The cheapest provider depends on how many people you are and how you want to pay. Under six people on yearly billing, a per-user plan can win. From six, flat pricing wins every time. Here is the arithmetic.
What seven providers charge a team
Prices below are per month, taken from each provider's pricing page on 6 October 2026, on the cheapest plan that supports a custom domain. Where a provider only bills yearly, the monthly figure is the yearly price divided by twelve.
| Provider and plan | Billing | 3 people | 5 people | 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Mail Lite, $1 per user | Yearly only | $3 | $5 | $10 |
| Faivelo Starter, $6 flat | Monthly or yearly | $6 | $6 | $6 |
| Migadu Micro, $19 a year flat | Yearly only | $1.58 | $1.58 | $1.58 |
| Fastmail Business Standard, $5 per user | Yearly ($6 monthly) | $15 | $25 | $50 |
| Proton Mail Essentials, $6.99 per user | Yearly | $20.97 | $34.95 | $69.90 |
| Google Workspace Business Starter, $7 per user | Annual ($8.40 flexible) | $21 | $35 | $70 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic, $7 per user | Paid yearly | $21 | $35 | $70 |
Sources: zoho.com/mail/zohomail-pricing.html, fastmail.com/pricing, workspace.google.com/pricing and Google's Admin Help billing page, microsoft.com compare pages, proton.me/business/mail/pricing, migadu.com/pricing, all checked 6 October 2026. Faivelo is our own product.
The fine print behind each number
Zoho Mail Lite is $1 per user a month billed annually, with 5 GB per user, and has no monthly plan. Its free plan allows up to five users on one domain but excludes IMAP, so phone mail apps need a paid seat. Fastmail's Business Basic at $3 does not include custom domains; you need Business Standard, $5 a user on yearly billing or $6 monthly, with 60 GB each.
Google's $7 is the annual-commitment price; the Flexible monthly plan is $8.40 per user. Microsoft's $7.00 is paid yearly on an annual subscription, and there is a $5.40 version without Teams. Proton Mail Essentials is $6.99 per user on yearly billing with 15 GB each. Migadu Micro is $19 a year for unlimited mailboxes but allows 20 outgoing messages a day across the account, which rules out most teams. Faivelo Starter is $6 a month for unlimited mailboxes on up to three domains with 10 GB pooled, or $5 on yearly billing.
The verdict, by team shape
One to five people, yearly billing is fine, 5 GB each is enough: Zoho Mail Lite is the cheapest real mailbox there is, and the Zoho apps are decent. At five people it costs $5 against Faivelo's $6, and you get Zoho's calendar on the entry plan.
Six people or more, or a team that wants role addresses like support@ and billing@ as their own mailboxes: flat pricing wins, and keeps winning with every hire. Ten people on Faivelo is $6; on Zoho it is $10, and on any of the per-user suites it is $70.
A team that sends almost nothing, such as a club or a holding company that needs addresses to exist: Migadu Micro at $19 a year is unbeatable, as long as 20 outgoing messages a day is genuinely enough.
A team that lives in Docs, Teams or shared Drive: the suites cost ten times more, and for some teams that is the right trade. The provider by provider comparison shows what each one bundles. If the team is a startup that expects to hire, the startup email guide covers the choice in more depth.
Under six people, count the seats. From six, stop counting.
FAQs
Is there a free option for a small team?
Zoho's free plan covers up to five users on one domain without IMAP, in select data centres. Faivelo's free plan forwards mail on your domain but has no mailboxes. Both are workable for a side project, not for a team that answers customers from phones.
Does yearly billing change the ranking?
Only at the margins. Zoho and Migadu are yearly only, Faivelo drops to $5 a month on yearly billing, and Google drops from $8.40 to $7 per user with an annual commitment. The order of the table does not change.
What about storage?
Per-user plans give each person a fixed amount: 5 GB on Zoho Lite, 15 GB on Proton Essentials, 30 GB on Google, 50 GB on Microsoft, 60 GB on Fastmail Standard. Faivelo pools 10 GB across the account on Starter and 200 GB on Growth at $12, which suits teams whose mail is uneven.
Count your seats, then try the flat one
If you are six or more, or plan to be, the $6 plan covers every address you can think of. Fourteen days free, no card, and the migration tool copies everyone's mail from the old host.