You run a UK business, and your Gmail address no longer fits. Maybe it looks unprofessional on invoices. Maybe your Google Workspace bill keeps rising.

Now you face a long list of Gmail alternatives for business, and every provider claims to lead the pack. None of them agree with each other.

Choosing business email works like choosing an office lease. The headline rent tells you little until you check what sits inside it. A cheap deal can hide tiny storage, while a premium suite can bury you in features you never use.

This guide skips the sales talk. Below, you will find what each of the ten providers does best, what it costs, and where it falls short for UK teams.

What to Check Before You Choose a Gmail Alternative

Run through this short checklist first. It takes two minutes and prevents most regrets.

• Price per user and renewal terms. Per-user plans grow with every hire, and intro rates often rise at renewal. Check whether the quoted price includes VAT.
• Mailbox storage. Entry plans range from 2 GB to unlimited, so match the figure to the attachments your team sends.
• Data location and privacy. Swiss, German and UK-hosted options give different answers on where your mail sits. Check each privacy page against what your clients expect.
• Custom domain support. You want [email protected], not the provider’s address. Confirm the plan allows your own domain and enough aliases.
• Migration help. Moving years of Gmail needs an import tool. Look for guided migration before you commit.
• Sending limits. Several budget plans cap sends at around 500 emails per mailbox each day. That cap affects teams that send quotes or newsletters from their inbox.
• Office apps and drive storage. Decide whether you need documents and spreadsheets in the same plan, or only mail.

Quick Comparison

Provider	Starting Price	Entry Storage	Best For
Truehost Workplace	From $4.80 per year (1 mailbox)	3 GB (Starter), 10 GB (Business)	Lowest flat-rate cost
Microsoft 365	From about £4.60 per user/month (ex VAT)	50 GB mailbox, 1 TB OneDrive	Office apps and compliance
Proton Mail	From about €6.99 per user/month (yearly)	15 GB per user	Private, encrypted email
Zoho Mail	Free for 5 users; paid from $1 per user/month	5 GB (Lite), 50 GB (Premium)	Tight budgets
Fastmail	From $3 per user/month (yearly)	6 GB (Basic), 60 GB (Standard)	Speed and open standards
Tuta	From €6 per user/month (business)	50 GB per user	Low-cost encryption
Neo	From $1.25 to $2.49 per mailbox/month	15 GB per mailbox	Start-ups and solo owners
Titan Email	From about $1.49 per mailbox/month	10 GB and up	Host and registrar bundles
Infomaniak kMail	From about CHF 1.76 per user/month	Unlimited mail, 50 GB kDrive	Swiss, sustainable hosting
Mailbox.org	From €1 per user/month (€4 net Standard)	20 GB mail on Standard	Flexible European hosting

Prices come from provider pages and 2026 reviews, shown in each provider’s billing currency. Confirm the live rate and VAT at checkout.

1. Truehost Workplace

Truehost Workplace is built for businesses that want branded email at a flat yearly price. Each plan bundles a set number of mailboxes, so your cost stays predictable as you add people.

Every tier also includes drive storage and office apps, which spares you a second subscription.

Pricing: Workplace Starter costs $4.80 a year for one mailbox. Pro costs $12.60 for three, Business costs $22.20 for five, Premium costs $44.00 for ten, and Enterprise costs $88.00 for twenty. Billing runs annually, and setup is free.

Features

• Pay one flat price per plan. Five mailboxes on Business cost $22.20 a year, which works out to about $0.37 per mailbox each month.
• Get security on every tier. 2FA protection, anti-virus checks and advanced anti-spam come with all five plans, even Starter.
• Work inside one suite. Drive storage, collaboration tools, and Docs, Sheets and Presentations come included.
• Use aliases and forwarding. Starter includes 10 aliases and 10 forwarding rules, so info@ and sales@ can land in one inbox.

