Most small businesses start with a free Gmail address. Then a customer asks why your invoice comes from [email protected], a bigger client wants a proper company address, or a staff member leaves and takes a year of customer conversations with them. At that point you start looking at paid business email, and the first name you see is usually Microsoft.
Microsoft’s service is well known, but the bill grows with every person you add. This guide puts the real numbers side by side, using Microsoft Exchange Online (Plan 1) and Tremhost’s business email hosting, so you can see what a team of 5, 10, 20 or 50 would pay. It also covers what you gain, what you give up, and how to decide. If you also need a website, the second half shows how Tremhost’s shared web hosting can include your email too.
Why Business Email on Your Own Domain Matters
Before price, it helps to be clear on why this upgrade is worth considering. Your email address is the first thing a customer judges. Before anyone reads your proposal or opens your invoice, they see who it came from.
- Credibility. [email protected] looks established. A free Gmail address can be created by anyone in a minute.
- Ownership. The address belongs to your domain, so you keep the mailbox when someone leaves and simply reassign the address.
- Deliverability. Gmail has required sender authentication (SPF and DKIM) from senders since 1 February 2024. Mail without it risks landing in spam. Proper business email sets this up for you.
None of this depends on which provider you choose, which is why the real question is what it costs you per person.
How Microsoft Prices Email
Microsoft Exchange Online (Plan 1) is an email-only plan. At the US list price of $4.00 per user a month, paid yearly, the cost is $48 per person per year. Those figures come from microsoft.com and were checked on 1 November 2026.
The important point is the pricing model: you pay per person. Every new hire adds another $48 a year, and every inactive mailbox you keep for record-keeping costs the same as an active one.
How Tremhost Prices Email
Tremhost charges by plan, not per person. You choose a plan based on how many mailboxes you need:
| Plan | Price | Mailboxes | Storage | Cost per mailbox (full) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SME | $5 a month ($60 a year) | Up to 50 | 75 GB | 10 cents a month |
| Corporate Plus | $10 a month ($120 a year) | Up to 500 | 1,000 GB | 2 cents a month |
| Supreme | $15 a month ($180 a year) | Up to 1,000 | 75 TB | 1.5 cents a month |
Every plan includes SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup, spam and virus filtering, webmail, IMAP, POP3 and SMTP access, two-factor login, and migration from your current provider. The plans differ only in mailboxes and storage, so you never pay extra to unlock security.
The Cost Comparison, Team by Team
Here is what the same team would pay each year, with Microsoft calculated as people × $4 × 12 and Tremhost as the monthly plan price × 12.
| Team size | Microsoft Exchange Online (Plan 1) | Tremhost | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $240 a year | $50 a year (Bvumba hosting with unlimited email) | $190 |
| 10 people | $480 a year | $60 a year (SME) | $420 |
| 20 people | $960 a year | $60 a year (SME) | $900 |
| 50 people | $2,400 a year | $60 a year (SME) | $2,340 |
The gap widens as you grow, because Microsoft’s cost rises with every person while Tremhost’s stays flat until you pass the plan’s mailbox limit. For a team of 50, Microsoft’s email-only plan costs $200 a month, while SME costs $5.
Put another way, a 20-person business saves $900 a year. If one new customer or contract is worth more than that, the savings alone cover a sale you would otherwise have had to win.
What You Get on Both Sides
Price is only useful if the service does what you need. Both options give you a professional address on your own domain, and both work with the tools your team already uses.
With Tremhost, you get:
- Mailboxes that work in Outlook, Apple Mail, Gmail, Thunderbird and the mail apps on iPhone and Android, plus webmail in any browser
- Spam and virus filtering before mail reaches the inbox
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC configured on your domain for you
- Filters that route mail, such as invoices to accounts and leads to sales
- Mailing lists for staff, parents or customers
- Calendars and contacts that sync across devices
- Bulk forwarders and mailbox import from your current provider
Where Microsoft May Still Be the Better Choice
An honest comparison has to include the other side. Microsoft’s service has features that cPanel-based email doesn’t, so compare what you actually use. Before switching, ask yourself:
- Do you depend on Microsoft-specific tools? If your workflow is built around Microsoft’s wider ecosystem, a switch needs more thought.
- Do you have strict compliance or admin requirements? Larger organisations sometimes need advanced administrative controls.
- How much mail does each person keep? SME gives 75 GB of storage for the plan. If every person keeps years of large attachments, Corporate Plus at 1,000 GB is the safer choice.
For most small businesses, a professional address, reliable delivery, calendars, contacts and phone access are the real needs, and those are covered. If you aren’t sure, list the features your team uses every week and check each one.
Adding a Website: The Cheapest Route of All
If you need a website as well, the numbers get even better. Every Tremhost hosting plan includes unlimited email accounts on your domain. A team of five paying $240 a year to Microsoft could instead pay $50 a year for Bvumba, which includes the website and unlimited mailboxes.
| Plan | Price per year | NVMe storage | Email accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Himalaya | $30 | 20 GB | Unlimited |
| Bvumba | $50 | 50 GB | Unlimited |
| Chimanimani | $80 | 100 GB | Unlimited |
| Nyangani | $110 | 250 GB | Unlimited |
The right choice depends on what you need. A website with staff email fits Bvumba, while an email-only team fits SME. If you want a site designed for you as well, website design starts at $550 a year, with unlimited email included.
How to Switch Without Losing Your Mail
The usual worry about changing provider is losing old mail, contacts and folders. With Tremhost, migration tools bring them across, and most teams move in under a day.
- Pick a plan. Count the people who need an address and choose SME, Corporate Plus or Supreme.
- Add your domain. Keep the domain you already own, so your addresses stay the same.
- Migrate mail and contacts. Import mailboxes, contacts and folders from your current provider, and set up forwarders in bulk.
- Connect your devices. Add the accounts to Outlook, Gmail and your phones.
- Check authentication. SPF, DKIM and DMARC are configured on your domain for you.
You can pay with EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa or Mastercard, and the price is in US dollars.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does business email cost per person?
On Microsoft Exchange Online (Plan 1), the US list price is $4 per user a month when paid yearly. On Tremhost’s SME plan, a full 50-person team works out at 10 cents per mailbox a month.
What is the cheapest professional email in Zimbabwe?
For an email-only setup, Tremhost’s SME plan at $5 a month for up to 50 mailboxes is hard to beat. If you also need a website, hosting from $30 a year includes unlimited email accounts.
Can I keep my existing email addresses when I switch?
Yes, as long as you keep the same domain. Your old mail, contacts and folders can be imported from your current provider.
Does business email stop my messages going to spam?
It helps. SPF, DKIM and DMARC are set up for you, which is what mail providers look for, though no provider can guarantee inbox delivery.
What happens when an employee leaves?
You keep the mailbox and reassign the address, so customer conversations stay with the business.
What if my team outgrows the plan?
You can upgrade as you hire, and your mail, accounts and settings move with you, with no separate migration.
Conclusion: Pay for the Team You Have, Not Per Head
The cost of business email should not climb every time you hire. At $4 per person a month, Microsoft’s email-only plan costs a 20-person team $960 a year, while the same team fits on one Tremhost plan at $60 a year. Check which features you actually use, and for most small businesses you will find the savings are large and the essentials are covered.
If email is your priority, explore Tremhost’s business email hosting and put your own domain on every invoice, proposal and quote. If you need a website as well, Tremhost’s shared web hosting starts at $30 a year with unlimited email accounts included, and your account is ready the moment you pay.
