The 7 Best Email Hosting Platforms For Shopify Stores

f you've recently opened a Shopify store, or you're thinking about starting one, then email hosting is something that you should take a serious look at. It's affordable, easy to set up, and can make a big difference in your store's level of professionalism. Consumers have more options available than ever before, so you don't want to alarm them by using an unprofessional email address.

In this article, we will be going over the top 7 email hosting platforms for Shopify stores. But, before we examine why one platform is better than another, let's first go over the basics:

What Is Email Hosting?

Email hosting is a service where a hosting provider rents out email servers to website owners. There are consumer-focused email providers like Gmail and Yahoo Mail, and there are business-focused email providers like the ones on this list. If you want your business to have custom email addresses that end in your domain name (i.e. YourName@YourDomain.com) then you'll need to pay for email hosting.

Luckily, it can be both affordable and easy to get started with.

Web Hosting vs Email Hosting

When you're setting up a website, you'll learn that there are a few different components to getting it online. First, you'll need web hosting, which is where you get your domain hosted by a server, allowing people to access it through the internet. For Shopify stores, Shopify takes care of this automatically. Every Shopify plan includes web hosting, and will allow your site to appear online from the beginning. First with a .myshopify.com domain name, and later with whatever you change it to.

The other main element is email hosting. Email hosting is separate from web hosting, and it involves setting up a server to receive and manage your emails. Shopify does not take care of this aspect, and you'll need to set it up by yourself using a third-party hosting service. Once set up, you can send emails through your new address, and also connect it to email marketing apps like Klaviyo and Mailchimp.

Benefits of Email Hosting

#1 - It Looks More Professional

Imagine placing an order for a product from a reputable business and receiving a hand-written confirmation email from HockeyFan2@gmail.com. That probably wouldn't inspire much confidence in the business, now would it?

The truth is, having custom email addresses that end in your domain name is important for looking professional. If you want people to trust you with their money, then you should show them that your business is real and established. Email hosting isn't expensive, so there aren't a lot of excuses for why you don't have it.

You can set up an email address with your name (e.g. Patrick@YourDomain.com, or you can set up generic addresses like Info@YourDomain or Contact@YourDomain. Many of these services allow you to set up multiple addresses, called aliases, that forward to the same general mailbox. This way you can segment your inboxes and better serve your customers, without having to check a hundred different inboxes.

#2 - It's More Secure

As a Shopify store owner, you're going to have access to important information about your customers. You'll have their contact information, their addresses, and more. With this in mind, it's worth paying a few dollars a month to keep their information secure.

A good email hosting platform will not only keep your information safe from hackers, but it will also keep it safe from loss. Having your emails accidentally deleted could be devastating to a small business, so you'll want to protect yourself again that as much as possible.

#3 - Value-Adding Features

Not all email hosting services are created equal. Some of them come with awesome features that can help you do your job better or with less effort.

These features include things like more cloud storage, calendar-sync, email aliases, and more. While you might not use all of these features, it's often better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

But now that we know what we're looking at, let's take a look at how the best email hosting services for Shopify compare.

The Best Email Hosting Platforms For Shopify

#1: Namecheap - Best Email Hosting for A Budget

Namecheap is known for being one of the most affordable domain registrars on the web, but they also offer other services like web and email hosting. In keeping with their highly affordable value proposition, their email hosting is the most affordable option on our list, coming in at only $10.10/year for their base plan.

Namcheap doesn't use their minuscule price point as an excuse to cheap out on features, either. Every plan comes with a considerable amount of data storage, aliases, and other features. For this reason, we've selected Namecheap as our pick for the best email platform for businesses on a budget.

Key Features:

• 5-75GB Email storage and 2-30GB file storage
• Docs, sheets, and presentation apps (with Ultimate plan)
• 1-5 Mailboxes included with each plan
• Can set up email aliases with each plan
• Mobile compatibility (with Pro & Ultimate plans)

Pricing:

• Starter - $0.84/month billed annually
• Pro - $2.40/month billed annually
• Ultimate - $3.96/month billed annually

#2: Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is one of the most affordable email hosting platforms, and it is well equipped for Shopify stores. Shopify even mentions it by name alongside Google Workspace in its article on setting up email forwarding.

Zoho doesn't have the same ecosystem of apps and features that Google Workspace offers, but then again, few companies will be equipped to compete with Google in that regard. But, if you're just looking for affordable email hosting to get you started, then Zoho Mail has you covered.

Key Features:

• Domain aliases are included in every plan
• Shared calendars with multi-user sync
• Email hosting for multiple domains
• Zoho Office Suite (for Workplace Plans)
• 0-100GB Cloud storage per user

Pricing:

• Mail Lite - $1/month billed annually
• Workplace Mail Only Plan - $1/month billed annually
• Workplace Standard - $4/month or $3/month billed annually
• Mail Premium - $4/month billed annually
• Workplace Professional - $7/month or $6/month billed annually

#3: Google Workspace - Best Email Hosting Features

Google Workspace, formerly known as "G-Suite", is Google's email hosting service for businesses. If you have a Gmail account, then you'll already know how many features Google offers its account-holders. There is a wide selection of tools, apps, and features built-in, and having everything set up in the Google ecosystem makes everything more convenient.

