Hosted Email Providers: Buying Advice, Tips, and News
Our Top Picks
Microsoft 365 Business
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Microsoft 365 Business is the clear market leader for workplace-ready office suites, thanks to its broad availability, excellent update policies, and unbeatable apps for creating decks, documents, spreadsheets, and more.
Full Microsoft 365 Business ReviewPros
- Top-notch office productivity programs
- Includes a custom email address and many business-focused apps
- Smooth collaboration and generous storage allotments
- Regular feature and security updates
- Works on all major platforms
Cons
- Pricey add-ons
- Copilot AI can be intrusive
Pros
- Top-notch office productivity programs
- Includes a custom email address and many business-focused apps
- Smooth collaboration and generous storage allotments
- Regular feature and security updates
- Works on all major platforms
Cons
- Pricey add-ons
- Copilot AI can be intrusive
Proton Mail Professional
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Proton Mail Professional focuses on security. It's a little short on other features and you pay a bit more, but if your work prioritizes privacy it might be well worth it.
Full Proton Mail Professional ReviewPros
- Protected by Swiss privacy laws
- Zero-access encrypted architecture
- No personal information required
Cons
- No domain hosting
- No collaboration tools
- No calendar except for secure calendar
Pros
- Protected by Swiss privacy laws
- Zero-access encrypted architecture
- No personal information required
Cons
- No domain hosting
- No collaboration tools
- No calendar except for secure calendar
Google Workspace
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Google's excellent Workspace office suite is nearly as powerful and flexible as Microsoft 365 and provides a consistent experience across all browsers.
Full Google Workspace ReviewPros
- Elegant office tools
- Works the same on any browser
- Fine-tuned collaboration and revision-tracking features
- Corporate-friendly user management
Cons
- Less powerful than comparable desktop apps
- Offline editing requires advance planning
Pros
- Elegant office tools
- Works the same on any browser
- Fine-tuned collaboration and revision-tracking features
- Corporate-friendly user management
Cons
- Less powerful than comparable desktop apps
- Offline editing requires advance planning
Intermedia Hosted Exchange Email
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
If you're willing to decouple from Microsoft's primary ecosystem, Intermedia Exchange can handle your business's email with enhanced security that provides extra control over policy.
Full Intermedia Hosted Exchange Email ReviewPros
- Security features not found in Microsoft 365
- A single control panel for all services
- Can sign HIPAA BAA
- Painless setup and migration
Cons
- Missing a few bleeding-edge mail features of Microsoft 365
- Outside of the Microsoft Cloud ecosystem
Pros
- Security features not found in Microsoft 365
- A single control panel for all services
- Can sign HIPAA BAA
- Painless setup and migration
Cons
- Missing a few bleeding-edge mail features of Microsoft 365
- Outside of the Microsoft Cloud ecosystem
Zoho Mail
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Zoho Mail is feature-rich with close integration to the rest of Zoho's business applications. It's marred by a sometimes confusing interface, but it's a solid product for the price.
Full Zoho Mail ReviewPros
- Generous storage for the price
- Full suite of collaboration tools
- Robust security controls
Cons
- Microsoft compatibility sometimes erratic
- Application navigation can be confusing
Pros
- Generous storage for the price
- Full suite of collaboration tools
- Robust security controls
Cons
- Microsoft compatibility sometimes erratic
- Application navigation can be confusing
Amazon WorkMail
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Amazon WorkMail has a nice a-la-carte approach, but it fails to deliver a polished experience and surprisingly lacks some of the enterprise features that administrators expect.
Full Amazon WorkMail ReviewPros
- Easy to administer
- Pay for what you want
- Compatible with Microsoft Exchange
Cons
- Lacks bundled collaboration tools
- No encrypted email option
Pros
- Easy to administer
- Pay for what you want
- Compatible with Microsoft Exchange
Cons
- Lacks bundled collaboration tools
- No encrypted email option
IceWarp Cloud
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
IceWarp Cloud is a decent product suite at an affordable price. But its all-or-nothing approach means it might not be for you if all you want is hosted email.
Full IceWarp Cloud ReviewPros
- A full office suite
- HIPPA compliance
- Two-factor authentication
- Well-known products used for back-end security
Cons
- Mutually exclusive with other products
- Lacks strong third-party support
Pros
- A full office suite
- HIPPA compliance
- Two-factor authentication
- Well-known products used for back-end security
Cons
- Mutually exclusive with other products
- Lacks strong third-party support
Fastmail
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Fastmail will appeal to serial entrepreneurs that don't have many mailboxes but need a lot of addresses across multiple domains. You can also get a real person if you contact support.