Pros

• Among the lowest per-mailbox costs on this list
• Free setup, with no per-seat creep as your team grows
• Security and office apps on every plan

Cons

• Storage tops out at 10 GB per mailbox on every tier above Pro
• Billing runs annually, and prices show in US dollars, so UK cards convert them

Best For: UK freelancers and small teams that want branded mailboxes at the lowest yearly cost

2. Microsoft 365 (Outlook)

Microsoft 365 is the closest all-in-one swap for Google Workspace. Outlook handles your mail, while Teams, OneDrive and the Office apps share one login.

UK business tenants can keep their data in Microsoft’s UK data centres, which helps when clients ask where their information sits.

Pricing: Business Basic started at £4.60 per user a month on an annual term, before VAT. Microsoft raised commercial prices from 1 July 2026, so expect roughly £5 to £6 and confirm the live rate.

Features

• Keep everything in one place. Business Basic includes a 50 GB mailbox, 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user, Teams, and web and mobile Office apps.
• Add desktop apps when you need them. Business Standard adds the installable Office suite for a higher monthly fee.
• Tighten security as you grow. Business Premium adds device management and advanced threat protection.

Pros

• The deepest app suite on this list
• Familiar Outlook interface for most staff and clients
• UK data centre option for UK tenants

Cons

• The July 2026 price rise makes per-user costs climb fast
• Admin and setup take more effort than lightweight rivals

Best For: Teams that want one login for mail, files, chat and Office apps

3. Proton Mail

Proton Mail puts privacy first. It encrypts your messages end to end, and the company operates under Swiss privacy law.

Its business plans bundle mail, calendar, Drive and VPN into one per-user subscription.

Pricing: Mail Essentials costs €7.99 per user monthly, or about €6.99 a month on a one-year term. Proton Business costs €12.99 monthly and lifts storage to 500 GB per user.

Features

• Protect every message. End-to-end encryption covers your mail and calendar by default.
• Switch without pain. The Easy Switch import assistant moves your data across from your old provider.
• Use your own domain. Mail Essentials supports 3 custom domains and 10 email addresses per user.

Pros

• A strong privacy reputation with Swiss hosting
• Priority support on business plans
• VPN and Drive bundled at the Business tier

Cons

• Costs more than Zoho or Neo at the entry tier
• Mail Essentials offers only 15 GB per user

Best For: Firms that handle sensitive client data, such as solicitors, consultants and advisers

4. Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail wins on price. It gives you custom domain email, an ad-free inbox, and easy setup without forcing you into a large software ecosystem.

You can even start for free, then upgrade as your team grows.

Pricing: Mail Lite costs $1 per user monthly with 5 GB, or $1.25 with 10 GB. Mail Premium costs $4 per user monthly with 50 GB. Plans bill annually.

Features

• Start for free. The free plan covers one domain and up to five users, with 5 GB each and a 25 MB attachment limit.
• Pay only for mail. Lite and Premium skip the full office suite, so you avoid paying for tools you never open.
• Test the upgrade. Mail Premium comes with a 15-day free trial.

Pros

• The lowest paid price on this list
• A clean, ad-free interface
• A simple path from free to paid

Cons

• Reviews flag limited access options and regional limits on the free plan
• Per-user pricing climbs with every hire

Best For: Start-ups and small teams that want the lowest possible bill

5. Fastmail

Fastmail suits people who live in their inbox. It focuses on speed, clean design and open standards, so your mail works with the apps you already use.

Calendar and contacts sync through standard protocols too.

Pricing: Basic costs $3 per user monthly on a yearly term, Standard costs $5, and Professional costs $9. Monthly billing costs $4, $6 and $10. Every business plan includes a 30-day free trial.

Features

• Get room to grow. Standard gives you 60 GB per user, while Professional gives 150 GB with email retention archives.
• Protect your identity. Masked Email creates a unique address for each sign-up and works with 1Password.
• Connect any app. Apple Mail, Outlook and Thunderbird sync cleanly through standard protocols.

