Hosting · 8 alternatives to Google Workspace
8 Google Workspace alternatives (2026): cheaper business email on your own domain
Zoho Mail, Microsoft 365, Proton, Fastmail, Hostinger, Neo, Purelymail and Migadu compared on price per user, storage, renewals and what each cheap plan leaves out.
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Google Workspace is the default for business email: Gmail on your own domain, plus Drive, Meet and Docs. Business Starter costs $7 a user a month on a yearly plan, or $8.40 on the flexible monthly plan, with 30 GB of storage per person.
For a small team that mostly needs email, that adds up quickly, and the yearly plan only lets you remove users at renewal. Plenty of good services do email on your domain for less, some for a dollar a month, some with far more storage, one with encryption built in.
So we compared eight alternatives on what each person costs, how much storage you get, what renews higher than it starts, and what the cheapest plan leaves out. Every price comes from each service’s own pricing page or help centre, checked on October 17, 2026.
At a glance
| # | Tool | Paid from | Free | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoho Mail / Zoho WorkplaceOur pick | $1/user/month billed yearly (Mail Lite, 5 GB); Workplace Standard $3 yearly, $4 monthly | Forever Free plan: 1 domain, up to 5 users, 5 GB each (no IMAP/POP) | Small teams that want the lowest price per person |
| 2 | Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $7/user/month paid yearly; $8.40 monthly | One-month free trial (card required) | Teams that live in Word, Excel and Teams |
| 3 | Proton Mail Essentials | $6.99/user/month billed yearly; $7.99 monthly | 14-day business trial; Proton Free is personal only (no own domain) | Businesses that want private, encrypted email |
| 4 | Fastmail | $5/user/month billed yearly (Standard, with your own domain) | Free trial for up to 30 days; no free plan | Fast, ad-free email with lots of storage |
| 5 | Hostinger Business Email | $0.39/mailbox/month on a 48-month term, renews at $1.59 | 2 mailboxes per site free for a year with Premium web hosting | Sites already on Hostinger that need a few mailboxes |
| 6 | Neo | $2.49/mailbox/month ($1.99 for the first year on yearly billing) | 15-day free trial; no free plan | Sole traders who don't have a domain yet |
| 7 | Purelymail | $10/year for the whole account | Trial with a small amount of credit | Technical users who want many addresses for almost nothing |
| 8 | Migadu | $19/year (Micro); Mini $9/month or $90/year | Free trial, no card; no free plan | Many mailboxes and domains for one flat price |
Prices are the cheapest paid plan in US dollars as each tool shows it, checked Oct 17, 2026.
1 Zoho Mail / Zoho WorkplaceOur pick
- Paid from
- $1/user/month billed yearly (Mail Lite, 5 GB); Workplace Standard $3 yearly, $4 monthly
- Free
- Forever Free plan: 1 domain, up to 5 users, 5 GB each (no IMAP/POP)
- Best for
- Small teams that want the lowest price per person
Zoho Mail is a full business email service at a fraction of Google's price: Mail Lite is $1 per user a month on yearly billing, with calendar, migration help and apps for every device.
If you're leaving Google Workspace for the whole suite, not just Gmail, Zoho Workplace Standard adds an office suite, 100 GB of shared files, chat and meetings for $3 a user. There's even a free plan for up to five people, though it can't connect to desktop mail apps.
What's good
- Mail Lite includes email on your domain, 5 GB per user, calendar and migration help
- Workplace Standard adds 30 GB mail per user, 100 GB shared files, an office suite, chat and meetings
- You can mix mail-only and Workplace plans in one company
Watch out for
- Mail Lite and Mail Premium are yearly only
- The free plan has no IMAP/POP/ActiveSync and is available only in some regions; taxes are added
Checked Oct 17, 2026 on zoho.com
2 Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Paid from
- $7/user/month paid yearly; $8.40 monthly
- Free
- One-month free trial (card required)
- Best for
- Teams that live in Word, Excel and Teams
Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the like-for-like rival: the same $7 a user a month as Google on yearly billing, with Outlook email on your domain, Teams, and the web and mobile Office apps.
Storage is the standout, at 1 TB per user against 30 GB on Google's Business Starter. Note that Basic doesn't include the desktop Office apps; those need Business Standard.
What's good
- Email on your domain and 1 TB of cloud storage per user
- Web and mobile Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, plus Teams
- Bookings, Planner and Forms included, for up to 300 users
Watch out for
- No desktop Office apps; those need Business Standard ($14/user/month yearly)
- The trial needs a card and turns into a paid plan automatically
Checked Oct 17, 2026 on microsoft.com
3 Proton Mail Essentials
- Paid from
- $6.99/user/month billed yearly; $7.99 monthly
- Free
- 14-day business trial; Proton Free is personal only (no own domain)
- Best for
- Businesses that want private, encrypted email
Proton is the privacy pick: encrypted business email and calendar from a company that says it can't read your data. Mail Essentials is $6.99 a user a month on yearly billing, with 15 GB each and up to three of your own domains.
It isn't a privacy-only tool, either: it works with Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail, and includes Drive sharing and a document editor.
What's good
- 15 GB per user, 3 custom domains and 10 addresses per user
- Works with Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail, with catch-all and auto-forwarding
- Calendar, scheduling, Drive sharing and a document and spreadsheet editor
Watch out for
- Email groups and Proton Sentinel need Workspace Standard ($12.99/user/month yearly)
- Taxes may be added to the listed price
Checked Oct 17, 2026 on proton.me
4 Fastmail
- Paid from
- $5/user/month billed yearly (Standard, with your own domain)
- Free
- Free trial for up to 30 days; no free plan
- Best for
- Fast, ad-free email with lots of storage
Fastmail is an independent, ad-free email service with a reputation for speed. For business email on your own domain you need Standard at $5 a user a month on yearly billing, which includes 60 GB per person.
