What does email hosting really cost? (mailbox + domain + setup)
What falls under the costs of email hosting?
Email hosting is the service that runs your business mail: it receives, stores and secures your messages and provides the webmail and the servers behind it. The price you pay for that is rarely one round figure. It's built up from a few components that are often listed separately.
That build-up is precisely why two offers that seem to cost the same at first glance can differ sharply in practice. One includes the domain name, the other doesn't. One shows an intro price, the other the regular price. By pulling the items apart, you compare apples with apples.
Why it pays to calculate this
As a starting self-employed person or office manager, you don't want a surprise on your next invoice. A price per mailbox looks low, but you pay it per user and per year, and the domain name comes on top of that. If you don't calculate that in advance, your "cheap" solution turns out more expensive than expected afterwards.
The reverse also holds. Whoever knows the items quickly sees what they don't have to pay for, for example a whole package of software while you only need email. Transparency thus works both ways: you avoid surprises and you don't pay for bloat. Want to know purely what one address costs, then read how much a business email address costs.
The three cost items, step by step
See email hosting as a sum. Calculate each item separately and add them up to your annual total.
1. The mailbox (per user)
This is the recurring core cost: a mailbox per person who needs an address. With Mailflux it looks like this, per mailbox per month, billed annually:
| Plan | Price per mailbox/month | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | €4.99 | 8 GB |
| Pro | €6.99 | 25 GB |
| Premium | €9.99 | 50 GB (up to 100 GB) |
Every plan includes antivirus, antispam and antimalware, automatic backups, optional 2FA and 20 free aliases. Pro and Premium add premium antimalware, calendar, task list and synchronisation via CardDAV and CalDAV. To get your annual cost per mailbox, multiply the monthly price by twelve, and then that by the number of users.
2. The domain name (separate annual cost)
Your addresses hang on a domain, like jouwzaak.be. That domain name is a separate, annual item and isn't included in the mailbox price. You bring a domain you already have (with DNS access to connect it) or Mailflux registers and manages one for you. Important: one domain is enough for all your mailboxes. Ten colleagues on jouwzaak.be means ten mailboxes, but one domain name.
3. One-off setup or migration
The third item isn't a subscription, but a possible one-off cost. If you start from scratch, setting up is usually done in no time and you have little to spend here. If you move existing mail, contacts and calendars from somewhere else, setup or migration may be added. Count that once in the first year and leave it out of your annual total afterwards.
How to calculate your annual total
With a simple formula you have it sharp right away:
(mailbox price per month × 12 × number of users) + domain name per year + any one-off setup = annual total
An example with the Basic plan and one user: €4.99 × 12 = €59.88 for the mailbox, plus your domain name separately, plus any one-off setup in year one. From year two that setup drops away and you're left with the mailbox plus the domain. That way you see your recurring cost at a glance. If you'd rather not do this by hand, a handy cost calculator is on the way.
What to watch out for
When calculating your total costs, people often stumble over the same things.
- Intro price versus renewal price. Some cheap hosting lures you with a low price for the first year, which then rises sharply. Always calculate with the renewal price, not the intro. We go deeper into it at intro price versus renewal price.
- Don't forget the domain name. It stands apart from the mailbox and easily falls outside your calculation.
- Calculate per user, not per business. Every address is a separate mailbox; count them all.
- Check whether you're paying for more than email. If email is hidden in a large bundled office suite, you also pay for parts you may never use.
- Watch the unit. A price "per month" is sometimes billed annually. So know whether you're looking at a monthly or annual amount.
And with Mailflux
With Mailflux those three items are exactly as transparent as above: one price per mailbox (billed annually), the domain name separately, and sometimes a one-off setup if you migrate. No intro price that doubles after a year, no bundle with tools you didn't ask for.
You get email on your own domain, hosted in Europe and GDPR-compliant, with security and backups in every plan. So you know in advance what your annual total will be and you pay only for what you use. Curious about the idea behind your own domain? Read what email on your own domain involves.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does email on your own domain cost per year?
Calculate the mailbox price (from €4.99 per month, so €59.88 per year with Basic) times the number of users, plus the annual domain name and any one-off setup in the first year. From year two only the mailbox and the domain remain.
Is the domain name included in the price of email hosting?
No, the domain name is a separate annual cost and stands apart from the mailbox price. One domain does suffice for all your mailboxes. So include that item once in your annual total, not per user separately.
Why does the price of email hosting differ so much?
Because offers are built up differently: one shows an intro price, the other the renewal price; one covers only email, the other a full office suite. Pull the items apart and calculate with the renewal price, then you compare fairly.
Is there always setup added?
Not always. If you start fresh, setting up is usually done in no time without extra cost. If you move existing mail and contacts, a one-off setup or migration may be added. If you're unsure about your situation, feel free to ask.