Choosing a good cheap email hosting service for your business isn’t as complicated as it seems. Sure, you’ll still need to shell out some budget, but there are a good number of inexpensive services that allow you to send emails on your own domain, store important files in the cloud securely, and even help boost your productivity. Below, I’ve rounded up the best options for small businesses.
- Google Workspace: Best email host for small businesses overall
- IONOS: Best email host with a free domain
- Scala Hosting: Best for small teams
- Zoho Mail: Best 100% free email hosting
- Spike: Best for beginners to email hosting
- ProtonMail: Best email hosting security
- InMotion Hosting: Best bundled email and web hosting
- Bluehost: Best for multiple email aliases
- DreamHost: Best for unlimited emails (and websites)
- Hostinger: Best email hosting for solopreneurs
Google Workspace smoothly integrates the business solutions your team needs to work anywhere on any device — all in one place. |
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What is an email hosting service and why do you need one? An email hosting service is a service that can “host” all your business emails on your own domain. For example, you can send emails using a “yourname@yourbusiness.com” email address instead of a “yourname@gmail.com” one, making your conversations more professional.
Beyond that, an email hosting service also provides security for your email and files, and some even offer productivity tools like documents and spreadsheets and team collaboration.
Best Cheap Email Hosting Providers at a Glance
Free Plan | Starting Cost of Paid Plans (per User) | Email Storage in the Base Plan | Free Custom Domain | Expert Score out of 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | X | $6/month | 30GB | X | 4.99 |
 | X | $1/month | 2GB | ✓ | 4.89 |
 | X | $6.95/month | 50GB | Higher plans | 4.83 |
 | ✓ | $1/month | 5GB | X | 4.72 |
 | ✓ | $4/month | 100GB | ✓ | 4.68 |
 | ✓ | $3.99/month | 15GB | X | 4.66 |
 | X | $2.99/month | 1GB | ✓ | 4.63 |
 | X | $14.99/year | 25GB | ✓ | 4.21 |
 | X | $2.95/month | Unlimited | ✓ | 4.12 |
 | X | 99 cents/month | 10GB | X | 4.06 |
Google Workspace: Best Email Host for Small Businesses Overall
Pros
- Very reliable and user-friendly, trusted by brands worldwide
- One of the best productivity suites (Google Docs, Sheets, Meet, etc.)
- Productivity apps support real-time team collaboration (ideal for remote workforces)
- 30GB to 5TB cloud storage
Cons
- Plans only support one user
- No free domain name
- For remote teams needing real-time collaboration on products
- Beginners to business email (it’s one of the easiest to set up and use)
- Those who want to integrate other business software with email apps to streamline workflows
- If you accept payments through Google Pay
You probably know Google Workspace and may even already use it for your personal emails. I wouldn’t be surprised if you even used it at a former workplace. That’s because Google Workspace is—and has long been—the number one email hosting service in the world, used by big and small businesses alike. It has everything you need for your business emails, and while it’s not the cheapest email hosting service on this list, it’s still affordable at $6 a month per user.
Google Workspace is one of the most trusted and well-used email hosting providers worldwide.
Aside from cloud storage via Google Drive that lets you store all your important files and world-class security (very few can rival Google’s security guarantee), Google Workspace also has some of the best productivity tools. If you’ve ever created a document on Google Docs or a spreadsheet via Google Sheets, or even been in a Google Meet call, you’ll know how reliable Google’s apps are. They’re also very easy to use.
Google Workspace Email Hosting Costs
Business Starter | Business Standard | Business Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User | $6/month | $12/month | $18/month |
Cloud Storage | 30GB | 2TB | 5TB |
Custom Email & Domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Google Workspace Productivity Suite | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Video Call Participants | 100 | 150 | 500 |
Standard Security | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
There are hardly any drawbacks to Google Workspace. As a long-time user, the only drawback is it doesn’t support multiple users in one plan, which means costs can run up quickly if you have multiple team members (although Enterprise plans are available for more than 300 users). Another minor drawback is the $6 plan only has 30GB of Google Drive storage, which can be small if you have plenty of files.
