{"id":33237,"date":"2021-08-20T12:41:29","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T18:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/?p=33237"},"modified":"2026-01-28T15:22:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:22:53","slug":"email-hosting-services-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/email-hosting-services-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the Top Options for Email Hosting Service for Small Businesses?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The first thing a business needs when going digital is an official email. In addition to it being the professional identity, email remains one of the most effective marketing tools for any business. Banks, paid advertising platforms, and social-media user verification all require valid email addresses. However, agencies often serve as email hosting providers for small businesses. An email hosting service runs on the host\u2019s server, and a local business can get a service by simply signing on to it. All that is required is a domain name.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog we look at the types of email hosting service that exist in the market, and some of the top providers along with their pricing details that small businesses should consider while setting up their digital presence.<\/p>\n

Know More About Why Small Businesses Need a Well-Defined Ecommerce Strategy<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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What are the various types of email hosting service?<\/span><\/h2>\n

At the onset, a business owner needs to decide on how they want their email to be hosted. There are three options when it comes to email servers:<\/span><\/p>\n

Self-hosted email:<\/b> As the name suggests, the business self hosts the email server. Large businesses usually have in-house email servers,providing more control and customization options. However, for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) self-hosted email can be costly and troublesome since they have to specially recruit systems admins to maintain the servers. Additionally, there are security issues too which a small business may not be equipped to handle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shared web and email hosting:<\/b> Most web hosting providers also offer reliable email hosting plans. While this is a cost-effective option, it doesn\u2019t come with many choices or customizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Third-party email hosting:<\/b> A business can consider third-party hosting if it\u2019s looking for more features and tools than the standard web hosting service. Digital agencies or managed service providers<\/a> (MSP) also provide third-party email hosting service, which considerably cuts down the costs. Further, a hosted email subscription usually comes bundled with tools such as team chat option, shared contacts and calendars, built-in video conferencing etc., that small businesses find handy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What to look for in email hosting service?<\/span><\/h2>\n

As explained earlier, shared web and email hosting don\u2019t offer many choices, and one gets whatever features the web host is offering. When self hosting emails, a business can completely customize. There are many options to choose from, including tools to manage and customize it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The real decision-making comes when a business decides to opt for a third-party email hosting service. There are a ton of features and tools to choose from that come as part of the package and what’s important varies from business to business. However, here are some critical universally applicable features that businesses must consider while going for third-party email hosting:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  • 24\/7 support:<\/b> Check if the third-party host is providing round the clock customer support. Since small businesses don\u2019t usually have system admins, this is important.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Security:<\/b> Third-party hosts offer built-in features like spam-and virus-filtering, and this is crucial for running a business email.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Storage: <\/b>It\u2019s always advisable to check the storage space the third-party host is offering. Business email accounts need more storage \u2013 minimum 2GB storage per user \u2013 than a consumer email account\u00a0 since they need room for archiving old emails.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Attachment size: <\/b>Business emails often need to include attachments, such as JPG or large-size PDF files. So it\u2019s important to look for an option that allows at least a 25MB attachment size per email.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Best email hosting services for small businesses<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) email hosting<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Google Workspace<\/span><\/a> probably is the best email hosting option because of the standard Gmail simplicity along with other features it brings in. The Gmail Business Email comes with minimum 30GB storage space per user and everything is stored on the cloud. The best part is it lets a user integrate the personal Gmail calendar with Workspace mail without leaving the Gmail inbox. It also combines email hosting with Google\u2019s own communication and collaboration apps such as Meet for video and voice conferencing; Google Docs and Sheets (for writing and tabulating); Drive (secure cloud storage); Chat (team messaging).<\/span><\/p>\n

    Google Workspace email hosting pricing<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Business Starter:<\/b> Comes for $6 per user per month; and offers in addition to custom and secure business email offers 100 participant video meetings and 30GB cloud storage per user.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Business Standard: <\/b>$12 per user per month; and offers 150 participant video meetings plus recording, 2TB cloud storage per user and security and management controls.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Business Plus: <\/b>$18 per user per month; and offers 250 participant video meetings plus recording and attendance tracking; 5TB cloud storage per user; enhanced security and management controls including Vault and advanced endpoint management; standard support. And then there is the option for paid upgrade to enhanced support.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Suggested Read: What are the Roadblocks to Ecommerce Adoption by Small Businesses?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    Microsoft Office 365 email hosting<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Microsoft Office 365<\/span><\/a> is often the automatic choice for long-time avid Microsoft users. Office 365 service offers a bundle of necessary tools<\/a> for work and collaboration such as Outlook, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Exchange and One Drive. Then there are PC-only tools like Publisher, Access Teams and SharePoint 365.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Microsoft Office 365 email hosting pricing<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Business Basic:<\/b> Costs $5 per user per month (annual commitment). This is best for businesses that need easy remote solutions and offers with Microsoft Teams, secure cloud storage, and Office Online (desktop versions not included).<\/span><\/p>\n

    Business Standard:<\/b> Comes for $12.50 per user per month with an annual commitment. It is best for businesses that need full remote work and collaboration tools, including email hosting with 50GB mailbox, Microsoft Teams, secure cloud storage, and premium Office applications across devices.<\/span><\/p>\n

    365 Business Premium: <\/b>Costs $20 per user per month with an annual commitment. This premium subscription comes with all that is included in Business Standard, plus advanced cyberthreat protection and device management.<\/span><\/p>\n

    For all the plans, there is a one-month free trial period.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Want to know more about the ecommerce<\/a> opportunity? Watch Vendasta CEO Brendan King in this video<\/strong><\/p>\n