As a business owner, your email is important. It's how you communicate with clients and vendors. It may even be how you communicate with your employees.
You want to choose the best email service provider for your needs. Here are fifteen free business emails to consider.
At Envato Tuts+ we understand the importance of email to the small business owner. That's why we created a series to focus on one of the most popular and best free email providers out there.
Learn what you need to know about the best free email services to use Gmail for your small business in our comprehensive, multipart series: How to Use Gmail (Ultimate Beginner Guide).
We also provide helpful email advice for those who choose not to use Gmail. You can learn to write better business emails. All you need to do is study the tutorial. This will help you, no matter which email service you use.
In this tutorial, learn how to start and end a professional business email:
It's available for FREE with the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.
In this article, we've curated fifteen of the best free emails for business. We'll also share some of the features to look for in a good email service providers.
The Best Source for Email Templates and More (With Unlimited Use)
Envato Elements is the perfect place to find winning email templates. For a low monthly fee, you get unlimited email templates photos, fonts, and more for your business.
Elements is truly one of the best values out there for creatives today. Plus, you can try out many different styles and options thanks to the unlimited downloads.
Free business templates and assets you find online can be tempting. But they're less robust than premium, professionally-designed templates.
With Envato Elements, the best business assets have features such as:
- elegant and stylish typography to capture audience attention
- rich image placeholders to show off photos and videos
- customizable layouts to make every theme your own
Elements templates offer everything you need to present your data and company in a professional manner.
9 Top Features to Look for in a Great Free Business Email Account
Are you wondering: what email should I use for my business?
Business email is important. Deciding on the best email providers for your needs can be a bit demanding.
Every business will have its own specific needs. But there are some basic features that a good business email should offer and is a good starting point.
Here are nine features to look for when you select your business email service:
- Spam Filter. Spam messages are a huge time waster. You don't want to spend your valuable time reading them. That's why you want an email service that's got a system in place to detect and filter out inbox spam.
- Reliability. Your business email provider needs to be up and running when you need it. Your email should always be available. Email downtime could result in lost or unhappy customers.
- Integration. Some email services work well with other business tools such as calendars, and productivity suites. If your business relies heavily on such tools, consider an email package that integrates with the other tools you already use.
- Security. With email hacks being a regular news item, you want your business email provider to offer strong measures to keep your accounts secure. You need to keep your messages safe and don't want any unauthorized use of your email account.
- Ease of Use. As your business grows, more of your staff members need to create and use email accounts. Reduce staff training time by selecting an email service provider that's easy to use.
- Archive Capabilities. Free business email providers help you keep your emails. They let you save, store, and sort your messages and drafts. This is very important for many businesses. They need to keep track of their communication in a clear and organized way.
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Advanced Features.
If you run a small business, having advanced email features can be very helpful. One useful feature is the ability to recall or take back messages that you have already sent. Another important feature is being able to schedule tasks directly within your email. Which advanced features are most important depends on your unique business needs.
- Reputation. Your business email service provider needs to have a good reputation. Remember, your email address is one of the first pieces of information prospective clients see.
- Storage. When selecting an email service provider, keep in mind the amount of storage space included with your account. You don't want to run out of space.
The main reason for this is consistency. If each member of your business team uses a different email service, it can confuse customers and prospective customers.
Also, using different email services can complicate things in your business. It can be harder to train your employees and set up procedures for handling business messages. This is because various email providers offer different features. If your employees use different email services, they may not all handle messages in the same way. It can make things less consistent in your business.
It's important to pick the right email service provider for your business. The best place to start is to compare the top free and low cost options.
16 Best Free Business Email Service Providers
Now you know what you should look for in a business email service provider. Let's look at a few notable features of some of the most popular and best free email systems.
Note: Some of the best free email services also offer a premium version with more features and the ability to scale with the growth of your business. Be aware though that many free email services use advertisements to pay for the service.
1. Gmail - Best Free Email Service Provider
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One of the most popular and best email service providers is Gmail. People use Gmail for personal and business communications alike. According to statistics reported by TechJury in 2022, 1.8 billion people use Gmail.
Gmail has a good reputation as a free email account. It's got many advanced features such as the Undo Send feature and Email Forwarding. Since Google owns Gmail, it includes a powerful search utility and filter system.
This best email providers has also added strengthened security measures. They include two-step verification and powerful spam filters. It makes this free email service providers less likely that your account is hacked or that you receive junk messages. Finally, this buest business email service integrates with popular productivity tools including Google Calendar and Google Docs.