However, Google Workspace isn’t one of the most trusted email platforms in the world for no reason. If you’re looking for a straightforward, user-friendly, and reliable platform for your emails, you can’t go wrong with Google.
IONOS: Best Email Host with a Free Domain
Pros
- Email hosting with a free domain from $1 a month
- Advanced security & encryption for $5/month
- 2GB-50GB expandable storage
- Cheap multiuser plans for 2-10 users
Cons
- Only 2GB of storage in base plan—less than free email with Zoho
- No month-to-month payment options
- No plans come with documents, spreadsheets, or other productivity tools (only calendars and tasks)
- Budget-conscious businesses that need an email and domain as affordably as possible
- Businesses that handle private information (IONOS offers encrypted emails)
IONOS offers web hosting plans from $1 per month, inclusive of email, a free domain, and free SSL, which could save your business even more as you build your brand presence online. This makes IONOS the cheapest option available for paid email hosting. If you’re a freelancer, start-up, or small business with a limited budget, any of its plans could be right for you.
IONOS offers email hosting from just $1 a month.
You can get secure email hosting through IONOS for only $1 monthly, including spam protection, storage, a free domain, and live customer support. Or, you can purchase a domain for $1 for the first year and get a free business email address and SSL in the process. Its web-based interface is intuitive and fairly robust, but you can also connect your email account to top email apps easily.
Granted, the 2GB of storage included is paltry compared with the other providers on this list. However, that storage space is expandable up to 50GB at a cost that still comes in under $6. Plus, IONOS email security features are among the best. The only thing missing is it doesn’t offer the productivity tools that Google Workspace has, which docks it a few points.
IONOS Email Hosting Costs
Mail Basic 1 | Mail Basic 1+ | Mail Business | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User | $1/month | $4/month | $5/month (1 user), $15/month (5 users), $25/month (10 users) |
Free Domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Email Storage | 2GB | 12GB | 50GB |
Spam Filter | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Virus Protection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Spam Filter | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Shared Calendar, Contacts, Tasks | X | X | ✓ |
IONOS has long been a reliable platform for getting domains, emails, and websites all from one place, and I especially recommend it to small businesses because of its affordability and security. If you only need a basic email and domain—not any of the extra productivity tools—IONOS is a reliable option.
Scala Hosting: Best for Small Teams
Pros
- Email hosting plans for 10 to unlimited users from $6.95/month
- Plans also come with one to unlimited custom email domains
- Daily offsite backups included to protect your data
- First plan comes with 50GB email storage
What's Missing
- Only the highest plan comes with a custom domain
- Plans have shared storage limits (e.g., base tier 50GB for 10 users is about 5GB each)
- No productivity tools
- For small teams needing reliable, cheap, and scalable email hosting
- Agencies and freelancers looking to resell or manage client email with a white-labeled solution (highest plan tier offers unlimited email accounts)
Scala Hosting offers some of the cheapest email hosting for small and growing teams. For one, the base email hosting plan allows for up to 10 users on your domain for $6.95 a month (billed annually), which already comes with 50GB total shared storage, advanced SPAM protection, and daily offsite backups to preserve your data.
Scala Hosting’s straightforward and scalable email hosting plans are a good fit for small, growing teams.
Scala’s plans also scale affordably. For $9.95, you can create up to 50 email addresses on five custom domains (100GB email storage) and 100 emails for $14.95. All plans also come with the same security, SPAM protection, and offsite backups, while the highest plan gets you a free domain, a dedicated IP address, and even white-labeling services if you plan to resell.
Either way, it’s one of the most straightforward email hosting platforms around if you want a no-fuss cheap email hosting service, nothing more, nothing less.
