Getting a professional email address with your domain name (eg name@yourdomaincom) is cheaper and easier than ever. there are plenty of business email services that let you do this, but the best business email providers have affordable prices, good storage capabilities, advanced security features, and extras like video conferencing, productivity and collaboration tools, and free domain names.
Based on our comparison, these are the best business email providers for small businesses:
- google workspace: the best overall business email provider and ideal for collaborative teams
- ionos: the best provider for those who want affordable business email plans that include a free domain
- microsoft 365: best for those who frequently send and store large attachments
- bluehost: great for startups that want to combine business email with web hosting and a free domain and ssl certificate
- zoho mail: Best Free Basic Email Services for Small Businesses on a Budget
- Amazon Workmail: The Leading Professional Email Provider for Businesses in Specialized Industries
best business email providers at a glance
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can’t make up your mind? Go with our top recommendation for business email services, Google Workspace. is the best email service provider for small businesses, and since there are no long-term contracts, trying it out is risk-free.
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Take our quiz to find out which business email provider is right for you.
Let’s dive into each of the best business email services:
google workspace: overall best business email provider
google workspace (formerly g suite) is the enhanced version of gmail for business use. includes professional email using your domain name and comes packed with modern productivity and collaboration tools. For example, you get Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides software for advanced admin control and hundreds of the best third-party email apps and tools for just $6 per user, per month.
Interested in learning more about how Gmail compares to Outlook when it comes to business email services? Check out our head-to-head comparison between Gmail and Outlook.
google workspace pricing & characteristics of the plan
Google Workspace has a ton of amazing features that make it one of the best email providers out there, which means all of its features are pretty solid. however, here are some features to keep in mind:
- Top-notch productivity and collaboration tools: In addition to the ubiquitous Gmail, Google Workspace comes with a variety of advanced tools like documents, spreadsheets, a shared calendar, and video conferencing. it’s a great choice for teams that need to collaborate on tasks.
- inclusive features: google workspace is one of the easiest business email service providers to use, as it their plans include everything you need to set up your professional email along with the extra features we mentioned above. It’s perfect for beginners who need advanced productivity features, unlike Amazon Workmail, which is more complicated to navigate.
- High storage limits: Gmail’s starter plan has 30 gb per user, which is already more than enough storage for the average person. You can easily upgrade to 2TB to 5TB per user by purchasing their most premium plans. this makes gmail one of the top providers in terms of storage.
our expert opinion
google workspace plans that include gmail for business email start at $6 per month. These feature-rich plans are very affordable, especially since they also come with industry-leading collaboration and productivity apps. Shared documents, spreadsheets, presentations, calendars, and video conferencing make it the best email provider for almost any small business, especially collaborative teams.
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ionos: The Best Cheap Email Provider for Businesses
ionos is one of the leading web hosting companies that also offers premium business email for as little as $1 per month. Although its features are basic, the price is hard to beat. you can use the ionos webmail interface or easily connect your email address to your favorite email client (eg outlook or gmail).
On the cheapest plan, you get 2GB of storage, spam filters, ssl/tls certificates, a maximum attachment limit of 70mb, and a free domain name ($12-$15 value per year). On the premium plan, which is still very affordable at just $5 per month, you get all that plus basic collaboration tools like a shared calendar and advanced virus protection.
ionos prices & characteristics of the plan
*additional users come with additional fees
ionos is on our top list of best business email services, which means all of its features are pretty solid, specifically the following:
- affordability: ionos plans are extremely affordable, starting at just $1 per month. The only other business email service that is this cheap is Zoho Mail. but zoho doesn’t come with the other nifty features that ionos does, like a free domain name and great security.
- high attachment limits: though not as high as zoho mail or Microsoft 365, ionos’ attachment limits are respectable and definitely more than enough for the average user.
- Security Features: Upgrading to the $5 per month plan, you get premium ionos antivirus plus data encryption and filters – an extremely affordable solution for businesses handling sensitive content.
our expert opinion
Although you won’t get the most advanced features in ionos (for example, it lacks collaboration features like video conferencing), at $1 to $5 per month for their premium plans, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better (or cheaper) basic email provider. commercial electronic. it has everything you need to get started, includes advanced anti-virus and anti-spam protection, and even includes great extras like a free domain name.
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microsoft 365: the best business email service for large files & storage needs
Microsoft 365 is the best email provider for businesses that want to use the Microsoft Office 365 Productivity Suite, those that need a ton of storage, and those that send or receive large attachments. Although the basic level is very similar to Google Workspace, including the same price of $6 per user, per month, it includes 1TB of massive cloud storage through OneDrive (compared to 30GB with Google Workspace).
