Best business email for a solo owner or small team, compared honestly
Updated
The best business email depends on whether you are one person or a team, and on whether you want to own your domain. Here is how the main options compare, with prices checked against each provider's own page on October 1, 2026. We sell one of these options, so we say plainly where the others win.
What to compare
- Price, including year two. Quote the standard price, not the introductory one. Offers change and usually end after a few months.
- Cost per user. Most hosts charge per mailbox, so a team multiplies the figure.
- Storage. Per user, and whether it is shared with other files.
- IMAP. Can you use a normal mail app, or only the provider's own?
- Sending from your phone. Using your business address in the phone's mail app, not a workaround.
- Who owns the domain. It decides whether your address can move with you.
- Support. Who you can reach when mail stops arriving.
The options
Google Workspace
Per Google's pricing page, Business Starter is $7 per user per month on an annual commitment and Business Standard is $14. Monthly flexible billing is $8.40 and $16.80. Starter includes 30 GB of pooled storage per user and Standard 2 TB. Google lists a maximum of 300 users. Prices are in US dollars with tax extra, and Google runs introductory discounts that change, so we leave them out.
It wins when you want the tools many clients already use: shared calendars, documents and video meetings next to the mailbox.
Microsoft 365
Per Microsoft, Business Basic is $7.00 per user per month paid yearly, or $8.40 on a monthly subscription. Business Standard is $14.00 paid yearly, or $16.80 monthly. Both list custom business email and 1 TB of cloud storage per user. Basic has web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and Standard adds desktop versions.
It wins if your clients, accountant or customers live in Outlook and Office documents.
Zoho Mail
Zoho's page lists Mail Lite at US$1 per user per month billed annually, with no monthly plan, and 5 GB of storage. Mail Premium is US$4 per user per month billed annually. It is the cheapest paid host here. It wins when budget matters most and you want your own domain.
Fastmail
On Fastmail's pricing page, the Individual plan is $5 per month, or $60 for 12 months. Business plans, shown on a 12-month term, are Basic at $3 per user per month with 6 GB, Standard at $5 with 60 GB, and Professional at $9 with 150 GB. Standard is listed as usable with third-party apps such as Outlook and iPhone Mail, and for custom business addresses on a domain. It wins if you want a mail-focused service with generous storage and less of the bundled office software.
Proton
On Proton's business page with yearly billing selected, Mail Essentials is $6.99 per user per month, billed at $83.88 every 12 months, with 15 GB per user and 3 custom email domains. Workspace Standard is $12.99 per user per month. It wins if privacy is the reason you are shopping.
A city .co address from us
Colorado Internet Domains (coid.co) offers a full mailbox at [email protected] on about 39 Colorado city domains. You buy no domain and touch no DNS, setup takes about five minutes, and it works in any mail app over IMAP and SMTP as well as in webmail. A personal name is $19 a month or $190 a year in every city. Trade and category names such as plumber@ cost 3x the city base ($147, $207 or $297 a month). The price is locked for 2 years, and you can cancel anytime.
Side by side
Prices are per month on annual billing, as of October 2026, standard rates only.
| Option | Entry price | Storage at entry | Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace Business Starter | $7 per user | 30 GB pooled per user | Yours, bought separately |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $7.00 per user | 1 TB cloud storage per user | Yours, bought separately |
| Zoho Mail Lite | US$1 per user | 5 GB | Yours, bought separately |
| Fastmail Business Basic | $3 per user | 6 GB | Yours, bought separately |
| Proton Mail Essentials | $6.99 per user | 15 GB | Yours, bought separately |
| City .co personal name | $19 a month ($190 a year) | Not compared here | Rented from us |
The domain fee is not in any of those rows. It varies by registrar and by ending, so check the registrar's current price, including the renewal price. The mailbox cost for the first year is lower with any of the own-domain hosts than with ours. What you pay us for is the short, local name and the lack of setup. See what a business email really costs for more on that.
Who should pick what
- You want your own brand domain, or two or more staff mailboxes: buy your own domain and use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. This is the better choice and we say so plainly. It is what they are built for.
- Your budget is the main constraint: Zoho Mail Lite or Fastmail Basic cost the least per user on the pages above.
- You live in Outlook and Office files: Microsoft 365.
- You live in Google Docs and Calendar: Google Workspace.
- Privacy first: Proton.
- One person who wants a short, local address now, with no domain or DNS: a city .co address fits. Try the email address ideas tool and check a name on the home page. Names change hands, so confirm availability there.
The ownership question
With every provider except ours, you own the domain, so you can change hosts and keep the address. With a city .co address, you rent it. If you cancel, the name is held for 90 days and then released. Your mail is still yours, and here is how to export it.
If your address will be on a van, a sign and a website for years, that matters. If you mostly want a clean address for email, it may not. Setup help for any route is in how to set up a business email.