Scala Hosting Email Hosting Costs
StartUp | SmallBiz | Medium | Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User* | $6.95/month | $9.95/month | $14.95/month | $19.95/month |
Email Accounts | 10 | 50 | 100 | Unlimited |
Email Storage | 50GB | 100GB | 150GB | 50GB (Expandable) |
Email Domains | 1 | 5 | 10 | Unlimited |
Daily Backups | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
SPAM Protection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Domain | X | X | X | ✓ |
Real-time Malware Protection | X | X | X | ✓ |
White-label Services | X | X | X | ✓ |
*Based on annual billing. Three-year plans are also available.
Scala Hosting is very straightforward and simple, and it’s a good option if plain and secure email hosting is just what you need. But you also won’t get any extras like shared documents and video calling or even just calendars—it’s solely for hosting emails.
On the other hand, if you don’t need any of those extras, Scala’s cheap email hosting plans are perfect for start-ups and small teams. Create up to 10 email addresses in a standalone plan or get unlimited emails in web-and-email bundles, both starting under $5 a month.
Zoho Mail: Best 100% Free Email Hosting
Pros
- Free plan with 5 business emails on a domain you own
- Get productivity and collaboration apps like Google and Microsoft’s with paid plans starting at $3/month
- Up to 1GB attachments in highest plan ($4 per user, per month)
Cons
- Only 5GB storage in the free plan and you need to have your own domain
- Paid plans are per user (no multiuser paid plans)
- No plans that include a free domain, unlike IONOS and Bluehost
- Budget-conscious small businesses who need 100% free email on their domain
- Small teams looking for all-in-one solutions with productivity software, collaboration tools, and video conferencing
- Those wanting a comparable alternative to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 at a cheaper price
- Companies that want easy integration with Zoho’s other business apps
Zoho Mail offers a surprisingly robust free plan that accommodates up to five users, which is why it’s one of the best places to get a free professional email if you’re absolutely budget-strapped. If you own a domain, you can set up as many as five email addresses—free forever. Zoho Mail also offers Workplace plans with communications and office software similar to Google and Microsoft starting at just $3.
Zoho Mail offers a 100% free-forever plan for up to five emails.
The Zoho software ecosystem extends far beyond office software, however. Zoho Mail easily integrates Zoho’s other business apps for sales, accounting, customer service, and more. Zoho has long been one of our favorite email apps because it’s low-cost and its interface is easy enough to navigate. Personally, I find it the best alternative to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, as it also has shared documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Zoho Mail Email Hosting Costs
Free Plan | Mail Lite | Mail Premium | Workplace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User | $0 (3 users) | $1/month | $4/month | $3/month |
Storage per User | 5GB | 5GB | 50GB | 50GB |
Password-protected Emails | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Shared Calendars, Notes, & Tasks | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Up to 1GB Attachments | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Email Backups | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Online Productivity Apps (Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations) | X | X | X | ✓ |
Zoho Mail is one of the most user-friendly low-cost email hosts, rivaling the ease of Google Workspace. There are detailed, step-by-step instructions for everything from registering for a plan to connecting your domain. If you get stuck, live chat and email ticket support are there to help. Best of all, it’s risk-free to try since you can start for free.
Spike: Best for Beginners to Email Hosting
Pros
- Free-forever plan with 3 users and 15GB storage
- Simple, instant chat-style email interface
- AI email assistant on all plans to draft recipes, summarize emails, and more
- Free custom domain in paid plans
Cons
- Paid plans require minimum number of users
- No antispam, antiphishing, and email encryption
- The chat interface is great for beginners or creative businesses that work collaboratively on products and services
- Businesses that rely on email as the primary means of office communication
- Organizations looking for a low-cost, all-around solution for email with internal chat, audio, and video calling
One of the lesser-known affordable email hosting solutions that should definitely be on your radar is Spike. While not as popular as some of the bigger players, Spike has some pretty substantial plans worthy of your consideration. For one, there’s a free-forever plan to start that supports one email address, 15GB storage, and even up to 60 days of search history.
