Price18 of 22
Mailbox21 of 29
Security28 of 28
Reliability and support12 of 21
email hosting service · Zoho Corporation
Zoho Mail
Business email with a free plan for up to 5 users and a paid Mail Lite plan at $1 per user a month on yearly billing.
In short
- Mail Lite costs $1 per user a month billed annually, so 5 mailboxes cost $5 a month1,2.
- Mail Lite has no monthly billing option; it is sold yearly only1.
- Mail Lite gives 5 GB of mail storage per user; a 10 GB option costs $1.251,2.
- A free plan covers up to 5 users on one domain, with 5 GB each, but no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync1.
- Zoho lists 24x7 support by email, chat and call, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, on Mail Lite and the other paid plans1.
Zoho Mail suits small teams on a tight budget: $5 a month for five mailboxes on Mail Lite, plus a free plan for up to five users1,2. Mail Lite includes SAML SSO, aliases and 24x7 chat and phone support1. The catch: yearly billing only, 5 GB per mailbox, and Zoho's terms contain no uptime credits1,17.
Best for: Small teams that want a low price and are happy to pay a year at a time.
Where the points come from
Price 18 of 22 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for a team of 5 | $5/moMail Lite 5 GB, $1 per user a month billed annually, times 5 mailboxes1,2. | 12 / 12 |
| Free plan on your own domain | YesMail Free: forever free, up to 5 users, custom email for one domain; offered in select regions1. | 6 / 6 |
| Monthly billing | NoThe Mail Lite card says no monthly plan; it is billed annually only1. | 0 / 4 |
Mailbox 21 of 29 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Storage per mailbox | 5Mail Lite's 5 GB option is the cheapest tier at $1; the 10 GB option costs $1.251,2. | 2 / 10 |
| Open mail and calendar protocols | IMAP, POP3, CalDAV, CardDAVIMAP and POP pages exclude only the Free plan; CalDAV and CardDAV pages state no plan limits3,4,5,6. | 8 / 8 |
| Shared calendar and contacts | YesMail Lite lists Integrated Calendar and Group Calendars, and plan cards mention Shared Calendars1. Each user gets a Contacts app21. | 5 / 5 |
| More than one domain | YesZoho says it allows multiple domains under a single organisation; the help page states no plan cap7. | 3 / 3 |
| Aliases and catch-all | YesMail Lite lists Email Aliases and Domain Aliases; a help page covers catch-all setup1,8. | 3 / 3 |
Security 28 of 28 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Two-factor sign-in | YesUsers can use authenticator apps or Zoho OneAuth for two-factor; the pages state no plan limit10,9. | 7 / 7 |
| Passkeys or security keys | YesZoho Accounts help says it supports FIDO U2F and FIDO2-based security keys; the pages state no plan limit10,11. | 3 / 3 |
| Admins can require 2FA | YesAdmins enable two-factor for the entire organisation under Security and Compliance; no plan limit is stated9. | 3 / 3 |
| Single sign-on (SAML) | YesThe plan table lists SAML based SSO integration for Mail Lite; a help page covers SAML setup1,12. | 5 / 5 |
| SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | YesZoho says it is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and ISO/IEC 27001 certified for all its cloud services13. | 6 / 6 |
| SPF, DKIM and DMARC guides | YesZoho Mail help pages cover SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup for a custom domain14,15,16. | 4 / 4 |
Reliability and support 12 of 21 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Written uptime commitment | Not publishedPricing lists a 99.9% uptime guarantee, but the terms17 contain no uptime commitment or credit. | 0 / 9 |
| Public status page | YesThe Zoho status page lists Zoho Mail components and has an incident history section18. | 2 / 2 |
| Live support | YesThe plan table lists 24x7 support by email, chat and call for Mail Lite1. | 4 / 4 |
| Mail migration tool | YesMail Lite lists a migration tool; admins run IMAP migration from the Admin Console, with no plan limit stated1,19. | 3 / 3 |
| Official phone apps | YesThe plan table lists a Zoho Mail app for iOS and Android on Mail Lite1. | 3 / 3 |
The rule behind each line: how we score email hosting services.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail FreeUp to 5 users | Free1 | $0 | 5 GB per user, one domain, web and mobile only |
| Mail Lite (5 GB)Any team size | $1/user/month, billed annually1,2 | $1 | Yearly billing only |
| Mail Lite (10 GB)Any team size | $1.25/user/month, billed annually1,2 | $1.25 | Same plan with 10 GB per user |
| Mail PremiumAny team size | $4/user/month, billed annually1,2 | $4 | 50 GB mail plus 50 GB retention per user |
| Workplace StandardAny team size | $3/user/month, billed annually1,2 | $3 | 30 GB mail; $4 a month if billed monthly |
Prices come from the pricing data file the Zoho pricing page loads2. Zoho gives an approximate 20% discount for annual billing1.
Strengths
- Mail Lite costs $1 per user a month on yearly billing, so five mailboxes cost $5 a month1,2.
- Free plan hosts up to 5 users on a domain you own1.
- Support by email, chat and call is listed for Mail Lite1.
- Admins can turn on two-factor sign-in for the whole organisation9.
- Names ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 for all Zoho cloud services13.
Limits
- Mail Lite is billed yearly only; Zoho says there is no monthly plan1.
- Mail Lite storage starts at 5 GB per user1.
- The free plan has no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, and is limited to selected regions1,3.
- Zoho's terms contain no uptime commitment or service credits, though the pricing page lists a 99.9% uptime guarantee1,17.
- Admins can turn on two-factor only for the whole organisation, not per user9.
What Zoho Corporation says
Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.
- Zoho says it ensures 99.9% uptime for Zoho Mail20.
Other email hosting services
- 1Google Workspace GmailSmall teams that want a written 99.9% uptime commitment and detailed sign-in options82/100$35/mocost for a team of 5
- 3
Infomaniak Mail ServiceSmall teams that want Swiss-hosted mail with calendars and a free way to start62/100Not publishedcost for a team of 5 - 4
FastmailSmall teams that want mail, calendar and contacts that work in any standard app51/100Not publishedcost for a team of 5 - 5
Rackspace EmailSmall teams that want month-to-month billing and phone support45/100$50/mocost for a team of 5
Zoho Mail vs Google Workspace Gmail · Zoho Mail vs Infomaniak Mail Service · All 9 email hosting services
Sources
- Zoho Mail pricing, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Mail pricing data file, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- IMAP access, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- POP access, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Sync your Zoho Mail contacts with CardDAV, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Cross-platform calendar sync, Zoho Calendar. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Add domains, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Catch-all setup, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Two-factor authentication (admin), Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Set up two-factor authentication, Zoho Mail. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Security key (MFA), Zoho Accounts Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- SAML authentication, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho compliance, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- SPF - Sender Policy Framework, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- DKIM configuration, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- DMARC policy, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Terms of Service, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- US Zoho Services Availability Status, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- IMAP migration, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Mail security and compliance, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Contacts, Zoho Mail Help. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Website: www.zoho.com/mail · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Zoho Corporation.