There are many options out there when it comes to choosing an email host provider. So, which one is right for your small business? Here are 11 of the best email hosts services to help you get started. Each of these providers has its own unique set of features and benefits, so be sure to read up on each before making your final decision.

What is an Email Hosting Service?

A hosting email service is a provider that helps you manage your email accounts. This can include setting up new accounts, providing technical support, and managing your email preferences.

The best email hosting services for small businesses offer a variety of features that can be beneficial for companies. These can include things like:

• Scalability: The ability to easily add or remove users as your company grows or changes.
• Security: robust security features to protect your data from hackers and malware.
• Reliability: a service that is always up and running so you can stay connected to your customers.

Choosing the right email hosting service for your small business is essential. Take the time to research your options and find a provider that offers the features you need at a price you can afford.

Why Should I Use an Email Hosting Service?

Email hosting services provide several advantages for small businesses. First, they can be more reliable than using a free email service like Gmail or Yahoo. This is because email hosting services have more resources to deal with problems that can arise, such as outages or hacked accounts.

Second, email hosting services often provide additional useful features for businesses, such as increased storage space and better security. These features can help keep your business’s emails organized and safe from hackers.

Third, a hosting email service can give your business a more professional appearance. You can use your domain name for your email addresses instead of a generic Gmail or Yahoo address, making it easier for customers and clients to remember your email address and find your website.

Fourth, email hosting services can provide better customer support than free email services because they have more resources to dedicate to helping their customers. If you have a problem with your email account, you can usually get help from the email hosting company’s customer support team more quickly.

Finally, using a hosting email service can save you money in the long run. You can often get discounts on other services when using an email hosting service. For example, many web hosting companies offer discounts to customers who also use their email hosting service.

Overall, using an email hosting service can provide many advantages for small businesses. If you are looking for a more reliable, professional, and affordable email solution, an email hosting service may be the best option.

IMAP vs. POP3 vs. SMTP – The Difference

When it comes to email hosting for small businesses, there are three main protocols that you need to be aware of: IMAP, POP, and SMTP. This section will take a closer look at each of these protocols and see what the best email hosting services for small businesses are.

Post Office Protocol (POP)

POP (Post Office Protocol) is the most basic protocol, and it’s best suited for small businesses that don’t need to worry about multiple devices accessing their email accounts. POP is a one-way protocol, meaning messages are downloaded from the server to your device, and they’re not synchronized back to the server. This can be a problem if you need to access your email from multiple devices, as you won’t be able to see any messages that were added after you last downloaded them.

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is a more sophisticated protocol that allows you to access your email from multiple devices and keep all of your messages synchronized. IMAP also supports folder structure, so you can organize your emails into different folders on the server. This can be useful if you need to share specific folders with other users or if you want to be able to access your email offline.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is used to send messages from your device to the server. Most email hosting services will provide you with an SMTP server that you can use to send messages, but you can also use a third-party service like Gmail or Outlook.com.

So, which of these protocols is best for small businesses? It depends on your needs. POP might be the best option if you only need to access your email from one device and don’t need any fancy features.

If you need to access your email from multiple devices or you want to be able to organize your messages into folders, then IMAP is a better choice. And if you need to send a lot of messages, then SMTP is the best option.

Whatever your needs, an email hosting service is perfect for you. In the next section, we’ll look at five of the best email hosting services for small businesses.

11 Best Email Hosting Services for Small Businesses

1. Google Workspace

Google Workspace is one of the best email hosting services for small businesses. It offers a variety of features that are designed to help small businesses grow and succeed. Google Workspace includes Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites, etc. It also offers a variety of business tools, such as:

• A professional email address (@yourcompany.com)
• Custom email addresses
• Up to 30GB of storage per user
• 24/7 phone and email support

Google Workspace is a reasonable overall alternative for email hosting, with its pricing starting at $6 per user every month. The primary appeal of this email service is that it makes use of Gmail and other Google applications, which means you’re already set up. If you’re already using a personal and work email, Gmail through G Suite may save time.

Google Workspace is the best email hosting service for small businesses that want to use the power of Google tools to grow their business.

2. SendGrid

SendGrid has a long and illustrious history, having first emerged in 2009. This email marketing solution is designed to help everyone along the road to better email experiences.

This email hosting service can help you accomplish your objectives, no matter your area of expertise. Whether you’re a marketer, developer, or the CEO of your firm, with a fantastic variety of solutions, SendGrid will assist you in achieving your aims.

SendGrid has a lot to offer to its customers. It provides real-time analytical data, as well as built-in reputation management tools. Besides, this email hosting service is a highly trustworthy and dependable option with more than 45,000 paying clients and 1 trillion emails delivered.

There’s every reason for small businesses to love SendGrid – it offers a free plan that includes up to 100 emails per day to its users. Paid plans start at $14.95 per month, with tons of other features in the package.

3. Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail offers a great email hosting solution for small businesses. It includes all of the features you need to run a successful business, such as a custom domain, unlimited storage, and 24/365 support.