Spike features a unique, instant chat-style email interface. It also has free plans to start.
Another particular feature that sets Spike apart is its instant chat-like interface. Unlike traditional email interfaces that show lengthy threads, Spike’s looks more like an instant chat messenger, which can make communications a lot simpler if you’re a beginner—but can be an adjustment if you’re used to the traditional format. Either way, it’s a unique feature you won’t find in other email providers. I also like that it has collaborative notes and tasks.
Spike Email Hosting Costs
Starter | Team | Business | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User | $0 (3 users) | $4/month | $8/month |
Custom Email Domain | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Storage Space | 15GB | 100GB | 1TB |
Instant Chat Email Interface | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Video & Audio Calls | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
But Spike also has its drawbacks, the biggest of which is its security. Although all your correspondence is private, Spike doesn’t offer any antispam, antiphishing, or email encryption, meaning your emails are more prone to security breaches than with a provider like IONOS or ProtonMail. On another note, it doesn’t have productivity software like documents and spreadsheets, only notes and tasks.
Spike is ultimately one of the more unique email hosting providers for its instant chat interface that gives it a less formal and complicated feel. Plus, it has a free plan that supports up to three team members and 15GB storage. Altogether, I find the platform worth trying for beginners who don’t want anything too complicated and want something you can start with for free.
ProtonMail: Best Email Hosting Security
Pros
- Most advanced security and privacy
- HIPAA-compliant security
- Free-forever plan with 1GB of email storage and up to 150 emails/daily
Cons
- Limited to 150 emails/day on the free plan
- No plans come with a free domain
- Businesses that handle private information and need secure, HIPAA-compliant email communications
- Freelancers and entrepreneurs wanting a completely free and highly secure business email option
If security for your emails is your number one concern, ProtonMail is one of the best places to get cheap email hosting. ProtonMail has long been renowned for its advanced security—it’s even headquartered in Switzerland and is protected by European privacy laws. Plus, there’s a free plan to get started, although you’ll get a ProtonMail domain. But from just $3.99 a month, you can get a custom one, plus 15GB storage and world-class email security.
ProtonMail has one of the most secure email hosting services for small businesses in the world.
It’s an excellent option if your top priority is security or if you handle lots of sensitive or private information via emails, for example, contracts or patient information. ProtonMail’s emails are also encrypted end-to-end.
ProtonMail is also easy to use, with a simple and sleek interface, and it has personal and shared calendars. However, it doesn’t have any productivity features like documents and spreadsheets, only folders and labels. What it does have is ample storage. On the starter plan, you get 15GB storage and even 1TB on the highest plan (along with three extra email addresses).
However, it doesn’t have any productivity tools beyond folders and labels, which is a drawback if you need them for your team. Also, plans don’t come with a free domain for your emails, so you’ll need to purchase one separately. It does offer cloud storage, but only on higher plans from $9.99 a month, unlike others that offer storage on all plans.
ProtonMail Email Hosting Costs
Proton Free | Mail Plus | Proton Unlimited | Proton Duo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User* | $0 | $3.99/month | $9.99/month | $14.99/month |
Email Storage | 1GB | 15GB | 500GB | 1TB |
Email Addresses | 1 | 10 | 15 | 30 |
Custom Email Domains | X | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Folders & Labels | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Cloud Storage | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
VPN | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Password Manager | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
*Based on annual billing. Month-to-month plans are also available at higher costs.
If security is your priority, there are few better suited to the task than ProtonMail. Every email you send is fully encrypted (even on the free plan), while higher plans have VPN and malware screening, for full protection of your emails and files.
