site.zoho.com Mail pricing: free plan for 5 users, and Mail Lite at $1
Zoho Mail's plans as its pricing page lists them in US dollars, what the Forever Free plan leaves out, and what a team pays compared with Google Workspace and MarkRelay.
- Published by
- MarkRelay Research
- Updated
- Sources
- 4 primary sources, linked below
Summary
Zoho Mail's Forever Free plan gives up to 5 users a mailbox on one custom domain, 5 GB each, but without IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, so mail is read in Zoho's own apps, and it is offered only in some Zoho data centers. Mail Lite is $1 per user a month with 5 GB, or $1.25 with 10 GB, billed yearly only; Mail Premium is $4. That makes Zoho the cheapest per-user mailbox we checked. MarkRelay costs the same however many people use it: $99 a year plus $5 a month for Cloudflare Workers Paid, with mail kept in your own Cloudflare account, an HTTP API and broadcasts.
Key findings
- 1Forever Free: up to 5 users, 5 GB per user, one custom domain, no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, available only in select data centers.
- 2Mail Lite: $1 per user a month for 5 GB or $1.25 for 10 GB, billed yearly; Zoho offers no monthly plan for Mail Lite or Mail Premium.
- 3Mail Premium: $4 per user a month, with 50 GB of mail plus 50 GB of retention storage, eDiscovery and S/MIME.
- 4Workplace (mail plus office apps): Standard $3 yearly or $4 monthly, Professional $6 or $7.
- 5Plans can be mixed across users only on yearly subscriptions.
Questions this report answers
Asked by real people, quoted as they wrote them.
“Inexpensive email for clients so I can remove email as a service I offer? Zoho?”
r/webhosting, 53 comments
Zoho is the cheapest paid option we checked: Mail Lite at $1 per user a month, billed yearly. Small clients with up to 5 users on one domain can use Forever Free if web and mobile apps are enough, since it has no IMAP. Google Workspace Business Starter is $7 per user a month.
“zoho custom domain email free”
Google and Bing search suggestion
Yes, on Forever Free: one custom domain, up to 5 users, 5 GB each. From the sixth user, paid plans apply.
“Is there an easy way to create a free business email for a solo business?”
r/smallbusiness, 30 comments
Two free routes: Zoho Mail Forever Free gives a real mailbox on your domain, read in Zoho's web and mobile apps. Cloudflare Email Routing forwards your domain's mail to an inbox you already have, also free, but replying as the domain through Gmail's Send mail as ends in January 2027; MarkRelay on Cloudflare receives and replies from the domain for $99 a year plus $5 a month.
“Is it ok to use Zoho Mail for sending emails?”
r/Emailmarketing
Zoho lists bulk transactional emails as a Mail Lite feature but publishes no sending limits on its pricing page. For newsletters to a list, a tool built for broadcasts handles unsubscribes and bounces; MarkRelay's broadcasts do this from your own Cloudflare account.
Zoho Mail plans (USD)
| On zoho.com | Forever Free | Mail Lite | Mail Premium | Workplace Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per user per month | $0 | $1 (5 GB) or $1.25 (10 GB) | $4 | $3 yearly, $4 monthly |
| Monthly billing | Not stated | No | No | Yes |
| Users | Up to 5 | Any | Any | Any |
| Mail storage per user | 5 GB | 5 or 10 GB | 50 GB + 50 GB retention | 30 GB |
| Custom domains | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Access | Zoho's apps only; no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync | Zoho's mobile and desktop apps | Not stated | Not stated |
Per user per month
- Forever Free
- $0
- Mail Lite
- $1 (5 GB) or $1.25 (10 GB)
- Mail Premium
- $4
- Workplace Standard
- $3 yearly, $4 monthly
Monthly billing
- Forever Free
- Not stated
- Mail Lite
- No
- Mail Premium
- No
- Workplace Standard
- Yes
Users
- Forever Free
- Up to 5
- Mail Lite
- Any
- Mail Premium
- Any
- Workplace Standard
- Any
Mail storage per user
- Forever Free
- 5 GB
- Mail Lite
- 5 or 10 GB
- Mail Premium
- 50 GB + 50 GB retention
- Workplace Standard
- 30 GB
Custom domains
- Forever Free
- 1
- Mail Lite
- Yes
- Mail Premium
- Yes
- Workplace Standard
- Yes
Access
- Forever Free
- Zoho's apps only; no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync
- Mail Lite
- Zoho's mobile and desktop apps
- Mail Premium
- Not stated
- Workplace Standard
- Not stated
Zoho shows prices by region; these are the US-dollar prices on its pricing page. Forever Free is offered only in select data centers. Source: Zoho Mail pricing.
