How to get a free business email address

A business email like [email protected] needs a domain. After that, you can have the inbox free, within limits. Here are the honest options, what each costs as of September 2026, and the DNS records to set up.

The short answer

You need a domain (paid, from a registrar). Then there are two free routes: Zoho Mail's Forever Free plan (up to 5 users, 5 GB each, no IMAP/POP, per Zoho's pricing page on September 28, 2026), or free forwarding from ImprovMX or Cloudflare Email Routing, which sends mail for you@yourdomain to an inbox you already have. Paid inboxes start around $7 per user a month (Google Workspace Business Starter on flexible billing, and Microsoft 365 Business Basic after its July 2026 price change).

We.Inc does not provide email inboxes. Connect your domain to your We.Inc site on a paid plan and set up email with any of the providers below; website and email use different DNS records and work side by side.

Business email providers and what they cost (September 2026)

	Price as of Sept 2026	What you get / limits	Best for
Zoho Mail Forever Free	$0	Up to 5 users, 5 GB per user, no IMAP/POP/ActiveSync (use Zoho's web and mobile apps)	Solo owners and tiny teams who want a real inbox free
Zoho Mail Lite / Premium	Price not readable on Zoho's page when checked; see zoho.com. Lite is annual billing only	Lite: 5 or 10 GB per user plus apps; Premium: 50 GB mail per user	Cheap paid inbox with IMAP
Google Workspace Business Starter	$7/user/mo; $6.30 intro for the first 12 months for new customers (up to 20 users)	Gmail on your domain, Drive, Meet; Standard $14, Plus $22	Teams already on Gmail and Docs
Microsoft 365 Business Basic	$7/user/mo from July 1, 2026 (was $6), per trade press; Microsoft's page did not load for us	Outlook, Exchange mailbox, Teams, web Office apps	Teams that live in Outlook and Office
Proton Mail Essentials (business)	Price loaded by script and not readable when checked; see proton.me	15 GB, 3 custom domains, encrypted mail; 14-day trial	Privacy-focused businesses
Titan	No price on titan.email when checked; often sold through hosts and registrars	Business mailbox bundled by partners	People buying a domain from a host that bundles it
ImprovMX forwarding	Free; paid from $50/year (Light) or $9/mo (Premium)	Free: 1 domain, 25 aliases, 500 forwards a day, receive only. Sending (SMTP) needs a paid plan	Receiving at your domain in your current inbox
Cloudflare Email Routing	Free on all Cloudflare plans	Receive-only forwarding; your domain's DNS must be on Cloudflare	Domains already using Cloudflare DNS

Checked September 28, 2026 on each provider's own page, except where noted. Prices are USD, exclude tax and can vary by region. Where a page loaded its prices by script and we could not read them, the cell says so: check the linked page.

Pros and cons

Zoho Mail Forever Free

Best for: A free inbox on your own domain

Price: $0 for up to 5 users (Sept 2026)

Pros: Real inbox on your domain; Calendar and to-do included

Cons: No IMAP/POP (use Zoho's apps); 5 GB per user; Zoho notes the free plan is limited by region/data center

Email forwarding (ImprovMX, Cloudflare, your registrar)

Best for: Just receiving mail at a professional address

Price: Free

Pros: No new inbox to check; Set up in minutes

Cons: Receive only: replying as you@yourdomain needs SMTP (ImprovMX paid) or a 'send as' setup; Forwarded mail can hit spam filters more often

Google Workspace

Best for: Teams who live in Gmail, Docs and Meet

Price: Starter $7, Standard $14, Plus $22 per user a month (Sept 2026)

Pros: Familiar Gmail; Docs, Drive and Meet included

Cons: No free plan, 14-day trial only

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

Best for: Outlook and Teams users

Price: $7 per user a month from July 2026 (reported)

Pros: Exchange mailbox, Teams; Works with desktop Outlook

Cons: Desktop Office apps need a higher plan

Can I get a business email without a domain?

Not a professional one. An address at gmail.com or outlook.com is free but shows the provider's name. A business address needs a domain you own, which typically costs a yearly fee from a registrar. Some paid website plans include a domain free for the first year.

What a business email really costs over a year

Worked example for a 3-person business, using the prices above. Zoho Mail Forever Free: $0 a year (plus your domain). Forwarding with ImprovMX free: $0, but you only receive. Google Workspace Business Starter at $7: 3 x $7 x 12 = $252 a year (new customers pay $6.30 for the first 12 months: 3 x $6.30 x 12 = $226.80). Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7: also $252 a year.