InMotion Hosting: Best Bundled Email and Web Hosting
Pros
- All plans bundle email and website hosting from $2.99/month
- Multiple email addresses on all plans (unlimited on higher plans)
- Emails integrate with Google Workspace
- BoldGrid website builder
Cons
- Email storage only goes up to 20GB on the highest plan
- No in-house email app, only Google Workspace integration
- No free plan
- Businesses that need a platform that offers both email and website hosting
- Businesses that want to use Google Workspace’s tools but at a lower cost (and need to build a website)
If you’re looking for a service that can host both your emails and your website on the same domain, the best low-cost email hosting I recommend is InMotion Hosting. In fact, InMotion Hosting doesn’t even offer standalone plans for either web or email hosting independently—all its plans bundle them together, starting at just $2.99 a month, making it one of the cheapest email hosting services around.
InMotion hosting offers affordable bundled hosting services for email and websites.
You also get multiple email addresses, and on the higher plans, you can even have as many as you need. InMotion Hosting also offers malware protection for your emails and an integration with Google Workspace, which is helpful if you want those Google productivity apps but you also need a website. InMotion Hosting lets you have both. You’ll also build your website using the BoldGrid website builder, which is a drag-and-drop platform—no coding necessary.
InMotion Hosting Costs
Core | Launch | Power | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User* | $2.99/month | $4.79/month | $4.79/month | $10.79/month |
Email Addresses | 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Websites | 2 | 25 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Email Storage | 1GB | 5GB | 10GB | 20GB |
Google Workspace Integration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
BoldGrid Website Builder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*Based on annual billing
The obvious drawback from InMotion Hosting is that it won’t offer much value if you’re only after email hosting and don’t need a website. But another major disadvantage is its limited email storage: on the highest plan, you only get up to 20GB storage, and lower plans only give you 10GB, 5GB, and 1GB on the first plan. That’s significantly less than most others and isn’t helpful if you anticipate several emails.
However, there’s still a lot of value with InMotion Hosting. It’s especially convenient if you need an all-in-one host for your business website and emails, and you’re already familiar with Google Workspace as your email and productivity app.
Bluehost: Best for Multiple Email Aliases
Pros
- Plans start at $14.99/year, or just $1.20/month
- Offers up to 50 email address aliases on the higher plan
- Also has antispam, antiphishing, and shared productivity tools (documents, sheets, and presentations)
Cons
- No month-to-month plans
- Plans only support one user
- Only up to 25GB on the base plan and 80GB cloud storage on the highest-tiered plan
- For teams that need multiple email aliases (for example, customer service teams handling a large customer base)
- Teams wanting a cheaper alternative to Google Workspace’s productivity suite
Email aliases can be a handy tool if you want multiple email addresses to lead to a single mailbox (for example, if you want service@yourbusiness.com and support@yourbusiness.com to all lead to the same mailbox). They can help keep your emails organized and easy to manage while giving customers more ways to contact you.
Bluehost gives you up to 50 email aliases and has one of the cheapest annual plans.
The best inexpensive email hosting service for that is Bluehost. At just $14.99 a year, you can have up to 25 email aliases, or even up to 50 at the higher plan costing $24.99 a year. Divided by month, that comes down to just approximately $1.20 or $2 a month, making it one of the cheapest email hosting providers on the market. What’s more, Bluehost also has documents, spreadsheets, and calendars, much like Google Workspace, but at a fraction of the cost.
Bluehost Email Hosting Costs
Professional Email | Professional Email Plus | |
|---|---|---|
Cost per User | $14.99/year | $24.99/year |
Email Aliases | 25 | 50 |
Cloud Storage | 25GB | 80GB |
Spam Filter & Antivirus | ✓ | ✓ |
Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations | ✓ | ✓ |
Shared Calendars and Contacts | ✓ | ✓ |
Email Encryption | X | ✓ |
Aside from its productivity suite, Bluehost also offers 25GB and 80GB storage, spam filters, and—what I find most valuable—email undelete, so you can always recall emails even after deleting them. However, it doesn’t have the same real-time collaboration as Google Workspace, nor is it as easy to use, which are its main drawbacks. Its storage is also considerably smaller than others.