What a team pays a year
| Users | Zoho Mail Lite | Google Workspace Starter | Fastmail Standard | MarkRelay$99/yr + Cloudflare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $12 (or Forever Free) | $84 | $60 | $159 |
| 5 | $60 (or Forever Free) | $420 | $300 | $159 |
| 15 | $180 | $1,260 | $900 | $159 |
1
- Zoho Mail Lite
- $12 (or Forever Free)
- Google Workspace Starter
- $84
- Fastmail Standard
- $60
- MarkRelay
- $159
5
- Zoho Mail Lite
- $60 (or Forever Free)
- Google Workspace Starter
- $420
- Fastmail Standard
- $300
- MarkRelay
- $159
15
- Zoho Mail Lite
- $180
- Google Workspace Starter
- $1,260
- Fastmail Standard
- $900
- MarkRelay
- $159
Yearly prices for the plan named. MarkRelay is the $99 Annual license plus $5 a month for Cloudflare Workers Paid, the same for any team size, with 3,000 sent emails a month included; receiving is free. Source: Google Workspace pricing, Fastmail pricing.
What Forever Free leaves out
The free plan's limits matter more than its price. Without IMAP, POP or ActiveSync you cannot use Outlook, Apple Mail or a phone's built-in mail app; Zoho's own apps are the way in. It covers one domain and 5 users, and Zoho offers it only in select data centers, so some regions cannot sign up for it.
Where MarkRelay fits
A good fit when
- Teams of more than a few people, or many domains: one flat price instead of a per-user fee.
- Mail you want in your own Cloudflare account, with an API and broadcasts on the same mailboxes.
Look elsewhere when
- One or two people who just want the cheapest mailbox: Zoho Mail Lite or Forever Free costs less.
- Office apps: Zoho Workplace includes Writer, Sheet, Show and Meeting; MarkRelay has none.
Common questions
Is Zoho Mail free for a custom domain?
Yes, Forever Free covers one custom domain for up to 5 users, 5 GB each, without IMAP, POP or ActiveSync.
How much is Zoho Mail Lite?
$1 per user a month with 5 GB, or $1.25 with 10 GB, billed yearly. There is no monthly plan.
Sources and method
- Zoho Mail pricing (www.zoho.com/mail/zohomail-pricing.html)
- Google Workspace pricing (workspace.google.com/pricing)
- Fastmail pricing (www.fastmail.com/pricing/us/)
- Cloudflare Email Service pricing (developers.cloudflare.com/email-service/platform/pricing/)
Facts are taken from each vendor's own pricing pages, documentation or terms as of the updated date above; prices are in US dollars per month unless stated. Cost comparisons apply each vendor's published rates to the same volume. MarkRelay is not affiliated with Zoho;"site.zoho.com" in the title names the site these facts come from. MarkRelay sells a self-hosted email app, which this page mentions where it fits. Spotted something outdated? Tell us.
Revisions
- : First published; every fact checked on the vendor's own pages.
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- Custom domain emailCustom domain email hosting in 2026: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, Fastmail and Proton pricing compared
- Custom domain emailsite.microsoft.com: Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7, and email-only Exchange at $4
- Email Routing and Sendingsite.cloudflare.com Email Routing: free custom domain email, and how to send
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