features of Microsoft Teams, and provides the ability to automate tasks and workflows. For example, when a new email arrives, it could serve as a trigger that starts an automated workflow.
Outlook can be programmed to automate email management, has a built-in appointment booking tool, and allows users to manage multiple calendars. Want to know more about what you can do in Outlook? See our list of 10 Outlook email features for small business users.
The OneDrive integration with Microsoft 365 makes file sharing very easy and eliminates the problem of sending huge email attachments (although you can send large attachments with Outlook). However, users can’t work on documents simultaneously as they can with Google Workspace. Like Google Workspace, you’ll have to purchase a domain to create a custom email address to use in Outlook.
Microsoft 365 Email Pricing & Features
Plan & Features | Business Basic | Business Standard | Choice Plus | Apps for Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per Month | $6 | $12.50 | $22 | $8.25 |
1TB Storage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
150MB Attachments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Admin Dashboard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Security | Standard | Standard | Cyberthreat protection | Standard |
Free Domain | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Productivity Software | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Web & Mobile Apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited capabilities |
Installable Desktop Apps | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Collaboration Software | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
Video Conferencing up to 300 Participants | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
Project & Customer Relationship Management Software | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
The Business Basic plan of Microsoft 365 costs $6 for 1TB of cloud storage as well as web and mobile versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Users can also access OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Exchange, and SharePoint. Users can host online meetings and video calls for up to 300 participants with Microsoft Teams.
The Business Standard comes with desktop versions of apps with premium features and additional apps (Access and Publisher). Meanwhile, the Business Premium plan comes with advanced cyberthreat, phishing, and ransomware protection, as well as device management and billing support. All three plans (Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium) all come with email hosting and a 50GB mailbox.
Learn more about what’s included for the cost in each plan using the drop-downs below:
Business Basic ($6)
The Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan only includes web and mobile versions of its software (including Outlook). If you want to have locally installed Office Apps for a desktop PC or Mac, you’ll have to upgrade to the Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan. While it comes with Microsoft Teams, an upgrade is also required for video conferencing with large groups.
It does, however, include Microsoft Bookings software, which is great for service businesses or sales-oriented teams. Likewise, you’ll get Microsoft Forms, which you can use to create online surveys and quizzes that can be hosted online, shared via email, and more. It also has lists for tracking and organizing work and its mail and calendar server, Microsoft Exchange.
Business Standard ($12.50)
The Business Standard plan lets you host webinars with up to 300 participants and gain insights through attendee registration and reporting tools. You can even build automated workflows between apps so you can synchronize files and collect data through Microsoft Power Automate. You’ll get everything in Basic plus Publisher and Access.
Business Premium ($22)
Apps for Business ($8.25)
The Microsoft 365 Apps for business plan lets you use one license to cover fully installed Office apps on five mobile devices, five tablets, and five desktop PCs or Macs per user. It’s not as full-featured as the other three plans, however, and doesn’t include Teams, Bookings, or Forms. As such, it’s best for entrepreneurs who are only looking for Microsoft Office’s core software offerings.
Microsoft 365 Ease of Use
Microsoft 365 (and Outlook) provide a comprehensive email interface with various features and tools to help you manage business email. One of the main benefits of using Microsoft 365 is that Office 365 integrates very well with Outlook applications. This makes the experience very easy from start to finish when using Microsoft applications.
While it comes with advanced features not matched by other providers, Outlook also makes it easy for you to organize emails. Its interface is still fairly intuitive and easy to navigate. You can even configure Outlook to create rules for each incoming email so that it can be automatically sorted into a folder you create for each message category.
Proton Mail: Best Security in a Cheap Email Hosting Service
Proton Mail
Overall Score:
4.50 / 5
What We Like
- Business-class email security and privacy
- Free-forever plan with 1GB of email storage, a free Proton Mail email address, and up to 150 emails/day
- Upgrade for 15GB of storage, alias emails, and unlimited messaging
- Monthly and annual billing options
What's Missing
- 1GB in the free plan is super-low; Zoho Mail free plans have 5GB per mailbox
- Can’t use your own domain for email addresses in the free version, unlike Zoho Mail, which allows up to 5
- No extras like video conferencing or productivity software
Best For
- Freelancers and entrepreneurs wanting a free business email option
- Startups and small businesses requiring the best email security features, such as those handling patient information
- Any business prioritizing email security and privacy
Like Zoho, Proton Mail offers one of the best ways to get a free business email for freelancers and entrepreneurs as long as you don’t mind not being able to use a custom domain. In addition to being affordable, it’s highly secure as it adheres to super-strict standards for encryption and Swiss privacy laws.