Overall though, Bluehost is one of the cheapest email hosting services when you consider the value it offers on its annual plans. The main downside is that there are no month-to-month plans, so you’re locked into yearly contracts. But it has all the essentials you need from an email platform and is especially valuable if you want several aliases for your email addresses.
DreamHost: Best for Unlimited Emails (and Websites)
Pros
- Unlimited emails with a free domain for $2.95/month the first year with the Shared Unlimited plan
- Monthly billing available for email hosting and web hosting plans
- All-in-one solution for WordPress websites and business email
Cons
- You need your own domain for the unlimited emails
- No dedicated mobile app
- No productivity or collaboration tools
- Businesses that need to create a lot of email addresses on a small budget
- Start-ups or companies looking for commitment-free web or email hosting with month-to-month billing
DreamHost offers a web hosting service with unlimited basic email addresses on your domain. Even if you don’t need web hosting, this is a deal that’s too good to pass up if you need a bunch of email addresses for a large team. Unlimited plans start at just $2.95 a month, billed annually.
DreamHost offers unlimited emails with a free domain and WordPress website builder.
Accessing your email via the web is simple, and you can also add your email address to any popular mail app via POP or IMAP protocols. Among others, you can use Gmail, Outlook, Mac Mail, or the mail app on an iPhone or Android. But beyond email, the Shared Unlimited plan also includes a WordPress website builder that can build unlimited websites. That means you can get unlimited emails and websites with DreamHost.
If you don’t want to purchase the annual unlimited plan, you can still use DreamHost’s email hosting service as a standalone product. Each email plan will cost you $1.67 a month, billed annually. However, for its value, I still recommend getting the Shared Unlimited plan, as it gets you unlimited emails and websites. However, it doesn’t have any productivity tools, so it’s not your best choice if you need team collaboration.
DreamHost Email Hosting Costs
Shared Unlimited | DreamPress | VPS | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per User* | $3.95 | $16.95 | $13.75 |
Unlimited Emails | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Websites | Unlimited | 1 | Unlimited |
WordPress Installer and Website Builder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Unmetered Bandwidth | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Website Backups | X | ✓ | X |
*Based on annual billing. Month-to-month plans are also available at higher costs. Prices were taken in October 2024.
DreamHost also offers standalone email plans, but we recommend the Shared Unlimited plan more for its value.
Depending on your business needs, you can get a standalone email address or unlimited email addresses, both for affordable prices with DreamHost. It’s long been one of the most reputable hosting companies, and your email hosting comes with a free domain, free SSL certificate, and the ability to access your email via the web or any popular email app.
Hostinger: Best Email Hosting for Solopreneurs
Pros
- Email hosting with 10GB storage from 99 cents a month
- All plans come with antispam and antivirus
- You can set your own email forwarding rules
Cons
- Plans don’t come with a free domain
- All plans only have two-year contracts
- No productivity or team collaboration tools
- Any solopreneur or freelancer who needs a professional email address with ample storage and doesn’t need team collaboration
- Anyone who needs multiple email aliases
If you only need a single email address without web hosting or any of the frills of productivity suites and advanced security, Hostinger offers affordable individual email hosting from just 99 cents a month, which already comes with 10GB email storage, antivirus and antispam, and even 50 email aliases if you want to be known by several email addresses. And if you need more storage, the higher plan allows up to 50GB for $2.99 a month.
Hostinger’s simple email hosting plans are suitable for solopreneurs and freelancers.
All of these features make Hostinger a suitable option for solopreneurs or freelancers who want a professional email address to be taken seriously by clients. The email storage also helps if you need to send large files over email—like artwork or media if you’re a freelance graphic artist or video editor—or if you handle lots of files over email. Since it also packs antivirus and antispam, your emails have that layer of protection.