The basic tier also allows video conferencing with up to 300 participants, compared to 100 on the comparable google workspace plan. All plans include the Microsoft 365 Suite (formerly Office 365) with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications many know and love. Want more info on how to set up Microsoft 365? Create your Microsoft 365 business email in just a few easy steps.
Discover how easy it will be to use Outlook email for business with a free one-on-one consultation with a Microsoft 365 expert. They’ll walk you through the best way to deploy Microsoft 365 and Outlook so you can get up and running. grow your business faster. book your appointment online.
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microsoft 365 prices and pricing plan features
Microsoft 365 has a host of amazing tools and features, especially for teams looking to take advantage of the Microsoft 365 family of business apps. Here are a few of them:
- high attachment limits: with 150mb for outgoing and incoming attachments, microsoft 365 is a great option for businesses that send (and receive) email attachments large.
- Extra large storage capacities: Microsoft 365 offers 1 TB of storage per user in each of its plans. If you want to spend $6 per user, per month and need large storage capacities, Microsoft 365 beats even Gmail.
- Power Automate: Microsoft 365 business plans all come with Power Automatic , a service that allows you to sync and get data between apps to automate workflows within the Microsoft 365 system.
our expert opinion
Microsoft 365 offers competitive pricing for plans that include a ton of cloud storage (1TB, to be exact) for just $6 a month. large attachment limits and automation features are also massive pluses. However, some businesses may not need all of these features and instead prefer a simpler business email interface like Gmail to the feature-packed Outlook email client. to do this, choose google workspace.
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bluehost: best email provider for new business
bluehost is a leading web hosting provider and their plans are packed with extras, including a free domain and free business email addresses. Included with web hosting, a free domain, an SSL certificate, and five free email addresses, the entry-level plan starts at just $2.95 per month.
All hosting plans come with a drag and drop wordpress website builder, making it the best business email provider for startups and small businesses that need to build an online presence. Get step-by-step instructions on how to set up business email with bluehost webmail.
bluehost prices & characteristics of the plan
bluehost’s inclusive plans make them the best choice for businesses looking to set up their professional web presence in one go. these are the functions that allow you to do it:
- Unlimited users and storage: bluehost is the only business email provider on our list that offers unlimited accounts and storage. At $5.45 per month, this is a great value. Please note this is introductory price only and renews at $13.99.
- All-Inclusive Plans: Bluehost is not your typical business email service. Although they offer standalone email plans through Microsoft 365, shared hosting plans provide anywhere from five to unlimited business email addresses starting at just $2.95 per month. In addition to email and web hosting, plans include a free domain name, SSL/TLS security to encrypt your data and protect it from hackers, and a drag-and-drop website builder.
- Affordable way to create an online presence: Considering the features bluehost offers starting at $2.95 per month, it’s well worth the money for startups creating a web presence for the first time.
our expert opinion
bluehost is a web hosting provider that includes free business email hosting in web hosting plans. plans start at just $2.95 per month for web hosting and business email in one package with five free professional email addresses or $5.45 per month for unlimited professional email accounts. this makes it a good option for startups that are building an online presence and need web and email hosting at a great price.
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zoho mail: the best free business email provider
For the cheapest business email option (if you have a domain name), look no further than zoho mail. Zoho Mail’s free plan includes up to five free business email addresses, and like ionos, the cheapest premium plan is just $1 per month.
In addition to Zoho Mail and the free basic plans, there are Workplace plans suitable for teams. They include a 30GB plus 10GB shared storage plan at $3 per user, per month or a 100GB plus 100GB shared storage plan at $6 per user, per month.
They also include multi-domain email hosting, zoho office suite, zoho cliq (collaboration tools), mobile apps, large file upload limits, and video meetings from 10 to 100 participants. These tools make them comparable to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, and at $3 per user, per month, the Standard plan is half the cost of either provider.
Unlike Microsoft 365, there are low attachment size limits on the free plan and low storage limits overall. For this reason, it’s best for those who don’t rely heavily on email, but want a business email address to maintain a professional image. see what’s involved in configuring zoho mail for business.
zoho mail & characteristics of the plan
*10gb option is $1.25 per month
zoho mail is a very affordable business email service with some great features to help you get started. here are the features to look at:
- Free Forever Plan: zoho mail is the only business email provider on our list that offers a free forever plan. Although the plan may have significant limitations (eg, five users maximum, 5GB of storage, and a 25MB limit for attachments), it’s still a great option for startups and extremely small businesses on a tight budget.