With the upgrade to one of Proton Mail’s affordable paid plans, you can use your own domain names (from three to 10 different domains) to create email addresses that reflect your brand. You can also create up to 20 different calendars, send unlimited emails (vs 150 per day on the free plan), and get priority support.
Business plans for teams start at $6.99 per month. However, unless email security is your primary concern, Zoho Mail offers far better value for the money if you’re looking for a full-scale business software suite at $3 or $6. Alternatively, IceWarp provides the cheapest email solution for collaborative teams at just $2.80.
Proton Mail Pricing & Features
Plan & Features | Free Forever | Proton Unlimited | Mail Essentials | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per Month* | $0 | $9.99 | $6.99 | $10.99 |
Storage | 1GB | 500GB | 15GB | 500GB |
Unlimited Messages | 150/day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
25MB Attachment Limit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Email Addresses (User Aliases) | 1 | 15 | 10 | 15 |
Multi-domain Integration | ✕ | Up to 3 | Up to 3 | Up to 10 |
Ad-free | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
End-to-end Encryption | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Advanced Security | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Admin Controls | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Credentials & Session Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
GDPR & HIPAA compliant | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
*With annual billing; all plans offer monthly billing at a higher cost
The main reason to choose Proton Mail is its advanced email privacy and security. Email encryption is applied end to end, beginning in the free plan. They’re also the only cheap email service offering zero-access encryption, meaning even they can’t decrypt your data.
Learn more about what’s included for the cost in each plan using the drop-downs below:
Proton Free ($0)
If you don’t have high storage needs and your use of email is low (under 150 emails per day), then the Proton Free plan is a great option. You won’t be able to create a professional email address on your own domain, but you will get a highly secure email that is encrypted and private.
If you opt for a paid plan, you can create up to 20 calendars, but only one in the free plan. Still, it’s also protected by encryption, and you can share it securely via link. Your files and folders are also encrypted and shareable via link.
Ads will display in the free version and your email will end in @proton.me. You’ll need to upgrade to create email addresses on your own domain and remove ads.
Proton Unlimited ($9.99)
This plan is touted as the most popular among Proton Mail customers. For just under $120 annually, you get a massive 500GB of storage and the ability to create up to 15 email addresses on up to three different domains. If you have international customers, this plan also includes 10 virtual private network (VPN) connections across more than 1,700 services in 60 countries, ensuring the most secure—and fast—email speeds.
Business Mail Essentials ($6.99)
This is the entry business email plan. Though it’s slightly over our $6 threshold for the cheapest email services, if you and your team need highly secure business email, it’s still a great option. It even includes an email import assistant for moving your emails from a different provider to Proton Mail.
As with Mail Plus, you get 15GB of storage and you can create up to 10 different email addresses on up to three different domains. If you’re an entrepreneur with more than one small business, this is a great way to unify your email communications in one place without losing your branding in the process.
Uniquely, Proton Mail’s business plans let you create contact groups. You can create as many groups as you like, and each can have up to 100 members. This makes it easy to set up team distribution emails, client contact groups, and more.
This plan also provides enhanced security with password protection, allows you to use your preferred email app with IMAP/SMTP integration, and allows you to set auto-replies. You can create up to 20 calendars (also encrypted) and share them with your team via links (you can also do these in the personal paid plans).
Security is advanced in business plans, sending emails through multilayer encrypted VPN services and providing router support, keeping your data safe on Wi-Fi networks. Plus, if you’ve accidentally disconnected from your VPN, there’s an always-on kill switch to protect your data.
Team management includes two-factor authentication, an administrative console, and central billing. You can create multiple admin roles to manage emails, and manage credentials and user sessions (you can boot users out if you think access has been compromised).
Business plans are fully compatible with Europe’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) rules and are HIPAA compliant, making them great for anyone handling patient information. With six or more users you’ll get live phone support, and with any business plan comes a 99.95% uptime guarantee.
