Domain and business email for a startup: Google Workspace vs Zoho vs Microsoft 365
Where to buy the domain, which email provider fits a one or two person startup, what each costs, and the DNS records that keep your email out of spam.
Short answer: buy the domain at Cloudflare Registrar or Porkbun, where a .com is about $12 a year with privacy included. For email, Google Workspace is the easiest if you already live in Gmail ($7 per person a month). Zoho Mail has a free plan for up to 5 people on one domain, which is hard to beat at the start. Whichever you pick, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC on day one.
Where to buy the domain
| Registrar | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Registrar | Sold at cost with no markup; free DNS and security tools | Works best if you also use Cloudflare for DNS |
| Porkbun | .com at $11.81 a year to register and renew, with free privacy, SSL and email forwarding | Fewer extras than big hosting companies |
| Big registrars and hosts | Everything in one account | Cheap first year, higher renewals, lots of upsells |
Business email compared
| Provider | Cost | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | $7, $14 or $22 per person/month with annual commitment; flexible billing costs more | The Gmail you know, plus Docs, Drive and Meet; works with almost every tool | Paid from the first person |
| Zoho Mail | Free for up to 5 people on one domain (5 GB each); Mail Lite from $1 per person a month, billed yearly | Very cheap; clean webmail and mobile apps | The free plan has no IMAP or POP, so no Apple Mail or Outlook; only in some regions |
| Microsoft 365 | Business Basic $7 per person a month, paid yearly | Outlook and Teams; 50 GB mailbox | Desktop Office apps need a higher plan |
| Fastmail | Standard $5 per person a month yearly, $6 monthly | Fast, private, no ads; custom domains on Standard | No office suite |
| A free @gmail.com address | Free | Fine for testing | Looks less trustworthy to customers and gets filtered more for outreach |
Set up the records that keep you out of spam
- 1
SPF
A DNS record listing who may send email for your domain. Your email provider gives you the exact value.
- 2
DKIM
A signature that proves the email wasn’t changed. Turn it on in your provider’s admin and add the DNS record it shows.
- 3
DMARC
Tells inboxes what to do when a message fails the checks. Start with a policy of none and a reporting address, then tighten it once everything passes.
Gmail requires SPF or DKIM from every sender, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC from anyone sending more than 5,000 messages a day. Getting it right early also protects your app email and any outreach you do later.
Questions
Can I use one inbox for hello@, support@ and billing@?
Yes. Most providers let you add aliases to one mailbox for free, so you don’t pay for extra people.
Should app emails come from the same provider?
No. Sign-in links and receipts should go through an app email service so they arrive fast and don’t affect your personal inbox. See app email options.
Can I switch providers later?
Yes. Your address stays the same because it belongs to your domain. You move the mailbox and update the DNS records.
Sources
- Cloudflare Registrar
- Porkbun domain pricing
- Google Workspace pricing
- Zoho Mail pricing
- Microsoft 365 business plans
- Fastmail pricing
- Gmail email sender guidelines