If you'd like to get started on Gmail right away, then learn how to create an account fast, or jump into some quick tips:
How to Create a New Gmail Account (Quick Start Guide)
30+ Quick Gmail Tips, Tricks, and Important Secrets (+ Video)
2. Outlook.com - Another Top, Free Email Provider
Microsoft's Outlook.com email provider is a strong option if you're looking for the best email provider. Statistics from Litmus.com show that Outlook had over 7% of the email market share in 2021, making it the fourth most popular email package.
This best business email service has the support and resources of Microsoft behind it. An advanced Outlook.com feature is the ability to recover an email after you've accidentally discarded a message. This best email for business free integrates well with popular software including other Microsoft products.
Outlook.com also uses two-step verification. In other words, you must provide two forms of identification to log in. This makes it harder for hackers to access your account. If you use Outlook.com and want to organize your inbox better, then read this Envato Tuts+ tutorial:
3. iCloud Mail - Popular Free Email Provider for Apple Users
You may not realize it, but if you've ever created an Apple ID you can also claim an iCloud email address to associate with your Apple ID.
iCloud email is a possible email choice if you frequently access your email package from your Apple mobile device.
Apple uses a few special security features to keep your iCloud account safe. One feature is two-step verification. Another feature is two-factor authentication. These features help make sure that no one else can get into your account. There's also a spam filter.
This best free email service includes some advanced email features including an auto responder and some basic filters. It's part of a larger suite of cloud-based tools that include a contact list, calendar, and a utility for keeping notes and reminders. It's one of the best free email services.
If you use the iCloud business email providers, review this Tuts+ tutorial to learn more:
4. Neo - Custom Email Address
Neo is a comprehensive email platform that provides a professional email address, such as yourname@yourcompany, even if you don't own a domain name.
With its custom email addresses and robust features, it empowers businesses to establish a strong online presence and effectively communicate with customers, boosting brand credibility and growth potential.
Tailored for small businesses, the platform offers CRM-like features, including email open tracking, follow-up reminders, and mailing lists. Additionally, it provides built-in business features like a single-page website, appointment scheduling, integrated email marketing, and advanced features like AI email writing and multi-account support.
Currently, you can get 15 days free!
5. Yahoo! Mail - Professional, Free Email Service Provider
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Yahoo! was one of the early Internet companies, dating back to 1994. Yahoo! Mail is popular with many users. In 2016, it was announced that the company was acquired by Verizon.
Despite the recent changes to Yahoo! ownership, you can still sign up for a Yahoo! Mail account. Some Yahoo! Mail features you can benefit from if you choose it as your email provider include:
- Auto deletion of Trash messages after 7 days
- Huge storage capacity (1 TB)
- Built-in web search tool, calendar, and notepad
- Spam filters and SSL encryption
Signing up for a Yahoo! Mail account also gives you access to other Yahoo! services including their news feed, Yahoo! Messenger, and a calendar utility.
6. AOL Mail - Free Email Service With Unlimited Storage
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AOL is another early Internet company. In the 1990s the company was known as America Online. It was purchased by Verizon in 2015. The free email service provider remains a popular and strong choice on this list of the best email services.
Key AOL Mail features include advanced spam filters and virus protection. It's also known for the ability to personalize your email address. You can use the MyAddress feature that lets you select your own email domain name.
7. Zoho Mail - Best Ad-Free Email Service Provider
Although Zoho Mail offers several premium levels, there's also a free tier. This best free email for business allows you to have up to five users. For many small businesses, this will be enough. So, we've included the email service on our list of the best free email providers. No doubt it's one of the best free email services.
With the free level of Zoho Mail, you're limited to 5 GB of storage per user. It does include antivirus protection and spam filtering. This email service integrates with other Zoho tools such as calendar, tasks, and notes.
It's worth mentioning that even at the free level, Zoho Mail doesn't run advertisements. This isn't true of many other best email for business free. If your small business already uses Zoho tools, Zoho Mail may be the natural choice for you.
8. GMX Email - Get a Good Free Email Account
GMX Mail offers a good, basic free email account. This is another email service provider that offers free unlimited email storage. It's known for its popular mobile interface. Also, use it to get email from other email services.
There's a spam protection feature to help keep your inbox spam-free. This free email account also offer a virus protection feature. Use the GMX Organizer to manage your appointments.
An interesting feature of this best free email service allows you to define how long your email messages are stored. For example, if you want each message in your Trash folder to stay there only two days, you can define two days as the storage time for messages in that folder.
