Top 10 (Free) Email Service Providers for Your Business 

As a business owner, your email is important. It is the way by which you can communicate with customers and suppliers. It can even be the way you communicate with your employees. This is why you want to make sure you choose the best email service for your needs.

At SMTP Servers we understand the importance of email for small business owners. That is why we created a series that focuses on one of the best email providers. 

We also provide helpful tips for those who choose not to use Gmail. For example, you can write more effective emails after studying the tutorial (regardless of which service you use):

To continue with more helpful tips, in this article we will put a collection of the top ten free business email providers. Let’s start by looking at some of the features to look for in a good email service, so you know how to compare the available options.

9 Characteristics to Look for in a Good Email Service

Because your email is very important, deciding on the best provider for your needs can be a bit demanding. Each business will have its specific needs, but there are some basic characteristics that a good business should offer, and it is a good starting point.

Here are nine features to look for when selecting your email service:

1. Spam Filter – Spam messages are a huge waste of time. You don’t have to spend your precious time reading them. That is why you want a mail service that has a system to detect and filter spam.
2. Reliability – Your email provider needs to be up and running when you need it. Your email must always be available. Lack of reliability could result in the loss or unhappiness of customers.
3. Integration – Some email services work better with other business tools such as calendars and other productivity tools. If your business relies heavily on these tools, consider an email package that integrates other tools you are using.
4. Security – With hackers being the regular news, you want your provider to offer strong measures to keep your account safe. You need to keep your messages safe and you don’t want unauthorized use of your email account.
5. Ease of Use – As your business grows, more of your staff members will need to create an account. Reduce staff training by selecting a provider that is easy to use.
6. Archiving Capabilities – The best email service provides a way for you to save, archive and organize your messages and drafts. For many businesses, keeping an accurate and well-organized record of business communication is vital.
7. Advanced Features – When running a small business, advanced email features such as the ability to remember sent messages or schedule tasks within email can be important. Choosing the most important features depends on the unique needs of your business.
8. Reputation – Your email service provider needs to have a good reputation. Remember, your email address is one of the first pieces of information that customers see.
9. Storage – When selecting an email service provider, keep in mind the amount of storage your account includes. You don’t want to run out of space.

If possible, have everyone in your business use the same email service. The reason for that is consistency. If each member of your team uses a different service, it can confuse customers.

Also, using different mail services makes it difficult for you to train employees and prepare the procedure for handling messages. Since various providers offer different features, not all employees will be able to handle messages in the same way if they use different mail services.

It is important to choose the correct service for your business. The best place to start is to compare the top three options that are inexpensive.

Top 10 Email Providers

Now that we’ve discussed what to look for in an email provider, let’s take a look at some of the most notable features of some of the best email systems.

Note: Some of these systems also offer a premium version with more features, capabilities, and the ability to scale with the growth of your business. However, be aware that many free services use advertising to pay for the service.

1. Gmail – The Best Email Provider

Being one of the most popular providers, Gmail is used for personal and business communication. According to a 2016 TechCrunch report , about a billion people used Gmail.

Gmail has a good reputation and includes many advanced features such as Undo Send and Forward . Since this service is from a giant search engine, Google naturally includes a powerful search engine and filter system .

Google has also added strengthened security measures such as two-step verification and a powerful spam filter so that there is less chance that your account will be hacked or that you will receive spam. Finally, it integrates productivity tools such as Google Calendar and Google Docs.

2. Outlook.com – Another Excellent Email Provider

Microsoft’s Outlook.com is a strong choice if you are looking for the best provider. Statistics from Microsoft show that Outlook had close to 400 million users in 2016.

This popular email package has support and resources from the great giant Microsoft. Outlook.com offers advanced features like Clutter, which finds low priority emails and separates them from your inbox. Another advanced feature of Outlook is the ability to recover an email after you have accidentally deleted it. Outlook integrates popular software that includes Microsoft products.

Outlook.com also uses two-step verification, which means that you must provide two forms of identification to log in. This makes it difficult for hackers to access your account. 