Pros

• Fast, clean interface
• Generous storage from the Standard tier
• Works with open standards

Cons

• No bundled documents or office apps
• Basic holds only 6 GB in total

Best For: Power users and small teams that value speed and a clean design

6. Tuta

Tuta, formerly Tutanota, comes from Germany and builds privacy into every plan. It encrypts your mail, runs no ads, and uses no tracking.

Business plans add shared domains and more storage per user.

Pricing: Business plans run €6 per user monthly for Essential with 50 GB, €8 for Advanced with 500 GB, and €12 for Unlimited with 1,000 GB. A personal Revolutionary plan costs €3 monthly and supports three custom domains.

Features

• Encrypt by default. Tuta applies end-to-end encryption without extra setup.
• Add your own domains. Essential supports 3 custom domains, and Unlimited removes the cap.
• Try it free. A free tier with 1 GB lets you test the interface first.

Pros

• Strong privacy at a low entry price
• German company with European hosting
• Encrypted calendar included

Cons

• Runs through its own apps, so standard clients like Outlook do not connect
• Offers fewer integrations than larger suites

Best For: Solo owners and small teams that want privacy at a low price

7. Neo

Neo targets start-ups and solo owners who want email without the setup headache. You pay per mailbox, and you can start even if you do not own a domain yet.

A free .co.site domain and a one-page website come with your subscription.

Pricing: Business Starter costs $2.49 per mailbox monthly on an annual term, or from $1.25 on longer terms. Standard costs $4.99 and Max costs $9.99.

Features

• Launch fast. A free domain option and a one-page site get you online in one sitting.
• Send smarter. Scheduling, templates, read receipts and AI writing help come built in.
• Pick your storage. Plans offer 15 GB, 50 GB or 100 GB per mailbox.

Pros

• Very low entry price
• Website included with the subscription
• A 15-day free trial

Cons

• Starter caps sending at 500 emails per day
• No free plan, and reviewers suggest established providers offer deeper features and support

Best For: Founders and freelancers who want email and a simple site in one place

8. Titan Email

Titan Email reaches most small businesses through their web host or domain registrar. GoDaddy, Hostinger and Name.com all resell it.

That route makes setup simple if you already buy your domain from one of them.

Pricing: Prices vary by seller. Capterra UK lists $1.49 per user monthly on annual billing and $2.99 on monthly billing. Higher tiers add storage up to 100 GB per mailbox.

Features

• Add business tools. Read receipts, templates and follow-up reminders suit small teams.
• Scale by tier. Storage steps up from 10 GB to 50 GB and 100 GB as you upgrade.
• Use standard apps. IMAP, POP3 and a Titan mobile app come with every GoDaddy plan.

Pros

• A low monthly price
• Easy to add through the registrar you already use
• Clear storage tiers

Cons

• Titan does not sell direct, so plans and support differ by reseller
• GoDaddy caps each mailbox at 500 sends per day

Best For: Small businesses that already buy their domain or hosting from a Titan partner

9. Infomaniak kMail

Infomaniak kMail offers a European, sustainability-minded alternative to Google Workspace. The company hosts its services in Switzerland and runs them on renewable energy.

Its kSuite bundle adds storage, chat and meetings around your mail.

Pricing: kSuite Standard starts at about CHF 1.76 per user monthly, and higher tiers add far more storage. A 2026 review notes that Infomaniak does not use introductory pricing.

Features

• Keep mail unlimited. Mail Service addresses on a custom domain include unlimited mail storage.
• Bundle the suite. kSuite adds kDrive, kChat, kMeet and a calendar, with 50 GB of kDrive per user on Standard and 3 TB on Business.
• Block threats early. Infomaniak says it blocks over 99.9% of spam, malware and phishing before delivery.

