Comparison · Email
Business email at a sensible price
Email at your own domain is one of the cheapest credibility upgrades in business. Customers trust it, and it survives you switching providers. The verified table below shows what each mailbox costs in Canada and the US. What it should never cost: an unexamined “professional email” upsell at registrar checkout.
Start here: do you need a mailbox, or an address?
Choose the capabilities you need before comparing subscriptions. An address can receive messages without providing a separate inbox or an outgoing mail service.
You need an address
You want hello@yourbusiness.ca on your invoices and your van, reaching the inbox you already read all day — and you're the only one who needs it.
Receiving: $0
Cloudflare Email Routing forwards incoming messages to your existing inbox. Sending from this address requires a separate supported setup.
You need a mailbox
More than one person needs access, you want the mail to live at your domain, you need IMAP and mail apps, you send real volume, or you're building something you'll sell.
Zoho example: CA$1.25/moUS$1/mo
Compare the recurring price, billing term, and access features in the table below.
Any one essential requirement can justify a mailbox. If you already pay for business email, check whether adding an alias to the existing inbox covers this need.
The real options
If you need a mailbox, these are the ones worth your money — judged on what they cost every year, not the first one.
| Provider | Per user / mo | Storage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho MailChecked 2026-10-07 Mail Lite Scout's pick | CA$1.25US$1 | 5 GB/user | Solo owners and small teams who just need professional email A separate business mailbox, billed annually. Native CAD and USD prices shown. |
| SpaceshipChecked 2026-09-12· Recheck due; confirm with provider Spacemail Pro | ≈CA$1.10US$0.79 | 5 GB | Keeping domain + email in one place, dirt cheap Convenient if your domain is already at Spaceship — one dashboard. The displayed CAD amount is converted from the verified USD renewal. ⚠ Billed two years upfront; the current two-year price and renewal are both US$18.88 (about US$0.79 per month). |
| Google WorkspaceChecked 2026-09-12· Recheck due; confirm with provider Business Starter | CA$9.20US$7 | 30 GB/user | Teams living in Google tools who want zero learning curve Gmail interface, Drive, Docs, Meet. Native Canadian and US annual-commitment prices shown; month-to-month costs more. CAD price confirmed 2026-10-07; US price last confirmed 2026-09-12. |
| Microsoft 365Checked 2026-09-12· Recheck due; confirm with provider Business Basic | CA$9.50US$7 | 1 TB OneDrive + 50 GB mail | Businesses whose clients and workflows live in Outlook/Office Web/mobile Office apps included (not desktop). Business Basic with Teams, paid yearly. Native Canadian and US list prices shown. |
Choose by what you need
- →Just need a professional mailbox? Zoho Mail Lite starts at CA$1.25/user/monthUS$1/user/month with annual billing. It is a real inbox with apps and IMAP.
- →Domain already at Spaceship? Spacemail keeps domain and email administration in one dashboard; check the renewal term.
- →Your team lives in Docs/Sheets or you want the Gmail interface? Google Workspace Business Starter. You're paying for the ecosystem, not just the inbox.
- →Clients expect Word/Excel files and Teams calls? Microsoft 365 Business Basic. Cheapest path into the Office world.
Currency and billing terms
Compare the same commitment period in each currency. A Canadian price is native only when the provider publishes it; otherwise we mark the conversion with ≈. Your card may add a foreign-transaction fee. Sales tax is separate.
Start with free receiving when it meets your needs. Google is retiring third-party Gmail Send as in January 2027; the guide explains which sending options are affected.