As a free domain-specific email hosting service, this email hosting service grew in popularity. And while it was similar to a G Suite account with domain-specific email, it was free. Later, Zoho phased out most of the email functions from their basic plan and migrated them to Mail Lite, costing $1 per month (paid annually) (billed yearly).

Even though Zoho Mail is no longer free, it remains a popular and cost-effective alternative for domain-specific email hosting. Some of the features of Zoho Mail include:

• Zoho Calendar, which may be shared or combined with the mobile and PC versions of Zoho Calendar
• The email recall feature notifies you once an email has been sent and when you unsend an email.
• It comes with an eWidget and Develop Space that integrates with developer tools
• Email restoration and backup
• Multiple domain email hosting is also provided

Zoho Mail is worth considering if you’re looking for an email hosting solution that offers excellent value for money.

4. Yandex Mail

Yandex is a Russian search engine also offering email hosting services. It’s ideal for individuals who wish to set up their email hosting server with a unique domain name.

This email hosting service is not only quick, but it’s also more cost-effective than the competition. For as little as $3.14 per month, you may have a paid account with Yandex Mail.

You’re restricted to only adding up to three users for a website. However, you’ll be allowed to add up to 1,000 free accounts when you sign up as an organization.

You may also link with Yandex Mail and Yandex, including collaboration tools such as messenger, track issues, cloud disk, wiki, calendar, and forms.

Each year, Yandex issues 10GB of online storage to every user. It includes anti-virus and anti-spam measures to secure your mailbox and is equipped with two-factor authentication (2FA) for increased login security and transfer.

However, it does not have some advanced features that other email hosting services offer, such as collaboration tools. Overall, Yandex Mail is a good choice for small businesses that need a reliable and affordable email hosting service.

5. PostMark

PostMark is one of the best email host services in the market today. It’s known for transactional emails because packages or plans don’t include bulk promotional emails.

PostMark is a no-fuss email service that provides metrics for performance, email monitoring, and email automation. Pricing starts at $10, making it an ideal solution for small and medium-sized businesses on a budget.

Users will get up to 10k emails for ten bucks. However, please note that the pricing will always differ depending on the number of emails you send. For example, the pricing could go as high as $1,200 for five million emails every month. Clients who don’t mind the budget can even secure a dedicated IP if they want.

Postmark also offers a free trial to try out their services before committing to anything. If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for your small business email needs, Postmark is worth considering.

6. Office 365

Office 365 is an excellent option for small businesses that need a reliable email hosting service. It offers plenty of storage space and features, which is straightforward to use. Office 365 is also very affordable, making it an excellent option for small businesses on a budget.

This email hosting service offers its users various features, such as PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, and even Excel.

Users will also get the 365 Business Premium, which includes a 50GB space for their individual hosting accounts. You can secure a custom domain name for your professional email address.

If you are looking for an email hosting service that can provide you with all the features and storage space you need, Office 365 is an excellent option.

7. MXRoute

MXroute provides users with many features, including unlimited domains and email addresses. For some consumers, the offer of limitless domains could be game-changing.

Having limitless domains instead of paying per domain with other hosting services is significantly preferable for business owners who manage many websites.

MXRoute is one of the best email hosting services for small businesses. They offer a variety of features that are perfect for small businesses, including:

• This email host service includes basic email protocols, as well as mail forwarding
• Users can choose between Rainloop, Afterlogic Pro, or Roundcube
• You can get between 10 and 50GB of storage
• Emails you’ll be sending won’t get flagged as this email host service uses reputable IP addresses
• You’ll have the freedom to have as many domains as you wish
• Users will also have as many email accounts as they wish

Their prices are also very reasonable, starting at just $45 per year. Overall, MXRoute is an excellent option for small businesses that need reliable and affordable email hosting.

8. DreamHost

DreamHost is one of the best email hosting services for small businesses on a budget. It’s been there for a while, and you can trust that it’ll take care of your business needs without any risks.

DreamHost plans start from as low as $1.67 per user every month, including a storage space of 25GB. The advantage of DreamHost is that it allows users also to host their websites (this plan is included in the higher packages.)

For example, the plan with website hosting starts at $17 every month and can host websites that receive as high as 100,000 monthly organic visitors every month. The $17/ month plan also includes unlimited emails and WordPress builder tools, which you can use.

Besides website and email hosting, DreamHost boasts other services such as marketing and design, cloud storage, and even domain registration. This makes DreamHost an excellent option for those small business owners who want to keep everything in one central place.

9. Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the leading email and web hosting companies globally. Its email hosting service has many features that any business owner wouldn’t give a second thought.

The entry-level plan begins at $2.95/ month, allowing users to add five free email addresses.

Besides adding up to five email addresses, BlueHost also offers users other features, such as a free domain name, SSL certificate, and a one-click WordPress installation.

Bluehost has excellent customer support that can guide you throughout the signup process and will hold your hand until you’ll get everything done. Their customer support operates 24/7, so rest assured you’ll get someone to attend to you when you need their help.