Business ($10.99)
The Business plan (which costs just $1 more than the Proton Unlimited plan) builds on the features of Mail Essentials and Proton Unlimited with increased speed, storage, and security. Ten VPN connections enable you to connect multiple devices at once, and its more than 1,700 servers (in 60-plus countries) means your emails will be blazing fast, worldwide.
You’ll also be able to stream from your favorite services (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and so on) from anywhere in the world with this plan. It provides support for file sharing protocols, comes with malware and an ad blocker, and passes your emails through multiple protected services to increase security exponentially.
Enterprise (Custom)
Pricing isn’t published for enterprise plans, but the features listed in business plans suggest they include team management tools and productivity software (docs, sheets, and slides).
Proton Mail Ease of Use
When you sign up for a free Proton Mail account, you’ll be asked to create a username and password, input a phone number, and add a separate email address for account recovery. From here, you can start using the apps right away. Click on any app and let the built-in guide walk you through the tools available. Click on the grid icon in the top left to access the other apps available.
The email interface is reminiscent of Outlook, though far more simplified as it doesn’t come with the advanced tools and features Microsoft 365 users enjoy. You can choose the theme you prefer, import contacts or emails from other platforms, quickly send a message, or download the mobile app. It’s worth noting that you must import contacts, send a message, and download the app within 30 days to enjoy the 1GB of storage promised in the free email service.
DreamHost: Cheapest Way to Get Unlimited Emails & a Domain
DreamHost
Overall Score:
4.40 / 5
What We Like
- A high amount of storage at 25GB
- Unlimited emails and a free domain in the Shared Unlimited hosting plan for $2.95/month the first year
- Commitment-free dedicated email hosting for $1.99/month
- Monthly billing available for email hosting and web hosting plans
What's Missing
- Doesn’t come with a productivity suite
- Cost of annually billed plans increase after the first year
Best For
- Startups and small companies looking for web or email hosting with month-to-month billing
- Businesses that need to create a lot of email addresses on a small budget
- Businesses wanting an easy, affordable way to build a WordPress website
DreamHost is a leading web hosting provider that offers cheap email hosting as a standalone product or included with web hosting plans that have monthly billing options. With 25GB per email account included with either option, it’s a good value for small businesses that need large storage at a low cost and don’t want a long-term contract. You can learn more about its commitment-free plans in our expert DreamHost review.
As with Bluehost, DreamHost’s WordPress web hosting plans include a free domain for your email and website and a free, no-code WordPress page builder. The Shared Unlimited and WordPress Unlimited hosting plans provide unlimited emails on your domain with first-year pricing at $2.95 per month. You can access your DreamHost email account on other apps through IMAP/SMTP or POP settings.
Alternatively, you can purchase DreamHost’s email hosting service as a standalone product. Your email account comes with 25GB of storage at $1.99 per mailbox each month on a month-to-month basis, or just $1.67 when billed annually. While this costs more than IONOS or Zoho Mail’s $1 per month (billed annually), it also includes far more storage.
DreamHost Pricing & Features
Plan & Features | Email Hosting (Standalone) | Unlimited Shared Hosting |
|---|---|---|
Cost per Month Billed Annually | $1.67 | $2.95* |
Cost per Month Billed Monthly | $1.99 | $8.95** |
Email Accounts | 1 | Unlimited |
Storage | 25GB | 25GB |
Attachment Size Limit | 40MB | 40MB |
Free Domain | ✕ | ✓** |
Admin Dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
Spam Filter | ✓ | ✓ |
Web Hosting (Unlimited Sites) | ✕ | ✓ |
WordPress Page Builder & Core Updates | ✕ | ✓ |
*Billed annually; renews at $12.99 per month after the first year
**Monthly paid hosting plans don’t include a free domain
DreamHost offers business email hosting with 25GB of storage. The standalone plan costs $1.99 when billed monthly ($1.67 a month with annual billing). Businesses needing multiple emails will find DreamHost’s Unlimited WordPress and Shared Unlimited hosting plans to have the most cost-effective, cheap email hosting service. They also come with a free domain and unlimited email accounts with the same high 25GB of storage per user.
Learn more about what’s included for the cost in each plan using the drop-downs below:
Email Hosting
DreamHost offers one of the cheapest email hosting plans, especially considering the high amount of storage included. If you don’t want to commit to an annual contract, the month-to-month plan is only $1.99. It’s the best plan when all you need is email hosting with a low commitment requirement, is ad-free, and includes security features to keep your account safe.
