If you’re just starting out, or finally making the leap to get a professional business email, it can be extremely confusing to know where to go.
Is it free? Should you expect to pay? How do I set it up? What’s the easiest route?
Setting up an email shouldn’t be difficult, and managing it on an ongoing basis shouldn’t either.
First off, though, congrats on finally making that decision that you need a professional email address. There’s nothing more unprofessional than having “surfergirl85” as your business email, and expecting customers to take you seriously.
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With email being such a crucial part of literally any business’ day-to-day, you should not be looking to cut corners. It’s the part of your business that just needs to work with ease, as it could be the difference in sales lost (or made).
Below, I’ll tell you the top 3 options I recommend to everyone, with an additional bonus choice for those who might be a little more advanced in technical knowledge.
Choosing the email platform for your business
Do you really want to spend time configuring email that is just beyond your expertise? Or use a brand new platform that you really don’t have the time to learn?
While reading through these few options I’m about to tell you, think about what you already know and are familiar with using, in addition to your technical knowledge in handling any email issues.
One major tip to consider: if you forgo to take up any of the options below, just be sure to not host your email at the same place you have your website hosting. It is too large of a risk to take if your host goes down, then you lose not just your website, but your email won’t work either. Talk about a headache.
Alright, let’s dive in!
Google Workspace
Option one on my list is Google Workspace. This is the professional email address solution by Google, and comes with all the tools you might already be familiar with like Google Docs, Sheets, Drive, and more.
So why is Google Workspace the best choice? It’s reliable, so you know your email will pretty much ALWAYS work. Plus, if you already have a gmail account, it uses the same exact interface — so there is nothing new to learn here. It acts and functions exactly the same, except you’ll have your fancy business email address instead.
Google Workspace does come at a small fee of $6/month + tax per user. This is a very small fee to consider for what you receive, with knowing that you will have zero headache using it and relying on excellent deliverability.
This is the email host of choice for AWD, and has been for several years. It just works.
Microsoft 365
Alright, now I can’t personally speak for this one, but if you are a big Microsoft user, then Microsoft 365 is as equal of a good option as Google Workspace.
Microsoft 365 business email uses the same interface and structure as Outlook, so if you are a current or past user with Microsoft Outlook email, then you will feel right at home with 365.
Just like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 also comes with their suite of tools like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive, and more. This can be handy again if you are in need of this software, as it comes as a bundled price with your email.
Microsoft 365 is also $6/month + tax per user, and comes with a whopping 1TB of storage with OneDrive (impressive!).
Zoho Mail
Last but not least on our list is Zoho Mail. You may not have heard of this option, however I can tell you it’s a very popular choice for many.
Contrary to the first two on our list, Zoho is not quite the “giant” company we are used to, but it’s credible, reliable and a great option for those wanting to jump into business email without a bigger cost.
Zoho Mail has a starter plan at just $1/month per user, making it a no-brainer choice for getting started on a budget. There are limits (like 5GB total in email storage) that might hinder you down the road, but they also offer a $4/month per user plan that ups to 50GB in storage — which is still a small discount compared to Workspace and 365.
One small caveat is Zoho is billed on an annual basis, whereas Workspace and 365 are month-to-month (with options for annual).
Zoho does make their version of tools like Word, PowerPoint, Sheets, etc., however if it’s brand new to you, it might be a bit of a learning curve. These tools only come with a ‘Workplace’ plan, separate from the ones mentioned above.
Bonus: Rackspace
As a bonus mention on this list of business email platforms, Rackspace should only be considered for those who might have a little more knowledge in email.
It is not a full online suite of tools, Rackspace only comes with email — period.
It’s often seen that businesses in the technology and software industries prefer a solution like Rackspace, as they offer a 100% uptime guarantee for their more “managed” email hosting solution.
Their plans start at $2.99/month per user, and go up to $6.99/month per user with some added benefits.
Deciding on an email host for you
Now that I’ve gone through my top recommendations for choosing a business email platform, you should have a good idea on which will suit you best.
If you’re used to Gmail and using Docs, Sheets, and Calendar, then I’d say Google Workspace is a great choice.
However, if you like Outlook and prefer Microsoft products, then definitely consider 365.
If you’re on a budget, or have more technical expertise, then consider Zoho or Rackspace.
Either way you go, these options are the best on the market today and will help keep your email reliable and let you focus on running your business.