Google Workspace is a great option for users that are already familiar with the GMail platform. You'll be able to log in through the GMail mobile app, and you'll be familiar with the layout. However, the downside is that it's not one of the cheaper options on this list, and there isn't much of a discount for yearly subscribers.

Key Features:

• Access to all of Google's apps, such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Keep, Google Meet, and more.
• 30-5000GB of cloud storage for each user through Google Drive
• 100-250 participant video meetings through Google Meet
• Can set up as many email aliases as you want, with any plan

Pricing*:

• Business Starter - $6.29/month
• Business Standard - $12.58/month
• Business Plus - $18.86/month

*Note: Prices may vary slightly due since we converted the rates from $CAD to $USD

#4: GoDaddy

GoDaddy is one of the most renown domain name registrars, and it also offers web/email hosting services. Many people register their domain names through GoDaddy, then decide that it would be easiest to use GoDaddy for their email hosting as well. They also have award-winning customer service, which I can attest to personally.

However, this convenience comes at a price. GoDaddy is among the most expensive options on this list. If budget is not your primary concern, then there's still some value here. With 5 plans to choose from, GoDaddy is possibly the most flexible platform on this list. Several of GoDaddy's plans also include access to Microsoft Office, which can be useful if you don't already have office software licensed.

Key Features:

• 10-50GB Email storage
• Online calendars & contacts
• Up to 400 email aliases, even with Email Essentials
• Microsoft Office apps (with Business Premium & Advanced Security)

Pricing*:

• Email Essentials - $6.48/month or $2.42/month billed annually
• Email Plus - $7.29/month or $5.67/month billed annually
• Online Essentials - $11.33/month or $9.71/month billed annually
• Business Premium - $16.99/month or $10.52/month billed annually
• Advanced Security - $22.65/month or $13.77/month billed annually

*Note: Prices may vary slightly due since we converted the rates from $CAD to $USD

#5: Fastmail

Fastmail is a middle-of-the-road email hosting provider that is worth considering. They offer affordable pricing plans and some nice incentives for subscribing to an annual plan. Their plans include access to many of the features you would expect, such as email aliases, calendars, and extra storage.

It's a bit more expensive than Zoho and Namecheap, and has less features than Google Workspace. But, if you're looking for good value and a user-friendly interface, then Fastmail is a solid option.

Key Features:

• 2-100GB Email Storage per user
• 600+ Email aliases, regardless of the plan
• Full-feature calendar, contact lists, and groups
• Compatible with Outlook, the FastMail mobile app, and most other email apps

Pricing:

• Basic - $3/month or $30/year billed annually
• Standard - $5/month or $50/year billed annually
• Professional - $9/month or $90/year billed annually

#6: Rackspace

Rackspace is a tech company known for many things, of which email hosting is only a small section. True to its name, every Rackspace plan comes with a healthy amount of email storage space, in addition to a calendar, domain aliases, and more.

Rackspace has 3 plans to choose from, and unfortunately doesn't offer any discounts for annual plans. If you're looking for a high-tech email hosting service that isn't one of the bigger players, then Rackspace might be your best bet.

Key Features:

• 25GB Email storage and 0-30GB file storage
• Shared calendar and contacts
• Works with Outlook and mobile email clients
• Microsoft Office-compatible apps
• 100% Guaranteed uptime and premium spam/virus protection

Pricing:

• Rackspace Email - $1.99/month
• Rackspace Email Plus - $3.99/month
• Rackspace Email Plus With Archiving - $6.99/month

#7: Protonmail

Protonmail is a Swiss company that is known for its premium security. All of their physical servers are located in Switzerland, and all of the data housed in them is subject to Switzerland's strict privacy laws. For this reason you won't have to worry about the security of your users' data.

However, Protonmail is among the more rigid email hosting platforms on this list. There is only one plan available unless you'd like to speak with their sales team for a custom package. It comes with solid features like email aliases and email storage, but overall, we'd like to see a bit more value for our dollar in the future.

Key Features:

• 5GB Email storage per user
• Up to 5 email aliases per user
• Can set up email addresses using two different custom domains
• Can set up auto-replies

Pricing*:

• Proton Professional Plan - $9.67/month or $7.55/month billed annually

*Note: Prices may vary slightly due since we converted the rates from $EUR to $USD

Wrapping Up:

In summary, there are many email hosting platforms available, and your choice will ultimately depend on your budget and the features you are seeking. Platforms like Namecheap and Zoho are the most affordable, while Google Workspace has the most features and bonuses. Regardless of what you pick, we would recommend you conduct your own research before selecting a platform, as this article is not meant to be all-inclusive.

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