You can add this email hosting service to your Shared Starter web hosting plan or a domain registration-only account with DreamHost. By adding the paid email plan to a web hosting account, you can add up to five mailboxes and an unlimited number of forward-only email addresses.
Shared Unlimited Hosting
DreamHost Ease of Use
DreamHost email interface (Source: DreamHost)
DreamHost makes it easy to sign up for whatever product you want. Like Bluehost, its webmail is accessed using the Roundcube app, which is very easy to set up and use. It’s also easy to add your DreamHost email account to Gmail, Outlook, or the email client you prefer to use, and you can change some of the basic settings, including the look of your email interface.
IceWarp: Best Cheap Email With Integrated Video & Audio Calls
IceWarp
Overall Score:
4.40 / 5
What We Like
- Two cheap email hosting plans under $6 a month
- All plans include integrated video and audio calling, instant messaging, and screensharing
- White labeling (any plan)
- Email archiving
- Calendar and resource management
- Less than half the cost per user of Google Workspace or Microsoft if you need chat, video, and audio calling for collaboration but don’t need productivity software
What's Missing
- Productivity software only comes with the highest-tier plan at $8/month
- Desktop apps only for productivity software (no mobile apps)
- No discounts for annual prepayment
- Unlike IONOS, no plans come with a free domain
- No end-to-end encryption—not as secure as Proton Mail
Best For
- Small sales or customer service teams looking for an affordable all-in-one solution for emailing, calling, and video chatting with prospects or customers
- Small businesses with distributed teams
- Agencies wanting white label products with internal branding or to offer to clients
IceWarp is an affordable alternative to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 for teams. For example, all plans come with the ability to share contacts and calendars, video calls with screen sharing, audio calling, and instant messaging. It also allows for online and collaborative document editing, document opening and editing in Microsoft Office, and document versioning.
Built-in communication tools make it easy for teams to collaborate from anywhere or instantly reach out to customers and prospects. Your team can share their screen during video conferences or allow people outside your organization to access files via URL sharing.
However, to get IceWarp’s productivity software requires a subscription to the highest-tier Professional plan at $8. While it’s more expensive than Google Workspace, it’s significantly less than the $12.50 you would need to spend to get desktop apps for Microsoft 365 Office suite products. Plus, your team can sync items from Microsoft Outlook and Exchange to their IceWarp emails, and the storage included at this tier is comparable to both Google and Microsoft.
Like Proton Mail, you can use multiple domains in IceWarp. There’s no free version, but you can test out IceWarp free for two hours with a demo account and continue using it for free for 14 days.
Unlike Proton Mail, security is not advanced with any IceWarp plan, and no plan features end-to-end encryption. For this reason, it’s not recommended for organizations handling highly confidential or protected information, such as patient information.
IceWarp Pricing & Features
Plan & Features | Lite | Standard | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per Month | $2.80 | $4.40 | $8 |
Email Storage | 5GB | 100GB | 500GB |
File Storage | 20GB | 1TB | 5TB |
30MB Attachments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Antispam & Antivirus Protection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Multiple Domains | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Shared Contacts & Calendars | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Chat (IM) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Outlook Sync | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Video & Audio Call Capacity | Up to 5 | Up to 200 | Up to 200 |
Real-time Collaboration on Web-based Word, Excel, & PowerPoint | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
MS Exchange Sync | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
TeamChat Desktop & Mobile | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Desktop Office (Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations) | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Learn more about what’s included for the cost in each plan using the drop-downs below:
Lite
This plan includes 5GB of storage per user plus 20GB of cloud storage for files. It comes with both antispam and antivirus protection. It allows for real-time document editing, becoming the workaround for collaborative teams who want to work together on documents similar to how you can with Google Workspace but prefer to use Microsoft Office software.
Other inclusions starting in the Lite plan include shared contacts, email archiving, application programming interface (API) integrations, FTP access, and white labeling. Video (up to five attendees) and audio calls, screen sharing, and one-on-one instant messaging (IM) are also included, as is live 24/7 support.
Standard ($4.40) & Standard Plus ($7.30)
The only difference between the Standard and Standard Plus plans is that the Plus plan comes with unlimited high definition (HD) recording of video calls. Otherwise, what’s included is 100GB of email storage and 1TB of file storage—again, comparable to what comes with Microsoft 365’s base tier but at a lower cost (for the Standard plan).
