Business email hosting: which to choose, and what it costs
Business email hosting gives you addresses at your own domain, like [email protected]. Prices run from about a dollar a month to over $20 per person. Here is what you get at each level.
For most small businesses: Google Workspace Business Starter ($7 per user a month on a yearly plan, $8.40 month to month) or Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7 per user a month, yearly). On a tight budget, Zoho Mail (paid plans from about $1) or your domain registrar's email (from about $1 a month) works. For privacy, Proton Mail Essentials (about $7 a month, yearly).
Price comparison
| Service | Starting plan | Price per user, per month | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Business Starter | $7 yearly / $8.40 monthly | 30 GB |
| Microsoft 365 | Business Basic | $7 (yearly commitment) | 50 GB mailbox + 1 TB OneDrive |
| Zoho Mail | Mail Lite | From about $1 (billed yearly) | 5 GB or 10 GB |
| Proton | Mail Essentials | About $7 (yearly) | 15 GB |
| Fastmail | Business Basic | $3 yearly / $4 monthly | 6 GB |
| Namecheap Private Email | Launch (1 mailbox) | About $1.24 ($14.88 a year) | 5 GB |
| Spaceship Spacemail | Pro (1 mailbox) | About $0.79 (billed every 2 years) | 5 GB |
Prices checked October 2026 and change often; registrars frequently discount the first term.
Which one should you pick?
- You already use Gmail and Google Docs: Google Workspace. Same Gmail you know, at your own domain, plus Meet and Drive.
- Your team lives in Word, Excel and Teams: Microsoft 365. Business Basic includes web and mobile Office apps; Business Standard adds desktop apps.
- Lowest cost for a few mailboxes: Zoho Mail, or the email offered by the company where you bought your domain.
- Privacy and encryption matter most: Proton.
- A fast, independent, ad-free service: Fastmail.
Is there free business email?
Zoho Mail Forever Free still lists up to 5 users with 5 GB each on one domain, web and app only, though it is only offered in some regions. Many web hosting plans also include basic email. Free options usually lack phone support and have smaller limits. See free email with your own domain.
What "web hosting email" means
Many website hosts include email accounts with their web hosting plans. It is cheap, but email and website then share one server: if the site is hacked or the server's reputation drops, your email can suffer. Most growing businesses keep email with a dedicated provider and point only the website at the web host.
Setting it up
Whichever you choose, the steps are the same: verify you own the domain, add the provider's MX, SPF and DKIM records, add a DMARC record, then create mailboxes. Full walkthrough: how to make a business email. Check the records afterwards with the free DMARC and SPF checker.
Questions people ask
- What is the cheapest business email hosting?
- Registrar email plans such as Spaceship and Namecheap cost about $1 a month for one mailbox, and Zoho Mail paid plans start around $1 per user. Zoho also has a limited free plan in some regions.
- Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for business email?
- Both are excellent and cost about the same at the entry level. Choose the one that matches the documents and apps your team already uses.
- Can I keep my website host and use another company for email?
- Yes. Email is controlled by your domain's MX records, so email and website can be with different companies.
Sending one email to a whole list? Check the addresses first with Veml, which removes bad and risky emails before you hit send. (Veml and EmailNa have the same owner.)