How much does a business email address cost?

So, what should you expect to pay for a business email address?

How much does a business email cost?

For a professional email address using your own domain, prices typically range from a few pounds per month to £10 or more per user per month, depending on the provider and features you need.

There are three main options:

These prices are only a guide because providers structure their business email pricing differently. Some charge per mailbox, some charge for a complete suite of applications, and others bundle the domain and email together.

The domain itself can also affect the total cost.

If you're considering buying a domain specifically for email, it's worth understanding exactly what you're paying for and how a business email domain works. See this guide to why you might want to buy an email domain.

What does a business email address cost with your own domain?

A professional business email address will usually use your own domain, such as:

hello@yourbusiness.com

rather than an address such as:

yourbusiness@gmail.com

If you buy your domain separately, you'll generally have two costs to consider:

• The domain registration and renewal
• The email hosting

For example, you might pay an annual fee for your domain and then another monthly or annual fee for email hosting.

There's also the time involved in setting everything up. Depending on your provider, you may need to configure DNS records, MX records and email authentication such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

For someone who simply wants a professional email address that works, all of this can make the real business email cost higher than the advertised email subscription.

Why do business email prices vary so much?

The biggest reason is that you're not always comparing like with like.

Some services are essentially email hosting, while others are complete business software platforms.

For example, a business email package might give you:

• A custom email address
• A mailbox with a set amount of storage
• Webmail access
• Spam and virus protection
• Mobile and desktop email access
• Support

A productivity suite might include all of that, plus applications for documents, spreadsheets, video meetings, cloud storage, calendars and team collaboration.

If you're comparing a simpler email service with Google Workspace, this guide to finding a Google business email alternative explains why some businesses prefer a more focused email service. If you only need professional email, paying for a large collection of applications you don't use may not represent good value.

This is why it's worth asking what you actually need from your business email rather than simply choosing the provider with the most features.

Is free email really free for business?

Technically, yes. You can create a free Gmail or Outlook address and use it for business communication.

But there's an important difference between free email and a professional business email address.

An address such as yourbusiness@gmail.com can make it immediately obvious that you're using a consumer email service. A custom address such as hello@yourbusiness.com puts your own brand at the centre of every email you send.

That can make a difference when you're contacting potential customers, suppliers or business partners.

There's also the issue of ownership. With a custom domain, your email address is associated with your own brand rather than being tied to a free provider's domain.

If you're wondering whether you can get professional email without buying a domain, it's worth reading this guide to getting a free business email without buying a domain for a closer look at the options.

What should you look for when comparing business email pricing?

The cheapest advertised price isn't necessarily the cheapest overall option.

Before signing up, check these five things.

1. Is the domain included?

If you don't already own a domain, find out whether you'll need to purchase one separately.

A low monthly email price can look less attractive once domain registration and annual renewal are added.

2. Is the price per address or per user?

This is particularly important if you have more than one person in your business.

A package charging £5 per user per month could cost £50 per month for ten users. A provider offering a package with multiple email addresses included could work out considerably cheaper.

3. What happens after the introductory period?

Some providers offer a discounted first year before increasing the price.

Always check the standard renewal price, not just the promotional price you see when signing up.

4. How much storage do you get?

Storage requirements vary enormously. Someone who mainly sends short messages may need very little, while a business sending and receiving large attachments could need considerably more.

5. Do you get real support?

When email stops working, being able to get help can be worth far more than saving a few pounds a year.

Check whether support is provided by a real person and whether help is available when you actually need it.

How much should a small business pay for email?

A basic professional email package can often provide all of the features a small business needs, including a custom email address, mailbox storage, spam protection and access from your all your devices.

For example, Absolute-Email's email packages start from £1.45 per month and include a custom email address, email hosting and a domain. Packages are also available for multiple addresses if you need separate email accounts for different people or departments.

That means a small business could use professional addresses such as:

• hello@yourbusiness.uk
• sales@yourbusiness.uk
• accounts@yourbusiness.uk
• john@yourbusiness.uk

And you don't need a website to set up professional email. See this guide to getting a business email without a website if you're just getting started.

If you need email alongside documents, cloud storage, video meetings and other collaboration tools, a productivity suite may be worth the additional cost. But if email is all you need, a dedicated email hosting service can be a much more economical choice.

Is a professional business email worth paying for?

If you're serious about your business, a professional email address is one of those relatively small expenses that can have a disproportionate effect on how your business looks.

Your email address appears on your website, invoices, quotations, business cards, social media profiles and every message you send to customers.

Compare:

yourcompany@gmail.com

with:

hello@yourcompany.com

The second immediately reinforces your business name and looks more established.

Choosing the right address matters too. If you're not sure what to use, see this guide to creating a professional email address that stands out.

And the cost doesn't have to be significant. If you can get a professional email address for only a few pounds a month, it's a relatively inexpensive way to give your business a more credible online presence.

So, what is the real business email cost?

For most small businesses, the answer is somewhere from around £1.50 to £5 per month for straightforward professional email, although prices vary depending on storage, the number of addresses, whether a domain is included and the features provided.

You can spend considerably more on business email if you need a complete productivity and collaboration platform, but you don't necessarily need to.

The best option is the one that gives you the email features you actually need without paying for services you won't use.