This upgrade also comes TeamChat on desktop and mobile devices and mobile auto-sync with Microsoft Exchange. Video conferencing capacity also increases dramatically, allowing you to hold webinars or video calls with up to 200 attendees.
Professional ($8)
The Professional tier is IceWarp’s premium package. It increases email storage per user to 500GB and increases file storage to a massive 5TB. This could make it a great option for creatives like photographers and graphic designers, as well as other types of small businesses regularly dealing with large files, like architects.
With an upgrade to the Professional tier comes access to all apps, including desktop versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This represents an opportunity for you to save money, as desktop apps without team chat and video calling cost $8.25 with Microsoft 365 or $12.50 with Team Chat and video conferencing.
IceWarp Ease of Use
You’ll need to get a domain and email address separately to use IceWarp, just as you would Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. However, with that set, the app itself is modern and easy to navigate. Plus, there are short video guides you can watch to make learning the app even easier. IceWarp automatically syncs with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook from the second-tier plan, so no matter where you access emails, they’ll always be up to date.
Teams will find it easier to share and work on documents collaboratively with IceWarp than with Microsoft Outlook. Access and share documents with a couple of clicks instead of searching files and folders, attaching documents, and so on. Plus, you can share documents, slides, and presentations with people outside of your company via URLs or jump into a chat or call to share your screen and walk people through a proposal or project update.
How We Evaluated the Best Cheap Email Hosting Services
Small businesses and startups need safe, reliable, and affordable communication tools to connect with customers and communicate among their teams. To determine which are the best options for businesses on a budget, we researched low-cost business email providers with plans ranging from free to $6 a month based on the following criteria:
30%
Cost
20%
General Features
10%
Niche Features
15%
Support
25%
Expert Score
30% of Overall Score
For startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses on a tight budget, the cost is often the determining factor in selecting a service provider. For this reason, it was weighted most heavily when determining which email hosting services to include.
20% of Overall Score
In addition to cost is the value offered in the plans offered by email hosts. We looked for providers that include multiple email addresses, alias emails and forwarding, advanced security and data encryption, as well as those with extras like a mobile app or a free domain.
10% of Overall Score
Although these services are affordable, this doesn’t mean they don’t offer niche features that add value for small businesses. Several include productivity software and collaboration tools like video conferencing, shared calendars, and team chat apps.
15% of Overall Score
While most of these services are easy to self-serve in terms of both setup and management, it’s good to know that help is there if you need it. Providers offering 24/7 customer support, live chat and phone support, email ticketing, and an online help center scored higher.
25% of Overall Score
No matter how great a provider looks on paper, how it works in the real world is critical. We have firsthand experience with each of these providers, and rated each as to which have great features for small businesses, which pack the most value into their plans, and which are easiest to set up and use. Finally, we considered the popularity of email hosting services based on real-world customer reviews.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I get a free email address?
You can get a free email address at no cost with gmail.com or outlook.com domains. However, for businesses, the best option for getting free email addresses is from other products you need, like a domain or web hosting, that come with free email addresses. Some are free for the first year, some give you a short trial, and some are completely free—see all the ways you can get a free business email account.
How do I set up a professional email address?
Setting up a professional email address starts by choosing which email service provider you wish to use. Then get a domain name, choose an email format, and connect your email to a third-party service provider (e.g., Gmail or Outlook). For more information, check out the step-by-step instructions on how to create a professional email address.
What are the best email apps for business?
Busy entrepreneurs on the go need to use the best email apps for business. Our top picks include Edison, which serves as an email assistant, Proton Mail for advanced email security, Gmail for collaborative teams, Apple for advanced privacy, and myMail for managing multiple inboxes. Get the full list of the best email apps for businesses.
Bottom Line
Going with a low-cost email hosting provider doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sacrifice many features. The best providers give you more than cheap (or even free) email hosting. But they also provide tools businesses need, from email security and administrative controls to ample storage, tools for team chat and video conferencing, and productivity software.
Based on our comparison, you can’t go wrong with a free or cheap email plan from Zoho Mail. If you have a domain, you can set up as many as five email addresses completely free or get the advanced email security, business apps, team collaboration, and communication tools your business needs in Workplace plans as low as $3 per month.
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