Compare
Business email providers compared.
Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, Fastmail and Proton Mail charge for each user; MXroute and Patra charge per account, for storage the whole team shares. For five people with up to 5 GB each, a year costs US$60 on Zoho Mail Lite, US$69 on MXroute, US$49 on Patra (plus applicable tax) and US$204 to US$420 on the others.
Choose Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 if your team works in shared documents and meetings every day; choose Patra if you mainly need email on your own domain at one price for everyone, or want to sell email to your clients.
Last checked , from each company’s own pricing and help pages. List prices in US dollars, before tax.
Seven providers, side by side.
How each one charges, what five people with up to 5 GB of mail each pay for a year, the storage they get, and what each offers partners who resell email. Each name links to its full comparison with Patra.
| Provider and how it charges | A year for 5 people | Storage | Reselling and partner branding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patra Per account | US$49 on the 25 GB plan, plus applicable tax: one price for the whole account, from US$35 a year | One pool shared by everyone: 10, 25 or 50 GB, and more on request. Unlimited mailboxes within fair use (up to 1,000 per account) | Partner pools from 75 GB, prices on request. Your name, logo, colour and support address on clients’ admin console, sign-in and setup pages and our emails to them; webmail and server names still show Patra (details) |
| Google Workspace Per user | US$420 on Business Starter, at US$7 per user per month on a one-year plan (Business Standard US$14, Business Plus US$22) | 30 GB per user on Business Starter, pooled across the organisation and shared by mail and files. Up to 300 users on Business plans | Resold through Google’s authorized reseller programme, which needs a signed reseller contract |
| Microsoft 365 Per user | US$420 on Business Basic, at US$7.00 per user per month paid yearly, or US$240 on the email-only Exchange Online (Plan 1), at US$4.00 | Per person: 150 GB of mail storage (a primary mailbox plus a 50 GB archive) and 1 TB of OneDrive on Business Basic; a 50 GB mailbox plus a 50 GB archive on Exchange Online (Plan 1) | Resold through Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) programme |
| Zoho Mail Per user | US$60 on Mail Lite, at US$1 per user per month billed yearly, or US$0 on the free plan for up to five users where Zoho offers it | Fixed per user: 5 GB on Mail Lite and 50 GB on Mail Premium, and more on Workplace Professional | Reseller, MSP and ISP programmes; ISPs are offered a white-labeled suite. The Zoho Mail logo can be replaced on Mail Premium and Workplace Professional |
| MXroute Per account | US$69 on Medium (25 GB); its plans cost US$59, US$69 or US$79 a year for 10, 25 or 50 GB. MXroute says it adds no VAT or similar taxes | One pool shared by all mailboxes: 10, 25 or 50 GB, with larger plans listed up to 1 TB. Unlimited mailboxes and domains within your storage | Reseller plans from US$45 a quarter (150 GB), with a white-label panel on your own domain, customer logins and branded webmail |
| Fastmail Per user | US$300 on Standard, at US$5 per user per month billed yearly, or US$204 with one Standard admin and four Basic users | Each person’s own: 6 GB on Basic, 60 GB on Standard or 150 GB on Professional, for mail and files | Reseller accounts with a custom login page carrying your logo |
| Proton Mail Per user | US$419.40 on Mail Essentials, at US$6.99 per user per month billed yearly | 15 GB per user on Mail Essentials, pooled for the organisation | A partner programme with resale pricing or referral commission. Its partner page doesn’t describe a white-label option |
Each company’s facts come from its own pages, checked 16 October 2026 (see Sources). Prices are US-dollar list prices before tax, billed yearly unless stated; Google, Microsoft, Zoho and Fastmail vary their prices by country or currency, so yours may differ.
What a team of five pays for a year.