The free routes are real, but they trade features for price: no IMAP on Zoho's free plan, and no sending on free forwarding. Most businesses start free and move to a paid inbox once several people need shared calendars, larger storage or desktop mail apps.

DNS setup, step 1: verify the domain and add MX records

Every provider starts by asking you to prove you own the domain, usually with a TXT record it gives you. Then you point MX records (where mail is delivered) at the provider, at the DNS host for your domain (the registrar, or Cloudflare if you moved DNS there). Remove old MX records for any previous mail provider, or mail may split between the two.

Google Workspace: one MX record, host @, value smtp.google.com, priority 1 (older accounts may still use the aspmx records; Google says any account can use the new one).

Microsoft 365: one MX record, host @, value copied from the Microsoft 365 admin center (it is specific to your domain), priority 0, TTL 3600.

Zoho Mail (US data center): three MX records on host @: mx.zoho.com priority 10, mx2.zoho.com priority 20, mx3.zoho.com priority 50. Zoho says to use the values shown in your own admin console, since other regions use a different domain ending.

Forwarding: ImprovMX and Cloudflare Email Routing each give you their own MX records to add; Cloudflare adds them for you when your DNS is on Cloudflare.

DNS step 2: SPF, so your mail is not treated as spam

SPF is one TXT record on host @ that lists which servers may send mail for your domain. Google Workspace: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. Microsoft 365: v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all. Zoho Mail: v=spf1 include:zohomail.com -all.

You may have only one SPF record per domain. If you already have one (for a newsletter tool, for example), add the new include: part to it rather than creating a second record, which is what Microsoft's own instructions say.

DNS step 3: DKIM, which signs your mail

DKIM adds a signature to every message so receivers can check it really came from your domain. Each provider generates the key for you in its admin area: Microsoft 365 asks for two CNAME records on selector1._domainkey and selector2._domainkey; Google Workspace and Zoho give you a TXT record under a selector name ending in ._domainkey. Copy the host and value exactly, then press the provider's 'start authentication' or 'verify' button.

DNS step 4: DMARC, which tells receivers what to do with fakes

DMARC is a TXT record on the host _dmarc (so _dmarc.yourdomain.com). A common safe start is v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected], which only collects reports. Once SPF and DKIM pass for a few weeks, move to p=quarantine or p=reject. Google's help page shows a strict example: v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:[email protected], mailto:[email protected]; pct=100; adkim=s; aspf=s.

None of these records touch the records that point your website at its host, so setting up email does not take your site down.

Start from a template

Sources

Zoho Mail: Pricing (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Google Workspace: Pricing (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Redmond Channel Partner: Microsoft 365 price increases, July 2026 (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Proton for Business: Mail pricing (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Titan Email (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
ImprovMX: Pricing (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Cloudflare Docs: Email Routing (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Google Workspace Admin Help: Set up MX records (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Google Workspace Admin Help: Set up SPF (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Google Workspace Admin Help: Set up DMARC (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Microsoft Learn: Connect your domain by adding DNS records (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Zoho Mail Help: Configure email delivery (MX) (Checked Sept 28, 2026)
Zoho Mail Help: SPF configuration (Checked Sept 28, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Is Zoho Mail really free for business?

Zoho's pricing page (checked September 28, 2026) lists a Forever Free plan for up to 5 users with 5 GB per user. It excludes IMAP/POP/ActiveSync, so you use Zoho's own web and mobile apps.

How much is Google Workspace?

On September 28, 2026 Google listed Business Starter at $7, Standard at $14 and Plus at $22 per user a month, with introductory rates of $6.30 and $12.60 for the first 12 months for new customers (up to 20 users).

How much is Microsoft 365 Business Basic?

Trade press reported Business Basic rising from $6 to $7 per user a month from July 1, 2026. Microsoft's own page did not load when we checked, so confirm on microsoft.com before you buy.

Can I send email from a forwarding address?

Free forwarding is receive-only. ImprovMX's paid plans add SMTP sending (12,000 sends a month on Premium, $9/mo, per its pricing page). Otherwise use a real inbox provider.

Does We.Inc include business email?

No. We.Inc builds and hosts websites; it does not provide inboxes. You can use Zoho, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or a forwarding service alongside a We.Inc site on your own domain (custom domains need a paid plan, from $20 a month).

Will setting up email break my website?

No, if you only add the email records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Your website uses different records, so both work together.