Hostinger Email Hosting Costs
Business Starter | Business Premium | |
|---|---|---|
Cost per Month (Two-year Term) | 99 cents | $2.99 |
Email Storage | 10GB | 50GB |
Email Aliases | 50 | 50 |
Email Forwarding Rules | 10 | 50 |
Antispam and Antivirus | ✓ | ✓ |
The biggest downside here is that while it has antispam and antivirus, your emails won’t have end-to-end encryption, which isn’t ideal if you’re handling super-private information like bank details and invoices. Plans also don’t come with a free domain, meaning you’ll need to have one first or purchase one separately.
Nevertheless, Hostinger gives you everything you need for professional and secure email if you already own a domain, with affordable plans even for solopreneurs or freelancers.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Cheap Email Provider
Business email doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, but you absolutely need to make a checklist of the features you think you’ll need. Here are a few of the things to consider:
- Storage space: The more email you plan on receiving and sending, the more storage space you’ll need. A good rule of thumb is to start at 10GB and go up from there.
- Attachment size—both sending and receiving: Email hosting providers typically place limits on the size of attachments. If you’re sending large graphics files or videos, you’ll need to find a provider with higher limits. Most limit it to 10GB or less. Some allow up to 50GB.
- Contacts management: How will you keep track of email addresses? A good contacts management system should be built into your email account.
- Security: Most business email hosts provide basic antivirus protection and spam filtering. If you’re concerned about security, choose a provider with advanced encryption and two-factor authentication.
- Ease-of-use: If the provider has a webmail interface, how easy it is to use and navigate may be a deciding factor—especially if you or your employees are not technologically savvy.
- POP/IMAP access: POP and IMAC are two mail server protocols that allow you to add your email address to external email apps like Microsoft Outlook, Mac Mail, or the mail app on your iPhone or Android device—which is important for accessing your email on multiple devices and with different applications.
- User ratings: A great way to judge the quality of any product or service is through user reviews. Check sites like G2 and Clutch to see how well the provider you’re considering stacks up to the competition.
Most importantly, keep in mind that services like email and web hosting tend to be very “sticky” services. It can be very difficult to switch from one provider to another without losing stored emails, contacts, filters, and more. So before you dive into a new provider, take the time to fully vet your top contenders for cheap business email.
How We Evaluated the Best Cheap Email Hosting Services
Small businesses and start-ups need safe, reliable, and affordable communication tools to connect with customers and communicate among their teams. To determine the best options for businesses on a budget, we researched low-cost business email providers with plans ranging from free to $6 a month and compared them based on 20 data points. Here’s how we weighed our scores.
35% 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.
25% of Overall Score
In addition to cost is the value offered in the plans 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.
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.
20% 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.
20% 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 has 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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Two of the cheapest email services are Zoho Mail and IONOS. Zoho Mail even has a free-forever plan that allows up to five users to have professional email addresses, as long as you already have your own domain. Meanwhile, its paid plans cost just $1 and $3 a month per user and offer more features like productivity apps. Meanwhile, IONOS’s plans start at just $1 a month and already come with a free domain and advanced security.
Yes. Zoho Mail offers free professional email hosting for up to five users, provided you already have a domain. The free plan also comes with an email app for desktop and mobile, up to 5GB email storage, and a 25MB file attachment limit. Spike is another platform offering free email hosting for up to three users, which comes with 15GB storage and video and audio calls along with your emails. However, your emails will come with an @spike.com domain.
The only way (so far) to host your own email domain for free is through Zoho Mail. Zoho Mail has a free plan that allows you to host business emails for up to five users on a domain you already own. That means if you already have a domain, you can host your emails on Zoho Mail for free, no strings attached. The free plan also allows up to 5GB storage per user and file attachments of up to 25MB.
Bottom Line
Going with a cheap email hosting provider doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sacrifice critical features. The best providers, like the ones above, are proof that your business emails don’t have to cost a fortune to look professional and enhance your productivity. We tested all the providers above to ensure they have all the essential tools you need to set up your business email in the long-term—and won’t make a large dent in your budget.