9. Mail.com - Free Email Account With Domain Extension
Mail.com is a free email service provider with several interesting features. You can choose from 200 different domains when selecting an email address. For example, if you're a graphic-designer, you could set up an email address with the @graphic-designer.com extension.
Your free email account from this best email provider includes virus protection and a spam blocker. The Mail Collector feature allows you to receive messages from other email providers.
You'll also find that this best free email service includes an online calendar. Use it to schedule appointments and even send invitations.
10. ProtonMail
ProtonMail offers a free account with ramped up security.
If you’re concerned about privacy, this best business email service might just be the app for you. It provides you with end-to-end encryption for your emails. It even allows you to specify if you want the message to be destroyed after a certain number of days.
ProtonMail is protected by Swiss privacy law. They also offer an anonymous email gateway. This is an encrypted email app that also offers Calendar and Drive.
A free account with ProtonMail gives you .5GB of storage, on email address, and three folders or labels. ProtonMail is compatible with both Windows, Android, and iOS devices.
11. Tutanota
Tutanota is another free email service provider that focuses on security. Like ProtonMail, it’s available on all devices. It combines calendar, contacts, and emails.
Unlike some other free email apps, Tutanota doesn’t ruin your experience with ads. Plus, you can encrypt not only your emails but also your calendar and your contacts.
Tutanota’s free account gives you 1GB of storage and one calendar.
12. Mailfence
Mailfence is a secure and private email service that offers a free account with features such as end-to-end encryption, digital signatures, and integration with other services. Mailfence is based in Belgium and is protected by Belgian privacy law.
This business email provider also offers the ability to personalize your email address with a custom domain name. Mailfence’s services are user-friendly and easy to use, making it a popular choice for personal and business use.
13. Fastmail
FastMail offers a free email service with features such as spam protection, customizable interfaces, and integration with other services. FastMail is known for its focus on security and privacy, with no ads or tracking. FastMail also offers the ability to personalize your email address with a custom domain name.
14. Hushmail
Hushmail is a secure email service that offers end-to-end encryption through OpenPGP and scans all emails for viruses. Sending encrypted emails is straightforward since it’s automatic between Hushmail accounts.
This free email service provider also supports POP, IMAP, SMTP, and has an iOS mobile app. One of the more unique features of Hushmail is that your account comes with some number of web-based secure forms. These forms allow customers to contact you to start secure conversations and send you files securely.
15. Inbox.com
Inbox.com is a free email service provider that offers a range of features to its users. With up to 1TB of mailbox capacity, there is no need to delete your messages. Inbox.com email allows you to send attachments up to 20MB, and you can also move incoming attachments straight to your Online Storage with a single click.
This best free email for business also provides fast web and mail search, allowing you to quickly find archived messages by using the search box in the top right corner of your mailbox.
16. Lycos Mail
The free version of Lycos Mail offers at least 3GB of space for file storage, spam and infected mail checking, and email address blocking. One of the pros of using Lycos Mail is that it does not support any ads in its free version, allowing for an irritation-free mailing experience.
This email service provider is also focused on maintaining its clients’ security and protection. With features such as virus scanning and spam filtering, Lycos Mail helps to keep your inbox safe and secure. Additionally, Lycos Mail Plus users can access their email via a POP or IMAP client such as Outlook2.
Email Strategies (Free) Ebook to Help You Manage Your Inbox Better
After getting set up with an email service provider, it's important to:
- manage your email professionally
- respond in timely manner to all your critical contacts
- best organize your email inbox
- and optimize your approach to email management.
Learn the email management techniques that'll keep you organized and processing your emails like a pro.
How do you stay on top of all your business email? Let us know which email service provider is your favorite in the comments below. And how you optimize it to run professionally.
Learn More About Email Marketing For Your Business
Email marketing is essential for the success of your business. Check out the email marketing resources below. Take your business to the next level:
What Is Email Marketing? (What You Need to Know Now.)
10 Different Types of the Most Effective Marketing Emails
How to Improve Your Email Open Rates (10 Simple Ways)
Which Email Type Is Best for Your Business?
Choose the Best Email Service Provider for Your Business
Your email service is important. Choosing the right email service provider for your needs can be confusing. This curated list of the best free email service providers can help you make the best choice.
If you or your small business need a free email service, start by figuring out what features are most important to you.
Once you know what you need, start looking for an email service provider. You want to find one that offers those features either for free or at a price you can afford. By doing your research, you can find the best email service for your small business.
Editorial Note: This post was originally published in 2017. It's been updated with contributions from Brenda Barron and Alina Midori Hernandez. Brenda is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+, and Alina is a staff writer at Envato Tuts+.
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