Cheapest ways to get domain email
Cheapest ways to get domain email
Zoho Mail free plan – Hosts one domain for free for up to 5 users, webmail-only, 5 GB per user; ideal for a solo or tiny team wanting a true domain inbox with no extra frills. You can later upgrade to their low-cost paid tiers with IMAP/ActiveSync and more storage.
iCloud+ custom domain – Any paid iCloud+ plan (from about 0.99/month in the US) lets you attach up to five custom domains to iCloud Mail and share them with a family group. This is attractive if you already pay for iCloud storage and like Apple’s privacy posture and long-term stability.
MXroute (especially Black Friday) – Budget host oriented around lots of domains/accounts for one low price; typical promos are around 10–15 USD for three years (e.g., 10 GB, unlimited domains/accounts). They also run “lifetime” deals (for example, about 75 USD one-time for 5 GB with unlimited domains/accounts), which is compelling if you are comfortable with a smaller provider’s risk profile.
Registrar forwarding – Many registrars let you define multiple forwarding aliases (e.g., info@yourdomain → yourbusiness@gmail.com) for free; you can then configure Gmail to “send as” that address, so recipients see the domain email even though you live in Gmail. This is often the absolute lowest-friction option if your registrar offers it reliably.
Hosting bundles – Low-cost shared hosting plans often bundle mailbox hosting; you can ignore the web hosting and just use the email, but be prepared for weaker spam filtering and support than Gmail/Apple/Zoho. Always test deliverability to Gmail/Outlook before committing business-critical email to a cheap host.
Disroot – Donation-based, privacy-focused non-profit; if you donate roughly a one-time amount in the tens of dollars, they allow a personal domain with one inbox and several aliases (exact terms can change, so always verify current policy). This suits someone who wants one stable, simple, privacy‑respecting account rather than lots of users.
Other indie hosts (Migadu, Postale.io, Purelymail, NameCrane, OnePoundEmail.co.uk etc.) – These tend to offer very flexible “pay for storage, not per mailbox” pricing, often much cheaper than Google Workspace for multiple addresses on one domain. They trade off big‑tech polish and ecosystem features for simplicity and cost.
Gmail’s free account remains extremely strong: storage, spam filtering, and deliverability are world‑class and arguably better than many paid commodity hosts. The main downside is platform risk (suspension) and privacy posture compared with something like iCloud+ or a smaller privacy‑first provider.
If ranking “barebones, cheapest sane path” for a new solo business that wants flexibility later, a reasonable, evidence‑aligned order is:
Start with vanilla Gmail and optionally add domain-level forwarding so your address looks branded while you keep Gmail’s robustness.
If you already pay for Apple storage or want more privacy and family sharing, iCloud+ custom domains is an excellent value add.
For a pure budget business host with real custom-domain mailboxes, Zoho Mail free plan or a low-tier indie like MXroute is often the best price-to-capability sweet spot.
Using plain Gmail with a good display name (e.g., “Alice – Acme Consulting alice@gmail.com”) is often totally fine, especially early on. Many customers care far more about responsiveness, clarity, and trust signals (website, reviews, invoices) than whether your address ends in @gmail.com.
The real reasons to bother with a domain address are usually:
Portability if Google ever suspends your account.
Privacy concerns about Google’s data mining.
Brand consistency once you grow and hire.