How to get a business email address with your own domain
The short answer
To get a business email address, buy a domain, choose an email plan and point the domain to it. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both start at $7 per user a month on a yearly commitment. Zoho Mail has a free plan for up to 5 users, and paid plans from $1. Your new address follows the pattern you@yourbusiness.com. Adding the settings at your domain company takes minutes, though they can take up to 72 hours to work.
An address like you@yourbusiness.com takes about an hour to set up, and it costs less than most people expect. You’ll need a domain and an email plan.
Updated November 5, 2026. We make CoveDesk, which also looks after Google profiles, websites and reviews for small businesses. What this page says about other companies comes from their own pages, linked below. How we check our facts
The steps
- Get a domain, if you don’t have one. Here’s how, and what it costs.
- Choose an email plan from the table below.
- Prove you own the domain. Your email company gives you a record to add at your domain company. Google says this takes about 10 minutes, and you must do it within your first 9 days.
- Point your mail to the new plan. That’s another record, called an MX record, at your domain company. Google says (opens in a new tab) it can take up to 72 hours to start working.
- Send yourself a test from an outside address, in both directions, before you print it on anything.
What it costs
| Plan | Price | Billing | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Mail (opens in a new tab) Forever Free | Free, up to 5 users | No card | 5 GB each |
| Zoho Mail Lite | $1 (5 GB) or $1.25 (10 GB) | Billed yearly | 5 or 10 GB |
| GoDaddy (opens in a new tab) Email Essentials | $1.99, then $8.99 list | First 1-year term | 10 GB |
| Google Workspace (opens in a new tab) Business Starter | $7, or $8.40 flexible | 1-year commitment, billed monthly | 30 GB pooled |
| Microsoft 365 (opens in a new tab) Business Basic | $7, or $5.40 without Teams | Paid yearly | 100 GB mailbox |
| Google Workspace Business Standard | $14, or $16.80 flexible | 1-year commitment, billed monthly | 2 TB pooled |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | $14, or $10.79 without Teams | Paid yearly | 100 GB mailbox |
Google showed an introductory offer too. Zoho says its free plan leaves out IMAP, POP and ActiveSync, the settings that many mail apps use, and isn’t available everywhere. Check that before you count on it. You’ll pay for the domain separately.
Which one?
- Already use Gmail and Google Docs: Google Workspace feels familiar. Its Standard plan also lists appointment booking pages.
- Use Outlook, Word and Excel: Microsoft 365.
- Just need an address, cheaply: Zoho Mail, or a plan from your domain company.
- Website builder: check whether your plan includes or sells email first, so it’s all on one bill.
What to call it
| Address | Good for |
|---|---|
| hello@riveraplumbing.com | One address on the website and van |
| maria@riveraplumbing.com | A person customers already know |
| office@riveraplumbing.com | Something that passes between staff |
| billing@riveraplumbing.com | Invoices, kept apart from everything else |
Use the same address on your Google profile, website and invoices. Set up a shared address rather than one tied to a person who might leave. Don’t forget your out of office message for time off.
Common questions
Can I get a business email for free?
How much does a business email cost?
Do I need a domain?
What’s the best email for a small business?
Can I keep using the Gmail app?
Will my old email stop working?
Sources
What this page says about other companies comes from their own websites, read on November 5, 2026:
- Google Workspace pricing: https://workspace.google.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Google: set up MX records: https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/domains/set-up-mx-records-for-google-workspace (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft 365 for business: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/with-teams-plans-and-pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Zoho Mail pricing: https://www.zoho.com/mail/zohomail-pricing.html (opens in a new tab)
- GoDaddy email: https://www.godaddy.com/email/professional-business-email (opens in a new tab)
Prices and terms change, so check each company’s website before you buy. Company names are the trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their services; none of them is affiliated with or endorses CoveDesk. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
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