A worked example, with the sums shown: five people who each keep up to 5 GB of mail, 25 GB in all, on each provider’s plans that hold it. List prices checked 16 October 2026.
| Option | The sum | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Patra 25 GB plan, billed yearly | One price for the account: 5 people × 5 GB = 25 GB | US$49, plus applicable tax |
| Google Workspace Business Starter, one-year plan | 5 users × US$7 × 12 months | US$420 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic, paid yearly | 5 users × US$7.00 × 12 months | US$420 |
| Microsoft Exchange Online (Plan 1), paid yearly | 5 users × US$4.00 × 12 months | US$240 |
| Zoho Mail Lite, billed yearly | 5 users × US$1 × 12 months | US$60 |
| MXroute Medium (25 GB) | One price for the account | US$69 |
| Fastmail Standard, billed yearly | 5 users × US$5 × 12 months | US$300 |
| Fastmail, one Standard admin and four Basic users | US$60 + 4 × US$36 | US$204 |
| Proton Mail Essentials, billed yearly | 5 users × US$6.99 × 12 months | US$419.40 |
Which one fits your team?
Patra suits small businesses that mainly need email on their own domain, at one price for the whole team, and partners who resell email to their clients. Each of the others fits some teams better.
Switching to Patra, from any of them.
Set Patra up next to your current email and switch your MX record last, when everyone is ready: until then, mail keeps arriving where it does today. Then each person moves their old mail across, and you keep the old account open until everyone has finished.
Questions, answered.
Something else? Write to hello@trypatra.com.
What are the main alternatives to Google Workspace for business email?
If you also want office apps, look at Microsoft 365: Business Basic adds Teams, OneDrive and web and mobile Word, Excel and PowerPoint to email. If you mainly need email on your own domain, compare Zoho Mail, MXroute, Fastmail, Proton Mail and Patra. Zoho Mail, Fastmail and Proton Mail charge per user, and Proton is built around encryption; MXroute and Patra charge per account, for storage the whole team shares.
Which business email provider costs least for a small team?
It depends on team size and storage. For five people with up to 5 GB each, a year at list prices costs US$60 on Zoho Mail Lite, US$69 on MXroute and US$49 on Patra (plus applicable tax), and US$204 to US$420 on Fastmail, Microsoft 365, Proton Mail and Google Workspace. Zoho also has a free plan for up to five users where it’s offered, and Mail Lite costs less than Patra for one to four people and for six.
What’s the difference between per-user and storage-based pricing?
Per-user pricing charges for every person with a mailbox, so the bill grows with the team. Storage-based pricing, used by MXroute and Patra, charges one price for storage the whole account shares, so adding people doesn’t change it. Per-user plans can suit teams whose people each keep a lot of mail; a shared pool suits teams where most people keep a few GB. On Patra, mailboxes are unlimited within fair use (up to 1,000 per account).
Do I need Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 just for business email?
No. Both are office suites: Google Workspace Business plans include Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet and Chat, and Microsoft 365 Business Basic adds Teams, OneDrive and web and mobile Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft also sells an email-only plan, Exchange Online (Plan 1), at US$4.00 per user per month, paid yearly. Zoho Mail, MXroute, Fastmail, Proton Mail and Patra also host email on your own domain, and Patra is email only.
Which business email providers let me resell email under my own brand?
MXroute’s reseller plans include a white-label panel on your own domain, customer logins and branded webmail. Zoho offers ISPs a white-labeled suite; Fastmail resellers can have a custom login page with their logo. Google, Microsoft and Proton sell through reseller and partner programmes. Patra partners get one storage pool for all their clients, from 75 GB, with their name, logo, colour and support address on clients’ admin console, sign-in and setup pages; webmail and server names still show Patra.
Which business email providers have a free trial?
Patra is free for 14 days without payment details, with 10 GB and 100 recipients a day until the first payment. Zoho offers 15 days of Mail Premium or Workplace Professional and Fastmail up to 30 days, both without a credit card. Google Workspace (14 days, up to 10 users), Microsoft 365 Business Basic (one month, up to 25 users) and Proton for Business (14 days, up to 10 users) need payment details. MXroute has no free trial.
How do I switch business email providers without losing mail?
Set up the new service next to your current one, add its DNS records and your people, and switch your MX record last, when everyone is ready: until then, mail keeps arriving where it does today. With Patra, each person then moves their old mail across, and you keep the old account open until everyone has finished. Patra’s switching guide has the steps for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, web hosts and other providers.
Sources
Last checked . Each company’s facts come only from its own pages, and its prices are its US-dollar list prices before tax. Each comparison page lists every source it used.
Patra facts come from this site: Pricing, Partners, Switch to Patra and Storage, limits and fair use.
Product names are trademarks of their owners. Patra isn’t affiliated with them.
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