- Large Attachment Limits: With a maximum attachment limit of 1gb for outgoing emails, zoho mail is a superior choice for businesses that need the ability to send attachments great.
- Available collaboration tools: In Workplace plans, you get a suite of collaboration tools, like shared sheets and documents, and video conferencing, much like google workspace and microsoft 365. this is extremely useful for businesses looking for an alternative to google or microsoft as well as teams using other zoho applications such as email marketing, adm customer relationship registration (crm), etc.
our expert opinion
zoho mail is widely regarded as one of the best ways to get a free business email address, making it a great option for budget-conscious businesses that need five email addresses or less. paid plans start at $1 per user, per month, but the low cost comes at the expense of huge storage space. If your business relies heavily on email, bluehost and microsoft 365 are the best options.
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amazon workmail: best email provider for niche services
amazon workmail is unique among business email providers because it doesn’t offer traditional plans. Instead, you pay a base fee of $4 per user to get 50GB, and you can add to your plan (and its cost) by adding more feature integrations. It is ideal for those who need niche Amazon Web Services (AWS) features, as well as those who use other Amazon platforms, such as web hosting via AWS.
Aws currently has over 200 different services in over 100 different categories including health, analytics, gaming tech, robotics, and media. These services are meant to help you scale your business. It’s safe to say that if your small business is in a niche industry, you’ll likely find the features you need through AWS.
final price can vary widely, up to hundreds of dollars per year. however, you can get by on just the base price if you’re not looking for any other features. Still, Google Workspace is much easier for beginners to use when it comes to basic top-tier business email features, as is Microsoft 365, which is known for its business-class email security. /p>
amazon workmail prices & characteristics of the plan
amazon workmail has an extremely unique system, especially when compared to other business email service providers on the market. here are some features to consider:
- affordable entry-level pricing: Starting at $4 per user, per month, amazon workmail is extremely affordable, though it doesn’t include more specialized features.
- a la carte service options: With over 100 possible Amazon integrations, businesses have the ability to create plans with features that address their unique needs.
- Relatively low storage limits High: For just $4 a month, you get 50GB of storage per user. It may not sound like much, but 50GB is more than enough email space for the average user.
our expert opinion
amazon workmail is a unique product that is bundled with other amazon services, making it a great option for businesses that need specific features or users of amazon web services. It’s a bit too technical for the average small business owner, so unless you’re really interested in trying Amazon’s services, we recommend using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 instead.
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how we rate the best small business email providers
every business needs email addresses that can be accessed quickly, securely, and reliably with enough storage to prevent messages from bouncing. however, some businesses only need a single email address, while others require a scalable email solution. That’s why we looked at a variety of options that can serve anyone, from the sole proprietor who wants a free address to a growing business with multiple employees.
The criteria we use to evaluate the providers on this list include:
- price
- ease of use
- available storage
- security and accessibility
- spam and virus protection
- system integrations
- scalability
- customer support
All things considered, we’ve determined that the best business email provider for small businesses is Google Workspace. While it’s not the cheapest option, it will save your business money by including productivity and collaboration tools you’d need to buy separately anyway. Take advantage of the free 30-day trial to test the limits of what your business can achieve with Gmail’s business email and workspace software.
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frequently asked questions (faqs)
which is better: google workspace or microsoft 365?
For teams that need collaboration tools, Google Workspace is better with its most modern and easy-to-use tools. However, Microsoft 365 has better security on its more premium plans and advanced features that allow you to automate processes within the Microsoft 365 system, perfect for companies with more advanced needs. outlook business email client also has more features than gmail.
Get the full breakdown of Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365, or see our full review of Microsoft Outlook for business.
how do you create a custom email address for business use?
It’s easy to create a custom email address, such as an email address that uses your domain name (for example, “name@yourcompany.com”). First, get a domain (eg, yourcompany.com), which you can buy from a domain name registrar like godaddy or hover for around $12 per year. then get email hosting and set up access to your email with your favorite email app. For more help, follow our instructions to create a custom email address.
how do I choose a professional email address?
There are three main rules when choosing a professional email address. first, always use your own domain. Second, maintain a consistent username email format throughout your company. Third, create generic email addresses that are forwarded to you or your team, such as support@yourbusiness.com, to display on your site to prevent spam and protect the privacy of your primary email address. Learn how to create a professional email address in four easy steps.
end result
Businesses rely on email communication, so choose email services that are reliable, feature-rich, and affordable. For small businesses looking for the cheapest business email provider, we recommend ionos. However, for small businesses looking for the best overall business email service, Google Workspace, which comes with Gmail business email and a host of productivity and collaboration tools, is our number one pick.
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