The 14 Best Free Email Providers for Small Business Owners

A professional email address is a vital part of any small business’ communications strategy. But how do you choose the right provider? Not to worry! We’ll walk you through the most popular free email providers so you can decide which one is right for you. 

Types of Email Accounts

There are two kinds of email providers: email clients and webmail. Which type works best for you and your business is the first thing to consider when choosing an email provider. 

Email Clients

With email clients you have to install an application on your computer to send and receive emails. For example, Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail. An email client is a good choice if you have limited bandwidth. 

Webmail

Webmail is accessible via a browser and is stored on the cloud instead of your device. For example, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL. Webmail is a good choice if you need to check your email on multiple devices. 

Email Protocols

Email protocols are the systems that fetch your emails for you. Here are the three types: 

POP3

Post Office Protocol (POP) allows users to access email offline, requiring less bandwidth than other protocols. 

IMAP

Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP) is an older email protocol. With it, your email stays online while you access and manage it.

Exchange

Exchange is similar to IMAP, except it also allows users to access tasks, calendars, and contacts tied to your email address across multiple devices. 

Features to Keep in Mind

What else makes a good email provider? Here are some other things to consider when you’re choosing one: 

• Storage limits
• Spam filter
• Mobile access
• Email and data encryption

The Best Free Email Accounts

Here are the best free email service providers and what makes them great. Many of these providers also have paid plans for additional storage and other customizations. 

1. Gmail

We all know Gmail. Their versatility, connectivity to other Google Suite products, and user-friendliness make it the popular choice that it is. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights: 

• 15 GB of free storage
• Accessible from any device
• 99.9% spam protection
• Lets users un-send emails
• Native file collaboration with Google Drive
• Suggested text
• Easy access to other Google products

Mobile Apps Available:
iOS

Android

Sign up here. 

2. AOL

AOL mail may seem retro, but they’ve done plenty to keep up with the times since Verizon bought them in 2015. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights: 

• Unlimited storage space
• Highly customizable
• Spell checker
• Ability to import contacts from a CSV, TXT, or LDIF file 

Mobile Apps Available:
iOS

Android

Sign up here.

3. Outlook.com

Microsoft has rebranded their email client by merging Outlook and Hotmail and adding more exciting advanced features. 

Type of email: Email Client

Highlights: 

• Multiple app integrations
• Easy access to Skype and other Microsoft products
• Good search feature
• Easy organization
• Doesn’t scan messages for advertising purposes

Sign up here.

4. Yahoo! Mail

Yahoo mail is great for anyone who sends a lot of attachments. They make it easy to search every attachment you’ve ever sent or received. And yes, that’s one terabyte of free storage. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights: 

• 1 TB of free storage
• Media and attachment history
• Seamless connection with Yahoo Calendar
• Customizable
• Good security

Mobile Apps Available:
iOS

Android

Sign up here.

5. iCloud Mail

If your whole life revolves around Apple products, iCloud mail is for you. Mac and iPhone mail apps are designed with iCloud users in mind and integration with other Apple services is a breeze. However, keep in mind that the storage is shared between all apps associated with your email address. If email storage is a priority, consider the paid plans at $0.99 or $9.99 per month. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• Search functionality
• VIP sender feature
• One-click unsubscribe
• 5 GB of free storage

Sign up here.

6. Mozilla Thunderbird

Thunderbird, the free email client from the company that brought us Firefox, is easy to set up and user friendly. It’s easy to use while also offering customizable themes and app extensions. 

Type of email: Email Client

Highlights:

• Customizable
• Multiple email tab functionality
• Large extension library
• Easy organization

Sign up here.

7. Yandex

Russia-based email service Yandex may not be well known in the United States, but it has some cool features. The built-in translator makes it a good choice for users with international clients. It can also sort emails into categorized inboxes by recognizing keywords in subject lines and body text. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• Auto-reminder for follow-ups
• Built-in translator
• Categorization by keywords
• Read receipts
• 10 GB of free storage

Mobile Apps Available:
iOS

Android

Sign up here.

8. Zoho Mail

Zoho mail is a popular choice for startups and small businesses. The features that make it such a popular choice include its privacy features, user-friendliness, and ability to create up to twenty five email addresses with one custom domain. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• Easy integrations
• Easy to use with custom domains
• Email encryption
• Customizable 

Mobile Apps Available:
iOS

Android

Sign up here.

9. Proton

Proton, formerly known as ProtonMail, is known for having impressive security features without being hard to use. With its end to end email encryption, only you and the recipient can see the emails you send and they disappear after a month. ProtonMail is a great choice for businesses that work with sensitive information. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• End to end encryption
• No personal information required to open an account
• Compatible with other email providers

Mobile Apps Available:
iOS

Android

Sign up here.

10. GMX Mail

GMX mail is an underrated mail service with plenty of unique features including an impressive amount of free storage and the ability to send attachments up to 50 MB. But the best one for small businesses is the ability to use one account for up to 10 email addresses.

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• 65 GB of free storage
• Allows up to 10 alias email addresses from one account
• Up to 50 MB attachment capability
• Effective spam filter

Sign up here.

11. Trustifi

Trustifi is a very secure email account option. Users can control who sends them messages by whitelisting and blacklisting senders. Trustifi is compliant with HIPAA/HITECH, PII, GDPR, FSA, LGPD, CCPA, and other information security protocols, making it a great choice for anyone who works with sensitive information. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• Data loss prevention
• Ransomware and fraud detection
• Ability to set expiration dates on emails
• Integration with other email systems
• End to end encryption

Sign up here.

12. Mailfence

Belgium-based email provider Mailfence is notable for its security features. Thanks to Belgium's data privacy laws, users’ data is locked away from third party access. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• Easy integrations
• End to end encryption

Sign up here.

13. Mail.com

Mail.com may sound boring, but it’s easy to use with custom domains and its unlimited storage and other features make it a great free choice. 

Type of email: Webmail

Highlights:

• Easy to use with custom domains
• Unlimited storage
• Antivirus tool

Sign up here.

14. Tutanota

Open source email client Tutanota is a great choice for users who value security. Not only does it encrypt its emails, but it’s completely ad free. 

Type of email: Email client

Highlights:

• Encrypted email
• Mobile app
• Doesn’t scan emails for advertising purposes

Mobile Apps Available: 

iOS

Android

Sign up here.

Using Free Email Services with Your Domain Name

Creating email addresses with a custom domain is a great branding idea for business email addresses. Would you rather be bob@bobsburgers.com or bob.bobsburgers@provider.com?

You can create email addresses for a custom domain by adding MX records to its DNS. Some website builders, including SAV, have DNS templates for the most popular email providers to make configuration easier. 

How Sav Can Help

No matter which email provider you choose, Sav makes it easy to connect it to your custom domain and keep every part of your business’ online presence running smoothly. Get started today!