Let's take these off your mind
Is Zoho Mail cheaper than Google Workspace?
Yes. Zoho Mail Lite cuts atleast 80% of your per user per month against Google Workspace Business Starter in most cases. For users on a US, EU, or India Data Center, Zoho Mail also offers a free plan for up to five users on one custom domain. Google Workspace has no free tier.
Is Zoho Mail a good replacement for Microsoft 365?
For email, yes—Zoho Mail Premium includes retention, eDiscovery, and S/MIME. For the full Office suite you need Zoho Workplace rather than Zoho Mail. Compare Zoho Mail and Zoho Workplace →
Is Zoho Mail as private as Proton Mail?
Different models. Proton Mail is end-to-end encrypted by default. Zoho Mail encrypts at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS, and supports S/MIME and OpenPGP for end-to-end encryption when you configure it. Zoho Mail is ad-free and does not sell customer data.Zoho Mail adds admin controls, retention, and eDiscovery that Proton offers only on the higher Workspace Premium plans.
Can I keep my domain if I switch to Zoho Mail?
Yes. You point your domain's MX records at Zoho Mail. Your email addresses stay exactly the same.
Will I lose my old email when I migrate?
No. Zoho Mail's migration tools move existing mail, folder structure, read status, contacts, and calendars from your previous provider.
How long does migrating take?
Domain verification and MX changes take under an hour of work, though DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours. Mailbox migration time depends on volume. Split and dual delivery let you run both providers during the transition.
Does Zoho Mail work with Outlook and Apple Mail?
On any paid plan, yes—IMAP, POP, and ActiveSync are included. The free plan does not include them, so free-plan users are limited to webmail and the mobile apps.
Where is my data stored?
In the data center matching the Zoho domain you signed up on: US, Canada, India, Singapore, European Union, Australia, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, UK, and the UAE. Data center options →
Is Zoho Mail free?
The free plan covers up to five users on one custom domain with 5 GB each, only in the US, EU, and India Data Centers, without IMAP/POP/ActiveSync. Adding a sixth user moves every user onto a paid plan.
See how Zoho Mail compares
| Features | Recommended Zoho Mail |  Google Workspace |  Microsoft 365 |  Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid price /user/month (annually) | $1 | $7 | $7 | $6.99 |
| Free plan with custom domain | Yes, up to 5 usersOnly for users on USA, India, EU Data Centers | |||
| Storage on entry paid plans | 5-10 GB on Mail Lite, 50 GB Mail Storage + 50 GB Retention on Mail Premium | 30GB | 50GB | 15GB |
| Data residency choice | Across 11 Data CentersUSA, European Union, UK, India, Canada, UAE, KSA, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia | For higher tiers only | For higher tiers only | |
| Encryption at rest | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| End-to-end encryption | Message-level, via S/MIME and OpenPGP | Message-level, via S/MIME | Message-level, via S/MIME and Microsoft Purview | By default |
| Retention & eDiscovery | On Mail Premium and Workplace Professional Plans | Higher plans or via add-on | Higher plans only | Higher plans only |
| Office suite included | No, check Zoho Workplace instead | Check Proton Workspace instead |
When Zoho Mail isn't the right choice
As always, we're being upfront and transparent with the person who matters most to us—you. Here are three cases where something else fits better, so you don't find out after migrating:
You need default end-to-end encryption with no configuration.
Zoho Mail requires you to set up S/MIME or OpenPGP, which means managing keys.
You need the Office suite in the same subscription.
Zoho Mail is email only. Zoho Workplace includes the office suite, file storage, chat, and meetings.
You need self-hosting or on-premise, but for a smaller implementation.
Zoho Mail is cloud-only for most users. Virtual private cloud and on-premise implementations are reserved for large enterprises only. Contact us if you’d like to know more about our cloud options.
Read our detailed comparison guides
| Provider | Comparison | Migration guide |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail / Google Workspace | Zoho Mail vs Gmail | Migrate from Google Workspace |
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 | — | Migrate from Microsoft 365 |
| Microsoft Exchange Server | — | Migrate from Exchange |
| Proton Mail | Zoho Mail vs Proton Mail | — |
| GoDaddy | Zoho Mail vs GoDaddy | Migrate from GoDaddy |
| Rackspace | Zoho Mail vs Rackspace | Migrate from Rackspace |
| Amazon WorkMail | — | Migrate from Amazon WorkMail |
Also compare: Zoho Mail vs Zoho Workplace · All migration options · Zoho Mail specifications · Pricing
Switching to Zoho Mail
Whichever provider you're leaving, the sequence is the same:
Choose a plan and add your domain
Verify domain ownership with a TXT record
Create user accounts, or import them from a CSV
Migrate existing mail, contacts, and calendars with Zoho Mail's migration tool
Point your MX records at Zoho Mail
Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Split and dual delivery let you route mail to both providers while you transition, so nothing is lost mid-migration. Organisations above 50 users get a dedicated migration engineer.