Pros

• Swiss hosting with a green energy focus
• Large kDrive storage on higher tiers
• Stable pricing without intro discounts

Cons

• kSuite needs a domain name
• Prices appear in Swiss francs, so your card converts them

Best For: UK teams that want Swiss hosting, big storage and a sustainable provider

10. Mailbox.org

Mailbox.org runs from Berlin and keeps things simple. It offers secure, ad-free mail with calendars, contacts, cloud storage and office tools.

It works over standard protocols, so you can pick any mail app.

Pricing: Business plans cost €1 per user monthly for Light with 2 GB, €4 net for Standard, and €12 net for Premium. Standard includes 20 GB of mail storage. New business prices applied from 1 September 2026.

Features

• Use open standards. IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV let you connect any app.
• Get office tools. Standard and Premium add Drive storage and an office suite.
• Reach support. Premium users get a callback service on business days, from 9AM to 6PM German time.

Pros

• Fair pricing with German privacy standards
• Flexible plan changes for business accounts
• A 30-day trial

Cons

• Heavy attachment users may outgrow 20 GB on Standard
• The jump from Standard to Premium triples the price

Best For: Privacy-aware teams that want a flexible, no-frills European provider

What a Five-Person Team Pays Each Year

Per-user prices look small until you multiply them. This table multiplies the entry business rate by five mailboxes for twelve months. It excludes VAT and any promo discounts.

Provider	Entry plan used	Approx. yearly cost, 5 users
Truehost Workplace	Business, $22.20 per year for 5 mailboxes	About $22
Titan Email	$1.49 per mailbox/month (annual)	About $89
Zoho Mail	Mail Lite, $1 per user/month	About $60
Neo	Business Starter, $2.49 per mailbox/month	About $149
Infomaniak kMail	kSuite Standard, CHF 1.76 per user/month	About CHF 106
Mailbox.org	Standard, €4 net per user/month	About €240
Microsoft 365	Business Basic, £4.60 per user/month	About £276 before the July 2026 rise
Fastmail	Standard, $5 per user/month (yearly)	About $300
Tuta	Essential, €6 per user/month	About €360
Proton Mail	Mail Essentials, €6.99 per user/month (yearly)	About €419

The gap between the cheapest and dearest option runs to several hundred pounds a year. Cheap plans also cap storage and sends, so check the limits before you chase the lowest figure.

How to Move Off Gmail Without Losing a Single Email

Switching feels risky, but a careful order of steps keeps your mail safe. Most teams finish in a few days. Follow this sequence.

1. Pick your provider and plan. Match storage and sending limits to your current inbox size.
2. Add your domain. Connect your own domain, then point its MX records to the new provider.
3. Import your old mail. Use the provider’s import tool to copy messages, contacts and calendars from Gmail.
4. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC. These DNS records help your messages reach inboxes instead of spam folders.
5. Run both inboxes for a while. Keep Gmail open for a few weeks and forward new mail until nothing important still arrives there.
6. Update your logins and tell clients. Change the email on your invoicing, banking and software accounts, then announce the new address.

DNS changes can take a few hours to spread. Plan the switch for a quiet period, and avoid doing it on a Friday afternoon.

The Bottom Line: Pick One and Move Before Your Next Invoice Goes Out

If the lowest yearly cost decides it, Truehost Workplace leads this list at $22.20 a year for five mailboxes. If you want the closest all-in-one replacement for Google Workspace, choose Microsoft 365. If privacy comes first, look at Proton Mail or Tuta. If the budget decides everything, Zoho Mail gives you a free start and the lowest paid price.

Fastmail suits speed and open standards, while Mailbox.org and Infomaniak suit teams that want European hosting. Neo and Titan fit owners who buy a domain and email in one go.

Whichever you pick, match the plan to your headcount and your attachments, not to the biggest number on the pricing page. That choice saves you money at renewal, and it protects your team from an outgrown inbox.

Ready to move? Truehost Workplace starts at $4.80 a year for one mailbox, with 2FA, anti-spam and office apps included. Compare the Workplace plans and set up your branded inbox before the next invoice leaves a Gmail address.