The cost of business email depends on how many independent inboxes you need, the plan's billing term and its storage and features. Owning a domain does not automatically include a hosted mailbox. Your hosting plan may include email, or you may purchase it separately.
Count people and inboxes carefully
An alias is not necessarily another paid mailbox. For example, one owner may receive hello@ and billing@ in the same inbox if the provider supports aliases. Two staff members who need separate credentials and private mail generally need distinct mailboxes. Shared inboxes and groups have their own provider-specific rules.
List the real people, shared addresses and forwarding-only addresses before choosing a plan. Check the provider's documentation rather than assuming each visible email address requires a licence.
Build an annual comparison
Suppose plan A costs an illustrative $2 per user each month and plan B costs $5. For four paid users, the annual totals are $96 and $240, before tax. The difference is $144 a year. Our email calculator lets you compare your own inputs, setup costs and a planning period. These examples are not current provider prices.
If annual billing is required, note the full upfront payment. If you expect to add staff, calculate a second scenario with the higher mailbox count. Check whether adding and removing licences changes the bill immediately or at renewal.
Compare features as well as prices
- Storage per mailbox and attachment limits.
- Access through the email apps your team uses.
- Alias, group and shared-mailbox rules.
- Migration support, retention and recovery.
- Two-factor authentication and account recovery.
Plan the switch
Before changing mail routing, create the destination mailboxes, back up important mail and follow the new provider's domain verification and DNS instructions. Test incoming and outgoing messages. A cheap plan is not a saving if it cannot support your team's actual workflow. Choose based on your requirements and keep a record of the next renewal date.