Why price hikes and mandatory AI features are pushing people to look at European email
What's been changing lately
Both Google and Microsoft have significantly expanded their office suites with AI features in recent years: Gemini on one side, Copilot on the other. That in itself isn't the problem, new features are fine. What grates is sometimes the way it's rolled out: as a standard part of a pricier plan, or as a layer that's quietly folded into the base price, even for people who never open the feature. You only notice it on your next invoice.
Why it feels like a breach of trust
You originally signed up for email, a calendar and some documents. Not for a subscription that grows a little every year with features you never asked for. That feeling is made worse by lock-in: rebuilding your whole business around a different email environment isn't a matter of a few clicks, so many businesses are stuck where they are, even as the bill feels a little less reasonable each year.
That's precisely the mechanism behind entry prices that jump sharply after the first year, something that plays out more broadly than just with the big American suites. You can read how that works in introductory price versus renewal price.
What the alternative actually looks like
The alternative isn't complicated: email hosting where you know exactly what you're paying for, with a price per mailbox that doesn't quietly grow along with features you never use. No mandatory AI layer, no surprise on the annual invoice. Want AI features? Choose them yourself through a separate, standalone tool, instead of letting them creep into your mailbox subscription.
And at Mailflux
At Mailflux you pay a clear, annual price per mailbox: no growing bundle, no mandatory AI features you never asked for. You simply get a mailbox on your own domain, hosted in Europe and GDPR-compliant, with the baseline security you need: antispam, antivirus, antimalware and automatic backups, standard on every plan.
More about our conscious choice to leave AI out is in email without AI gimmicks. Wondering whether switching is worth the effort? Check out switching from your hosting provider, it's less work than it looks.
Get started
Curious what a mailbox without a growing bundle would actually cost you? Request your mailbox with no obligation and you'll know exactly where you stand.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to cancel my entire Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace subscription to switch?
Not necessarily all at once. You can start by moving your email to your own domain and decide later what to do with documents, storage or other parts of the bundle. Many businesses phase it out gradually rather than in one weekend.
Is switching to a different email host complicated?
It takes planning, but with the right preparation it's entirely doable without losing your email or being offline for days. You'll find a concrete step-by-step plan in the email migration checklist.