Free Business Email: 5 Ways to Get One for Your Business

When you start a business and want to use email, you typically have three options available to you:

1. Use your personal email address (such as [email protected])
2. Create a generic business email address (such as [email protected])
3. Create a dedicated business email address (such as [email protected])

Building brand credibility and establishing customer trust are by far the most significant reasons to create a business-specific email address. Ultimately, you’re left with two choices – generic or dedicated business email.

But what’s the difference?

A generic email will typically have a unique username connected to the email provider’s domain, such as [email protected].

Whereas, a dedicated business email address will use the domain of the business and look like [email protected].

As you can see, the generic email address can appear a little unestablished. On the other hand, the business email shows that the business has its own domain and has taken the time to create a professional email.

Using a dedicated business email can also be a powerful email marketing tool, getting your domain in front of the customer with every email you send. It can also be a useful method for organizing your communications since it allows you to dedicate specific addresses to functions or team members. For example, our online fishing store may use the following emails across the business:

1. [email protected]
2. [email protected]
3. [email protected]
4. [email protected]

This approach helps communicate the purpose of an email to customers and makes it easier to organize communication internally.

Whichever option you choose, there are several free options to pick from. These typically offer limited functionality and won’t let you connect your own domain. Because of this, we recommend free business emails for start-ups or small businesses, but they’re not ideal if you’ve got an established business.

Not all free business email accounts are created equal. Or more accurately, not all free business email accounts will meet your needs at the same level.

In this next section, we explore some of the best options on the market and highlight some of the positives and negatives of each.

Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite)

Google is a go-to for all things internet – including business emails.

Although there’s no longer a free option for Google Workplace (Google’s dedicated suite of business tools, including email), businesses can still create a free email address under Google’s generic email tool Gmail. This will offer you an opportunity to create an email using the following format:

[businessusername]@gmail.com

Due to the massive popularity of Gmail, you may struggle to find an available username that exactly matches your business name – meaning you’ll have to get creative with it which might not be ideal.

Signing up for Gmail is straightforward:

1. Fill in your personal details and chose a username

2. Choose your personalization settings

3. Agree to the privacy terms
4. You’re good to go!

To get an email connected to your dedicated domain (along with other Google Workplace tools), you must sign up for Google Workplace which starts at $5 per user per month.

Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail offers users a “Forever Free” plan under some circumstances. This option provides users with 5GB of storage per user, web/app access, and email hosting for a single domain.

To get started, simply follow the steps below:

1. Go to Zoho Mail sign-up page

2. Select the Free Plan

3. Fill out your personal details and create a username

4. You’re ready to go.

As your business grows you’ll need to pay for a subscription to Zoho Mail – it’s only free for accounts with up to five users. Once you add a sixth user to your account, you’ll then need to pay a membership fee for all users. Subscriptions start from just $1 per user per month, making it considerably cheaper than Google Workspace.

ProtonMail

ProtonMail is another email provider that’s worth considering for your business email needs. You’ll need to pay if you want a dedicated business account, but you can create a “personal” email and use it for your business for free. This will provide you with a dedicated username and inbox. Simply follow these steps to sign up:

1. Select to sign up for a free email account
2. Pick a username and password

3. Verify yourself

4. Enter your contact details (optional)

5. Start using your ProtonMail

To connect a domain and access Proton’s advanced business features you’ll need to subscribe to a business plan (starting at $6.99 per month).

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft is a trusted name when it comes to business tools, making them a great option for a business email.

Although Microsoft’s suite of business tools (Office 365) is strictly available on a subscription basis, you can sign up for a free email account through Microsoft Outlook. Do this by following these steps:

1. Navigate its website to sign up for an account
2. Find an available username

3. Create a password

4. Enter your personal details

5. Enter your location and date of birth

6. Verify yourself
7. You’re ready to use your email!

As mentioned above, you’ll need to sign up for a dedicated business account to get access to Microsoft’s full suite of tools and connect your email to your domain. This starts from $6 per user per month.

GMX Mail

Our final option for free business email is GMX mail. Unlike others on this list, GMX doesn’t offer a paid option. Instead, it offers a simple email platform and makes a profit from ad sales.

With a GMX account, you get:

• A free email account
• Large attachments up to 50 MB
• Up to 10 alias addresses

Signing up is simple:

1. Navigate to the sign-up page
2. Choose a username and input your details

3. Click “Create an email account now”
4. You’re ready to go

Which free business email provider is best for you will depend on your business needs. For example, providers such as GMX are super easy to set up and use, but if you ever want to connect your business domain to your email you’ll need to change providers.

Here are some other things you’ll want to consider when picking which email provider is best for you:

• Security and privacy
• Storage capacity
• How easy it is to use
• The level of customer support available
• How/if it will integrate with other tools

Want to get the most from your free email? Here are our top tips:

1. Pick a username that accurately reflects your business
2. If you own a domain, find out if you can connect it to your email
3. Keep your username as short and memorable as possible
4. Avoid using numbers in your email username
5. Avoid punctuation and symbols if possible

Once you have a great email, don’t ruin a great email with a bad signature. Here are some tips on what to include and what to avoid:

• Keep your signature simple and professional
• Include your name, title and company
• Add relevant contact information
• Link to your social media channels
• Ensure your signature looks great when viewed on mobile
• Don’t use too many colors or fonts
• Don’t make them too long or complex
• Don’t include any irrelevant information or personal views
• Don’t include any personal or private details

Email is an important aspect of business that must be considered, and there are several great options available for those looking to set up a business email for free. However, free business emails are best suited for small and start-up businesses. For those that want to connect their domain and take advantage of advanced business tools, we recommend upgrading to a paid service.