3. iCloud Mail – Popular Service for Apple Users

You may not realize it, but if you have created an Apple ID, you can also request an email from iCloud to associate with your Apple ID.

iCloud is a possible choice if you frequently access your email package from an Apple device. Apple employs many security features to ensure that your iCloud account remains secure, including two-step verification or two-factor authentication. It also has a spam filter.

ICloud Mail includes some advanced features including auto reply and some basic filters. It is part of a large suite of cloud-based tools that include a contact list, calendar, and the utility of keeping notes and reminders.

4. Yahoo! Mail – Professional Email Provider

Yahoo! was one of the first companies, beginning in 1994. Yahoo! Mail is popular with many users. In 2016, it was announced that the company was acquired by Verizon.

Despite the recent changes, you can still sign up for the Yahoo! Mail. Some features you can benefit from include:

• Auto deletion of Trash messages after 90 days
• High storage capacity (1 TB)
• web search tool, calendar, and notepad
• Spam filter and SSL encryption

Sign up for Yahoo! Mail also gives you access to other Yahoo! which include news, Yahoo! Messenger, and a calendar.

5. AOL Mail – Free Mail Service with Unlimited Storage

AOL is another of the first companies. In the 1980s, the company was known as America Online. It was purchased by Verizon in 2015. The organization’s mail component remains a strong and popular service that has earned its place on this list as one of the best services.

The Key AOL Mail feature includes advanced spam filters and virus protection. He is also known for the ability to customize your email address with the MyAddress feature that lets you select your own email domain.

One of the most attractive features of AOL Mail is the unlimited storage for its users. If your business stores a lot of messages, you don’t need to worry about a shortage of space.

6. Zoho Mail – Best Free Advertising Provider

Although Zoho Mail has many premium levels available, there are also free levels that allow you to have up to 25 users. For many small businesses, this is sufficient — so we have included mail service in our list of the best providers.

With the free tier of Zoho Mail, you are limited to 5GB of storage per user. Includes antivirus protection and spam filter. This service integrates other tools such as calendar, agenda and notes.

It is worth mentioning that even on a free tier, Zoho Mail is ad-free (which is not true for other services). If your business already uses Zoho software, Zoho Mail may be natural for you.

7. GMX Email – Get a Good Free Account

GMX Mail offers a free basic account. This is another service that offers unlimited storage. It is known for its popular mobile interface. Also use it to get mail from other services.

It contains the spam protection feature to help you keep your inbox free of spam, as well as the virus protection feature. Use GMX Organizer to manage your commitments.

An interesting feature allows you to define for how long your messages are stored. For example, if you want each message in the Recycle Bin to stay for only two days, define two days as the storage time for the messages in that folder.

8. Yandex Mail – Free Service with Translations

Yandex operates the largest search engine in Russia. Their free email service includes spam and antivirus protection. It also offers unlimited storage — start from a 10GB inbox and add storage whenever you have less than 200MB.

Make your email experience easier by using labels, personal buttons, and shortcuts. Also, view attachments like multimedia files and images from a message.

An interesting feature is a built-in translator for the messages that are sent and received. Yandex also includes a task service that allows you to create tasks and a task list.

9. Mail.com – Free Account with Domain Extension

Mail.com is a free service that offers many cool features for small businesses. Choose from 200 different domains when selecting an email. For example, if you are a graphic designer, you could prepare an email address with the extension @ graphic-designer.com.

Your free Mail.com account includes virus protection and spam blocker. The Mail Collector feature allows you to keep messages you receive from other providers through the Forwarding feature of Mail.com.

You will also find that Mail.com includes an online calendar. Use it to schedule appointments and even send invitations.

10. Lycos.com – Classic Mail Provider

Lycos is another free email service with an interesting story. The company was launched in the early 1990s as a search engine and a web portal. While still operating as a search engine and web portal, the company also offers a free email services.

The free version of Lycos includes 500MB of storage. It also includes spam filter and virus protection. Also, you can reserve specific domain names and email addresses.

Choose The Best Email Service Provider for Your Business

Your email service is important. Picking the right one for your needs can be confusing. This list of the best providers can help you make the best choice.

If you or your small business is looking for a free service, first decide which features are most important to your needs. Then, look for a service that offers those features for free or at an affordable price. With the right information, you can find the best email server for your small business.