Full Fastmail ReviewPros
- Easy to administer
- Supports up to 600 aliases and 100 domains (Standard tier)
- Multiple labels per email
Cons
- Lacks document collaboration tools
- No HIPPA BAA support
- Limits outbound email
Pros
- Easy to administer
- Supports up to 600 aliases and 100 domains (Standard tier)
- Multiple labels per email
Cons
- Lacks document collaboration tools
- No HIPPA BAA support
- Limits outbound email
GoDaddy Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
For existing GoDaddy customers who need the horsepower offered by Microsoft 365, this solution is a perfect fit. But if your domain lives elsewhere, you might consider going straight to Microsoft.
Full GoDaddy Microsoft 365 Business Premium ReviewPros
- Full Microsoft 365 Business Premium feature set
- Competitive pricing for the first year
- Adds easy-to-use setup wizard
- Other basic email accounts available
Cons
- Best experience comes from being a GoDaddy customer already
- Like Microsoft 365, it’s pricey compared with other options
Pros
- Full Microsoft 365 Business Premium feature set
- Competitive pricing for the first year
- Adds easy-to-use setup wizard
- Other basic email accounts available
Cons
- Best experience comes from being a GoDaddy customer already
- Like Microsoft 365, it’s pricey compared with other options
Rackspace Email Plus
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Rackspace Email Plus tries to be a lower-cost option for users who don't need everything that comes with Microsoft 365, but it doesn't quite get there.
Full Rackspace Email Plus ReviewPros
- An inexpensive option for simple email accounts
- Basic document editing and collaboration
Cons
- Similarly priced products offer greater value
- No API for DIY integrations
Pros
- An inexpensive option for simple email accounts
- Basic document editing and collaboration
Cons
- Similarly priced products offer greater value
- No API for DIY integrations
Latest Hosted Email Provider Stories
Outlook Lite will stop working on May 25, following its October delisting from the Android store.
Gmail users can now send an encrypted message to any recipient, even if they use an email service other than Gmail. However, it’s only available to Workspace users with an Enterprise Plus subscription and the Assured Controls or Assured Controls Plus add-on, where admins have enabled the tool.
Commander Reid Wiseman had two Microsoft Outlook accounts on his personal computer, and neither were working. Houston Mission Control stepped in to fix the issue remotely.
Your old and new Gmail addresses can now live side by side in your inbox, but there are a few technical things to consider before you move to a more modern username.
Gmailify lets you access features like Google spam protection on a third-party account, whether it's Hotmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or another provider.
Google updates its English-language support page with details on how to change your Gmail address without losing all your messages, photos, and other docs.
For now, Microsoft can only recommend using a complicated workaround as it preps a fix.
If you value your online privacy and want to make sure that your email is safe and secure, you can now snag a 12-month subscription to Proton Mail Plus for under $2 a month.
A Google spokesperson says claims about Gemini automatically accessing users’ Gmail data to train its AI model are false, following rumors circulating on social media.
If Proton decides to go through with the move, hundreds of thousands of common email addresses would be up for grabs again for the first time in almost a decade.
Google is citing security for the move, which takes effect on Jan. 1. However, Gmail will still support third-party email accounts via the IMAP standard.
Two Proton users were suspended after publishing an investigation into cybersecurity risks within the South Korean government. Proton says it suspended hactivists, not journalists.
A year ago, Microsoft celebrated 10 million Outlook Lite downloads. Effective Oct. 6, however, Redmond says it's being retired 'so we can focus our investments' on the main Outlook app.
Google denies recent reports that it urged billions of Gmail users to change their passwords.
A letter from Andrew Ferguson to Google CEO Sundar Pichai warns of ‘an FTC investigation and potential enforcement action.’
When your organization sets up an email account in Microsoft 365, you're automatically given an onmicrosoft.com domain. But spammers are abusing the system, so Redmond is cracking down.
AI summary cards generated by Google Gemini are now automatically appearing in some emails. The feature is currently limited to the mobile app for Workspace accounts.
Although the encryption is for business customers, regular consumers on both Gmail and non-Gmail accounts can receive the encrypted emails.
The disruption, which has been resolved at the time of writing, was mainly contained to the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles areas.
Elwood Edwards reportedly only got $200 for the gig, which eventually led to a small voice cameo on The Simpsons and an appearance on The Tonight Show.