If you’re looking for an affordable and reliable email hosting provider, Bluehost is a great option. You can try it out for 30 days and cancel your subscription if you feel it’s not the perfect email and web host. They’ll refund your money when you cancel your subscription before the 30 days.

10. Mailgun

Mailgun is one of the best email hosting services for small businesses. This email hosting service offers a variety of features that make it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. Mailgun offers a free plan for businesses with a guarantee to send up to 5,000.

You can send, evaluate, and receive emails through your domain at scale using Mailgun’s API. It also allows you to monitor the performance of the emails you send through open, click, bounce, and delivery metrics.

This email host service includes an email validation service, providing the most accurate validations you will ever find.

You can also send emails through Mailgun easily using the Mailjet email builder. This builder will allow you to create personalized emails that appeal to your target audience. Furthermore, this hosting email service includes an email analytics feature that offers insight into the best times to send your emails.

11. Rackspace Email

This is another email hosting service that has been around since 1998. Rackspace Email is considered one of the email host service providers and has offered consistent services throughout its business.

One of the reasons small business owners love Rackspace Email is that it’s compatible with Microsoft Office. This email hosting provider includes paid plans for users who want more, including Microsoft Office support and file storage that can sync across many devices.

With Microsoft Office, you’ll get the following features:

• Access to Office apps, such as PowerPoint, Word, etc
• 25GB mailboxes, no matter what package you subscribe to
• Instant messaging
• File storage of 30GB
• Sharing of calendars
• Ability to archive emails

Sure, these are excellent features every business owner would love. However, most users won’t love the fact that Rackspace Email’s interface is a bit outdated. The color scheme doesn’t look appealing, and you’d feel as if you were operating in some 2000 applications.

How to Choose the Best Email Hosting Services: Factors to Consider

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the best email hosting services for small businesses. Here are some of the most important ones:

Reliability

Can you rely on the email hosting service to deliver your messages? This is especially important if you use email for critical business communications. Reliability of an email hosting service refers to its uptime or the amount of time the service is operational.

To determine reliability, look for reviews and testimonials from other users. Also, check out the company’s uptime guarantee and see how it compares to other providers.

Customer Support

What kind of customer support does the email hosting company offer? This can be important if you have questions or run into problems. What methods can you use to contact customer support (e.g., email, phone, live chat)? How knowledgeable and helpful are the customer support representatives?

The best customer support representatives are knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive. They should be able to answer your questions quickly and help you resolve any problems you might have.

Pricing

How much does the email hosting service cost? This is an essential consideration for any business, but especially small businesses. Small businesses’ best email hosting services offer various pricing options to fit different budgets.

Some email hosting services charge a monthly fee, while others charge a yearly fee. Some services also offer discounts for businesses that sign up for multiple years. Be sure to compare pricing options before selecting an email hosting service.

The best email hosting services for small businesses offer a variety of features at a variety of price points. Be sure to compare pricing and features before selecting an email hosting service.

Security

Security is a top priority for any business, and email is no exception. When it comes to choosing an email hosting service for your small business, you’ll want to make sure that security is a top priority for them as well.

How do you determine the security of an email hosting service? Here are a few things to look for:

• Encryption: This is a process of encoding messages or information so that only authorized people can read it.
• Two-factor authentication: This is an extra layer of security that requires users to confirm their identity with a second factor, such as a code sent to their phone and their password.
• Secure sign-in: This process ensures that only authorized users can access your account, usually with a unique login ID and password.
• Data backup: This is a process of copying and archiving your data so that it can be restored in the event of a system crash or data loss.

Do your research and choose an email hosting service that takes security seriously. Your business depends on it.

Ease of Use

One of the best things about email hosting services is that they are generally straightforward. This is especially true for small businesses that might not have a lot of IT resources. Most email hosting services come with easy-to-use interfaces, and many of them even offer 24/7 customer support.

Check online reviews and see what previous users are saying about the user experience for different email hosting providers. Also, look at the provider’s website and see if they offer any tutorials or other resources that can help you get started.

Storage and Archiving

If you have a small business, you know that email is an essential part of communication. You need a reliable email hosting service that offers plenty of storage and archiving features.

Do your research and know precisely the amount of storage your next email hosting provider offers. Also, ask one of their customer support representatives about their archiving features.

Calendar Features

When choosing an email hosting service, it is crucial to consider the included features. One feature that can be very helpful for small businesses is a calendar.

A calendar can help you keep track of important events and deadlines. Some email hosting services even allow you to share your calendar with others. This can be a great way to keep everyone on the same page and organized.

Take the time to consider all of these factors before choosing an email hosting service for your small business. Doing so will help you find the best possible option for your needs.

Conclusion

Small businesses need reliable email hosting services to stay connected with customers and employees. The best email hosts offer a variety of features, including affordable pricing, robust security, and an easy-to-use interface.

When choosing an email host for your small business, consider your needs and budget. The 11 best email hosts for small businesses offer a variety of features and pricing options to meet the needs of any organization.

With some research, you can find that the perfect email hosting service providers we’ve outlined in this article are excellent choices for small businesses, so you can’t go wrong with any of them.