In today’s blog post I’m going to go over five of the best email service providers. In a previous article, I talked about setting up a professional, business email using Yahoo, and I will mention their services in this blog post as well, along with four other email options.

Several factors go into deciding whether or not you should use a particular service provider.

• Price

• Plan features

• The company offering the service

Prices are often very similar between the different companies that offer business email services, so the other two factors will play a bigger role in your final decision. You’ll have to choose a plan that offers enough email boxes for everyone in your company who needs one. Maybe your company only needs five email boxes, or maybe you’ll end up needing thirty-five. 

You may also want to use an email service provider that you’re already familiar with. If you’ve always used an @gmail.com email it’ll be easier for you to have a Google business email account instead of using one from Yahoo or Microsoft.

I’ve also noticed that some people just really like one service provider over another. Some people despise Google and love iCloud, while others will only work with AOL.

With all that being said, let's take a look at five of the best email service providers for businesses.

ProtonMail

ProtonMail is known for its security. They promise higher security and better encryption, and they require minimal personal information on your end. The downside is that ProtonMail is more expensive than most of its competitors. It includes the following features...

• End-to-end encryption

• Accessible on any device

• Includes organization tools

• High security

• Dedicated to protecting civil liberties online

• Includes app, but only for iPhones

ProtonMail plans start at 6.25/month per user.

Gmail

Gmail is undoubtedly one of the most popular email service providers out there. When it comes to any of Google’s services you usually have two positions: 

“Google is untrustworthy and I don’t want anything to do with them.”

Or

“Google is so easy to use and has lots of features.”

If you fall into the first camp, any of the other email service providers I’ve listed here will work just fine for you and your business. Since the professional version of Gmail comes as part of Google Workspace, you’ll also get several other professional services from Google thrown in as a package deal. The downside to that is that it’s more expensive.

Professional Gmail includes the following features...

• Reminders to follow up on messages you’ve sent out

• Integrates with other Google services

• Good spam filter

• Ability to personalize your emails to an extent

• Includes a mobile app

• Comes as part of Google Workspace plans

• Unlimited storage if you purchase a higher-level plan

Google Workspace plans start at $6/month per user.

Outlook

Outlook is yet another popular email service provider that has many tools to offer your business. If you already use services or products from Microsoft, then Outlook is going to be a natural fit for you. It’s also a good choice for any large companies that need a simple way to manage the emails for all of their staff. Here are a few of the features you’ll end up getting with Outlook from Microsoft Office 365…

• Good security

• Works well with other Microsoft services

• Organization tools

• Scheduling tools

• Comes as part of Microsoft 365 Business plans

• Team management tools

• Skype

• You can access your emails offline

You’ll have to get Microsoft Office to have a professional Outlook email. Their plans start at $5/month per user.

Yahoo! Mail

Yahoo! is an American-based company with an easy sign-up process and very reasonable fees when it comes to professional email. If you’d like an in-depth look at how to set up a business email with Yahoo! Check out the EARLIER BLOG POST I wrote on the subject.

Yahoo! Business email includes…

• Themes for customizing your new inbox

• A search tool that makes it easy to find emails from specific times or contacts

• Includes a mobile app

• Some customization as far as emails and inbox layout is concerned

• Up to 30 aliases per email address

Yahoo!’s cheapest plan is 1.19/month per user.

Zoho Mail

Zoho gives Gmail a run for its money as far as pricing goes. Zoho also has a Workspace subscription that you can pay for, so it’s a great option for anyone looking for an alternative to Google. You can sign up for their free trial to see if Zoho has what your company is looking for, which is a nice bonus. Some of the features you’ll get with Zoho Mail are...

• No adds

• Secure

• You can make customizations using the control panel

• Works well with Zoho’s CRM

• Includes an app

• Organizational tools

• Collaboration tools

• Is automatically included when paying for Zoho’s Workplace

Zoho Mail plans start at $1/month per user.

Now that you have a little more information on some of these companies, I hope you’ll have an easier time deciding which one of them works best for you. As always, if you need some extra help go ahead and contact me, I’d love to work with you.