Having a website isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t stop you needing a professional exterior online. In short, a professional email address assists in giving a good first impression. You could use a generic free email address from your favourite search engine, but it’s so much better to have one ending in your company name. Using the best email hosting option also gives you a bit more control, such as providing better security, AI tools, templates, and more.
I’ve spent some time testing many different email hosting companies. Often, you’ll find web hosting bundling in email as well which is an added bonus. I’ve focused on dedicated email hosting plans, but many of these options do come from web hosts if you’re looking to expand your online presence.
Below, you’ll find my pick of the best email hosting which covers some more popular web hosting names like Hostinger and Ionos, and also some dedicated email-only options. Along the way, I looked for a good price, speedy service, reliability, and strong security. You’ll find more details about my testing process below.
How I tested
Like most people, I’ve used email a lot over the last couple of decades. Over the years, that’s extended to dedicated email hosting. With the entries below and the alternatives I considered, I spent a number of days trying them out and seeing how well they worked and what made the services stand out.
Besides daily use, I also looked at prices and made comparisons to competitors, as well as evaluating features and potential bonuses that might be included with one but not another. I also wanted to make sure that each email host was simple to sign up to and use.
The best email hosting services in 2026 are:
- Best email hosting overall – Ionos: From £1.20 per month, Ionos.co.uk
- Best budget email hosting – Hostinger: From 39p per month, Hostinger.com
- Best email hosting for security – Proton: From free per month, Proton.me
- Best email hosting for storage – Google Workspace: From £5.90 per user per month, Workspace.google.com
Read more: Best VPS hosting 2026, reviewed by a tech expert
Ionos email hosting
Rating: 5/5
Best: Overall
Price: From £1.20 to £6 per month
Storage: 2-50GB
Email accounts: Up to 10
Domain included: Yes
Why we love it
- Great value
- Free domain with all 12-month plans
- Quick to set up
Take note
- Various additional paid features can make it expensive
Ionos email hosting is refreshingly simple to set up. It only took me a few minutes to set up an email hosting account, create a domain, and get everything ready for my new email address. In the control panel, you can instantly see your account along with any additional features you may have purchased. From there, you can see how much storage you have available – with 2GB being the bare minimum you get, depending on the plan you sign up to. The inbox is clearly laid out and I’d argue it’s more appealing to look at than something like Google’s Gmail.
It all works quickly with a spam filter included as standard, email templates, and a free domain. Those are the core essentials but you can also purchase various add-ons. For example, you can buy extra storage, virus protection, email archiving, and an AI email assistant. Add all those on and Ionos can get pretty expensive. On the other hand, few people are likely to need all of these features so instead, you can stick with paying for exactly what you need and nothing more.
Ionos is a tad in your face about add-ons but it doesn’t take much to dismiss these options and move on. Also, you don’t have to pay for anything truly vital as things like two-factor authentication are still available for free. I was more than happy enough with the spam filter without needing to get extra virus protection. This is a solid option for you and your business or project.
Buy now £1.2, Ionos.co.uk
Hostinger email hosting
Rating: 5/5
Best: Budget email hosting
Price: From 39p to £1.99 per month
Storage: 10-50GB
Email accounts: One
Domain included: Yes
Why we love it
- Very clean interface
- Guides you through app setup
- Very cheap
Take note
- Price is per mailbox
- Pricey if you opt for a rolling contract
I find that Hostinger is a reliable bet for pretty much any hosting need and that’s certainly the case with its email hosting. It took me a few minutes to set up an account, connect my domain, and instantly access my email. Even better, it’s very cheap, particularly if you opt for a 48-month plan. It does get pricier if you go for shorter durations but, arguably, when dealing with email, you probably want a long-term solution.
As standard, you get at least 10GB of storage, 10 or 50 forwarding rules, email aliases, and up to 3,000 emails per day per mailbox (depending on your plan). There’s a free domain included with the two pricier plans as well, along with AI support. This AI support will help you with writing or summarising your emails and also crafting outreach emails. I appreciated how it could quickly triage and summarise a busy inbox, saving me time, while its marketing advice was handy too.