Shared addresses (like support@), shared calendars and a choice of EU or US data storage make it a good fit for small teams that just want email to work.
What's good
- Standard: 60 GB per user and addresses on your own domain
- Shared addresses, shared calendars and a company address book
- Choose EU or US data storage; no ads or tracking
Watch out for
- The $3 Basic plan can't use your own domain
- No refunds for unused time; prices exclude tax; monthly billing costs more
Checked Oct 17, 2026 on fastmail.com
5 Hostinger Business Email
- Paid from
- $0.39/mailbox/month on a 48-month term, renews at $1.59
- Free
- 2 mailboxes per site free for a year with Premium web hosting
- Best for
- Sites already on Hostinger that need a few mailboxes
If your website is on Hostinger, email may already be included: Premium web hosting comes with two mailboxes per site free for the first year. Standalone, the Starter mailbox is $0.39 a month on a four-year term.
It's basic email (5 GB, aliases and forwarding) rather than a suite, and the low prices need long terms and renew higher, so compare the renewal price, not the first one.
What's good
- Starter: 1 mailbox, 5 GB, 5 forwarding rules and 5 aliases
- Works with or without Hostinger hosting, and with Outlook, Gmail and other apps
- Unlimited hosting includes unlimited mailboxes free for a year
Watch out for
- Promo prices need a 48-month term and renew higher (Starter $1.59 per mailbox a month)
- Mailboxes bundled with hosting are free for the first year only
Checked Oct 17, 2026 on hostinger.com, hostinger.com
6 Neo
- Paid from
- $2.49/mailbox/month ($1.99 for the first year on yearly billing)
- Free
- 15-day free trial; no free plan
- Best for
- Sole traders who don't have a domain yet
Neo is business email for small businesses, and it comes with something the others don't: a free co.site domain and a one-page website while you subscribe. For a solo business without a domain yet, that's a quick start.
The headline prices are first-term discounts. The base price is $2.49 per mailbox a month, and every mailbox on a domain has to be on the same plan.
What's good
- 15 GB per mailbox, with webmail, apps and IMAP/POP access
- A free co.site domain and one-page website while you subscribe
- Monthly, yearly and multi-year billing
Watch out for
- Discounts apply to the first term only; the base price is $2.49 per mailbox a month
- All mailboxes on one domain must use the same plan; cards only
7 Purelymail
- Paid from
- $10/year for the whole account
- Free
- Trial with a small amount of credit
- Best for
- Technical users who want many addresses for almost nothing
Purelymail is the budget option: $10 a year for an account, with no hard limits on users, domains or storage. You use it with any mail app over IMAP, POP3 and SMTP, or its webmail.
It's no-frills on purpose. There's no 24/7 support, the interface can be tricky, and heavy use can move you to usage-based pricing. For a hobby project or a handful of addresses, though, it's hard to beat.
What's good
- No hard limits on users, domains or storage on the $10/year plan
- IMAP, POP3 and SMTP with any mail app, or webmail
- Routing rules and filters
Watch out for
- Heavy use may need usage-based pricing
- No 24/7 support, and mailing lists are not allowed
Checked Oct 17, 2026 on purelymail.com
8 Migadu
- Paid from
- $19/year (Micro); Mini $9/month or $90/year
- Free
- Free trial, no card; no free plan
- Best for
- Many mailboxes and domains for one flat price
Migadu prices by account, not by mailbox, so you can have as many mailboxes, addresses and domains as you like for one flat price, from $19 a year.
The limit is sending: the Micro plan allows 20 outgoing emails a day, so it suits personal or low-volume business mail. Mini raises that to 100 a day.
What's good
- Unlimited mailboxes and addresses for one flat price
- Mail is never bounced because you're out of storage
- Full refund within 14 days
Watch out for
- Micro sends only 20 emails a day; more is rejected
- Micro lacks some admin features; support is by email only
Checked Oct 17, 2026 on migadu.com
Our pick
Zoho Mail / Zoho Workplace
For most small teams, Zoho is the best value: Mail Lite gives each person email on your domain for $1 a month (billed yearly), and if you also want an office suite, file storage and meetings, Zoho Workplace Standard is $3, still well under Google's $7.
If you want to keep Word, Excel and Teams, Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs the same as Google ($7 a month billed yearly) with 1 TB per user. If privacy comes first, choose Proton.
Questions
What's the cheapest Google Workspace alternative?
Per person, Zoho Mail Lite at $1 a user a month (billed yearly). For many addresses, Purelymail is $10 a year and Migadu $19 a year for a whole account. Zoho also has a free plan for up to five users.
Is there a free alternative to Google Workspace with my own domain?
Zoho Mail's Forever Free plan gives up to five users email on one domain, without desktop app access. Hostinger includes mailboxes free for a year with its web hosting.
Which alternative is closest to Google Workspace?
Microsoft 365 Business Basic: the same $7 a user a month on yearly billing, with email, Teams, web Office apps and far more storage (1 TB per user). Zoho Workplace is the cheaper full-suite option.
How we compare: we read each tool's own pricing and documentation and note the date. We haven't run these tools hands-on for this article, so we don't score them. See our editorial policy.
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