Unlocking Cost-Efficient Communication: 5 Recommended Methods to Create a Free Business Email Address
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There are various “free email” services where you can obtain email addresses for free; some are highly functional and convenient. Therefore, you might be wondering if it’s okay to use them for business purposes.
This article will introduce five high-quality free email services among the many available. We will also provide some tips on what to consider when using them for business.
What is Free Email?
“Free email” means getting an email address without paying for it, just like the name suggests.
You can find these email services online and use them in a web browser or phone. These email addresses often include the company’s name, like “yourname@gmail.com” for Gmail and “yourname@yahoo.com” for Yahoo Mail.
But remember, emails from free providers might not be as reliable and secure as those from well-known companies. Still, they’re popular because they’re easy to make and work in many situations.
Top 5 Free Email Services
Here, we introduce five free email services commonly used today if you are still determining which one to use or would like to know the differences in the functions of free email services.
Refer to the following and compare the features of each service before choosing the most suitable service.
- Gmail
Mailbox capacity15GBSecurity〇Anti-spam measures〇Is it possible to obtain multiple〇Paid plan (Google Workspace)Features● Compatible with smartphone apps● Supports aliases
● Supports sending reservation emails
● Ads display available
Gmail is a free email service by Google, a well-known search engine company. It gives you 15GB of storage for your emails.
Gmail does more than just basics. It scans for viruses and keeps spam out. You can also organise your emails by archiving them, giving them labels, or having Gmail do it automatically based on rules. It makes your inbox tidy by sorting emails into different sections so important messages stay at the top.
Gmail has an “alias” feature, which means you can create new email addresses from your existing ones by adding extra characters; this can be handy.
What’s remarkable is that Gmail is compatible with other Google services. You can start web meetings with Google Meet from Gmail or put your email plans into your Google Calendar.
But remember, your Gmail storage is shared with other Google services like Google Drive and Google Photos. If you fill up your 15GB with files in Google Drive, you won’t have much space left for Gmail. So, keep an eye on your Google Drive space.
- Outlook.com
Mailbox capacity15GBSecurity〇Anti-spam measures〇Is it possible to obtain multiple〇Paid plan (Microsoft 365)Features● Compatible with smartphone apps● Supports aliases (up to 10)
● Displays advertisements
Outlook.com is a free email service from Microsoft. The webmail interface of Outlook.com closely resembles Microsoft Outlook, making it user-friendly for those familiar with Outlook.
One cool thing about Outlook.com is that it connects with online versions of Microsoft Office apps. You can use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint from your Outlook.com account and open email attachments without leaving your inbox. It also works smoothly with Microsoft’s other tools, like OneDrive and OneNote, and lets you switch to communication tools like Teams and Skype.
Outlook.com has an “alias” feature, which means you can have different names for your email account, separate from your primary email. You can have up to 10 extra email addresses with this feature.
One drawback is that the PC version of Outlook.com shows fairly big ads on the right side of the screen, which might bug some users.
- Yahoo Mail
Mailbox capacity10GBSecurityPaid plan onlyAnti-spam measures〇Is it possible to obtain multiplexPaid plan (Yahoo! Premium)Features● Compatible with smartphone apps● Supports sub-addresses (up to 10)
● Displays advertisements
Yahoo Mail is a free email service by Yahoo. It has a simple, familiar interface that many people like, with menus and emails neatly organised into three sections, making it easy to use, even for those who aren’t internet pros.
One good thing about Yahoo Mail is the “Safety Address” feature. It lets you make up to 10 new email addresses by mixing a memorable base name with automatic keywords.
But there are some downsides. When signing up, you need a phone number, and you can only have one Yahoo Mail account per phone number. If you don’t use it for six months, all your emails and settings will vanish. Also, there are big ads on the right side of the screen in the free version, which might bother some users.
- iCloud Mail
Mailbox capacity5GBSecurity〇Anti-spam measures〇Is it possible to obtain multiple×Paid plan (iCloud+)Features● No smartphone app (can be used from Apple’s standard email software)● Supports aliases (up to 3)
● No advertisements
iCloud Mail is a free email service from Apple. It has a simple and familiar interface for Apple users. What’s nice is that even in the free version, there are no ads. It has a “Mail Alias” feature. You can make up to three extra email addresses with different names in addition to your main one.
To use iCloud Mail, you need an Apple ID. You can make one even if you don’t have Apple products, but there are some rules. You’ll need to give a phone number when you sign up, and there’s an age limit, so kids under 13 can’t register.
Here’s the catch: iCloud Mail only gives you 5GB of space, less than other services; this could be a problem if you get many emails. Plus, it’s not as feature-packed as Gmail. And there’s no particular smartphone app for it, which might not be great if you like managing email on your phone.
- Zoho Mail
Mailbox capacity5GBSecurity〇Anti-spam measures〇Is it possible to obtain multiple〇Paid planFeatures・Compatible with smartphone apps・Supports aliases (up to 30)
・No advertising
・Supports hosting of own domain
Zoho Mail is a free email service from Zoho Corporation, an Indian company. The free version doesn’t show ads, giving you a clean, distraction-free email experience.
It does things differently by organising your emails into folders, and you can write new emails in separate tabs, which is more old-school; this is great if you don’t like complex email interfaces and prefer a classic style.
What makes Zoho Mail special is that you can use it with your custom domain for email addresses. You don’t need a separate hosting service for this. Plus, you can connect Zoho Mail with other Zoho services like word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, and task management. This combo gives you many tools for getting things done and working with others.
Summary
In this explanation, we gave recommendations for free email services.
In the past, free email services weren’t very reliable, mainly used by people who wanted to stay anonymous. But things have changed. Big IT companies now offer excellent free email services and are stricter about checking who signs up. As a result, free email services are popular for all kinds of communication, even in business.
In the following article (Exploring the Pros and Cons of Free Email Services and Their Suitability for Business Use) will review the good and bad parts of using free email services and what you should consider.