All plans come with spam, virus, and phishing protection, and there’s end-to-end encryption too. Rather usefully, Hostinger also guides you through everything you need to know when it comes to connecting your email to other devices or apps. It’s excellent value for money and surprisingly cheap too.
Buy now £0.4, Hostinger.com
Proton email hosting
Rating: 4/5
Best: Email hosting for security
Price: From free to £11.99 per month
Storage: 1GB to 2TB
Email accounts: Up to two
Domain included: No
Why we love it
- Exceptional encryption
- Very secure
- Potentially free depending on needs
Take note
- Not everyone needs such advanced security
- Personal email rather than marketing plans
For anyone who wants their emails to feel truly secure, there’s Proton. Remarkably, depending on your needs, it could be free for you. Free users get 1GB of storage space while anyone paying gets at least 15GB of storage, extra email addresses, support for a custom domain, and unlimited folders and labels. Pay for the more premium Proton Unlimited plan and you also get a VPN, encrypted cloud storage, and password manager which could potentially save you money overall.
Whatever you do sign up for, Proton is very straightforward to use. Sign-up only takes a couple of minutes. Make sure to save your recovery details while you’re going through the stages. Then you’re confronted with a pleasant-enough looking inbox. A choice of colour schemes awaits you along with guidance for connecting your email to apps. You can also download the Proton desktop app, although it’s far from vital.
If you’re looking for a business address which will also send out mailers to many people, this isn’t really it. It’s more for individual needs. There is AI support if you want it to create an email for you but you’ll need to pay extra rather than it be included like with Hostinger and others. However, for security features like its password protection and end-to-end encryption, you can’t really do better than Proton.
Buy now £12, Proton.me
Google Workspace email hosting
Rating: 4/5
Best: Email for hosting storage
Price: From £5.90 to £12.88 per month
Storage: 30GB to 5TB
Email accounts: One (pay per user)
Domain included: No
Why we love it
- Familiar interface
- Plenty of storage
- Easy to use
Take note
- No domain included
- Can be expensive
If you have a Gmail account, you’ll be very familiar with Google Workspace. It’s actually a service I use on a daily basis because it gives me a huge amount of storage space for the price, and it just works without any hassle. Sign-up is predictably easy with the only downside being that you’ll need to buy a domain for an additional fee as one isn’t included. That won’t take you long but it’s something to consider if your budget is tight. Similarly, the pricing plans aren’t the cheapest just for email but you do get a lot of storage space with 2TB easily acquired for under £10 a month at the moment.
The inbox is easy to figure out with plenty of useful features like filters, unlimited folders, and everything else you could want to organise your emails. There’s Google’s Gemini AI assistant to help you along the way, while you can also use Google Workspace for video meetings, creating videos, and even booking appointments depending on the plan you choose.
It’s a little more than just email, but if you’re looking for a home for a lot of emails and files, you can’t go wrong with Google Workspace. Its straightforward nature is a big selling point as well.
Buy now £5.9, Workspace.google.com
The verdict: Best email hosting 2026
If you’re seeking email hosting, there’s a varied choice of options at your disposal. I’m a big fan of both Ionos and Hostinger’s approach to doing things. Both plans are inexpensive, include a domain, and take moments to set up. Both providers have simple inboxes to navigate with all the essential features you need. If you do choose to switch to full web hosting, it’s easy to add on to your existing package as well so there’s longevity here.
If you want to focus on security, Proton is a well-respected name in the field and near flawless security wise. It can be more expensive than competitors and it lacks some AI features (without paying), but if you simply want somewhere secure to store your emails, it’s the ideal choice.
Then for ease of use, don’t overlook Google Workspace. It’s definitely not the cheapest plan but you’ll almost certainly already know how to use Gmail and its other services. Also, you can get a lot of storage space at your disposal at all times. That’s great for anyone keen to utilise cloud storage.
How the best email hosting was tested
While I was testing the best email hosting, I paid attention to some key factors that are crucial to providing you with a good email host. These included things like price, ease of use, any extra features, and speed. Here’s a deeper look at what I evaluated:
Why you can trust our reviews
Jennifer Allen is an expert in tech and websites and has reviewed everything from VPS options to web hosting services. She also writes gaming and console reviews for IndyBest. During her testing process, Jennifer evaluated everything from design and key features to ease of use and value for money.
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