"Rohanenterprises1987@gmail.com" is losing you business.
Not because anyone thinks less of Rohan. Because email from a free address looks like every second scam message in your customer's inbox, and because the day an employee leaves, the customer relationships in that inbox leave with them.
A business email address on your own domain (you@yourcompany.in) fixes both. It costs less than most people expect: from nothing to a few hundred rupees per person a month. The hard part isn't choosing a provider. It's setting it up so your emails reach the inbox, not the spam folder.
This guide compares the options Indian businesses actually choose between: Google Workspace, Zoho Mail and the free routes. It covers prices in rupees, what each one suits and the setup steps most people get wrong.
Disclosure: my studio runs Reset Tasks. Setting up business email on your domain is one of the jobs it does, for a fixed ₹2,000. You can also do it yourself with the steps below.
Business email options compared
| Price (India) | Base ₹99, Starter ₹270, Standard ₹1,080 per user a month (yearly, before GST) | Free for up to 5 users; paid from about ₹59 per user a month | Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage | 20 GB (Base), 30 GB (Starter) or 2 TB (Standard) per user | 5 GB per user free; more on paid plans | Uses your existing inbox |
| Apps included | Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet, Calendar | Mail, calendar, contacts; Zoho Workplace adds documents and meetings | None |
| Works in Outlook or Apple Mail | Yes | Paid plans only | Depends |
| Ads | None | None | Depends on the inbox |
| Best for | Teams already using Gmail and Google Docs | Cost-conscious teams, Zoho CRM users | One person, receiving only |
| Free trial | 14 days | Free plan available | – |
Sources: Google Workspace pricing for India and Zoho Mail pricing, checked 28 October 2026. Zoho's rupee prices are as listed by its Indian partners. Confirm at checkout.
Google Workspace business email
Google Workspace gives you Gmail with your own domain, plus Google's office apps. If your team already uses Gmail on their phones, it's the least disruptive choice: the app looks the same, it just says your company's name.
Google Workspace pricing in India
| Plan | Per user a month (yearly) | Storage | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | ₹99 | 20 GB per person | Up to 20 |
| Starter | ₹270 | 30 GB per person | Up to 300 |
| Standard | ₹1,080 | 2 TB per user | Up to 300 |
| Enterprise | Contact Google | 5 TB per user | No limit |
Source: Google Workspace India pricing, 28 October 2026. Prices are for a one-year commitment, billed monthly, and exclude GST.
All plans come with a 14-day free trial. Google says the one-year commitment saves 16% compared with flexible monthly billing. GST at 18% is added on top.
Which plan to pick: most small businesses are well served by Starter. Pick Standard if you record meetings or share large files, because the 2 TB of storage is the main difference. Base is Google's newest and cheapest plan, so check its feature list against what your team needs before you commit.
Zoho Mail business email
Zoho is an Indian company (based in Chennai), and Zoho Mail is its email service. It's ad-free, keeps data in Indian data centres for Indian accounts, and fits neatly if you already use Zoho CRM or Zoho Books.
Zoho Mail's free plan
Zoho's Forever Free plan is the best-known way to get free business email in India:
- Up to 5 users
- 5 GB of storage per user
- One domain
- Web and mobile apps only. It doesn't work with Outlook, Apple Mail or other email apps (no IMAP or POP).
- Available only in some of Zoho's data centres, so check at sign-up
For a team of two or three people who read email on the web or the Zoho Mail app, that's enough.
Zoho Mail pricing in India
Zoho's paid plans start with Mail Lite, which Zoho's Indian partners list from about ₹59 per user a month on a yearly plan, and Mail Premium at about ₹199. Workplace bundles add documents, file storage and meetings.
Zoho's own pricing page shows prices by location, so the exact rupee figure appears when you sign up from India. Confirm it at checkout, and remember that GST is added.
Which plan to pick: the free plan if you have five people or fewer and don't need Outlook. Mail Lite once you need email apps or more storage. Mail Premium if you need email archiving.
Want it set up properly, the first time? Reset Tasks will set up Google Workspace or Zoho Mail on your domain, including the records that keep you out of spam, for a fixed ₹2,000. Done in 3 working days.
Free business email: what's really free
When people search for free business email, they usually find three options:
- Zoho Mail Forever Free. Real email on your domain, for up to 5 users, with the limits above. The best free option.
- Email forwarding. Many domain services (and Cloudflare, for domains it manages) can forward you@yourcompany.in to your existing Gmail for free. You receive mail at your business address, but replies come from your Gmail unless you set up sending separately, and that often lands in spam.
- Email bundled with web hosting. Many hosting plans include a few mailboxes. They work, but deliverability varies, and if you change hosting, your email goes with it.
Picture Kavya, who runs an interior design studio in Ahmedabad with three staff. She sets up forwarding so client emails reach her Gmail. Replies go out from her Gmail address, and clients start replying to two different addresses. A month later, she moves the team to Zoho's free plan. Everyone gets a proper inbox, at no cost.
Free is fine when you're small. Pay once you have more than five people, need Outlook, or depend on email for sales.
How much business email costs a year
For a five-person business, before and after 18% GST:
| Option | A year before GST | A year with GST |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Mail Forever Free | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| Zoho Mail Lite (about ₹59 a user a month) | about ₹3,540 | about ₹4,180 |
| Google Workspace Base (₹99 a user a month) | ₹5,940 | ₹7,010 |
| Google Workspace Starter (₹270 a user a month) | ₹16,200 | ₹19,116 |
| Google Workspace Standard (₹1,080 a user a month) | ₹64,800 | ₹76,464 |
Add the domain itself: about ₹800–3,500 a year depending on the extension.
Setting up business email on your domain
Whichever provider you choose, setup follows the same steps. Most of them happen in your domain's settings (called DNS), at the company you bought the domain from, or at whoever manages it now.
01Prove you own the domain
Your provider gives you a verification record (usually a TXT record). Add it to your domain's DNS settings and click verify. It can take anything from a few minutes to a few hours to take effect.
02Point your mail to the new provider
Add the provider's MX records. These tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain. Remove any old MX records, or some mail will keep going to the old place.
03Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC
These three records prove your emails really come from you. Without them, Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo increasingly send your mail to spam, or reject it.
- SPF lists which services are allowed to send email for your domain
- DKIM adds a digital signature to every email you send
- DMARC tells other providers what to do with email that fails those checks
Google and Zoho both give you the exact values to copy. Google's guide is in its Workspace admin help.
04Create the mailboxes
Add each user, and set up shared addresses such as sales@ or accounts@ as groups or aliases rather than separate paid users.
05Move old email, if you need it
Both providers have tools to import email from Gmail or another provider. Do this after the new mail is flowing.
The mistakes that send your email to spam
These are the mistakes that come up again and again:
- Two SPF records. You're allowed one. If your website, email and newsletter tool each added their own, merge them into a single record.
- DKIM never switched on. Some providers need you to generate it and then click "start authenticating". Easy to miss.
- Old MX records left in place. Some mail keeps going to the old provider and nobody notices.
- Editing DNS in the wrong place. If your website builder or Cloudflare manages your domain, changes at the registrar do nothing.
- Your app or website sending as you, without permission. If your website's contact form or your app sends email "from" your domain, it needs to be in your SPF record too.
That last one matters if you've built an app with an AI tool. Login and order emails failing is one of the most common problems when an AI-built app goes live.
Picture Imran, who runs a spare-parts distributor in Ludhiana. He moves to Google Workspace, and for two weeks his quotes to new dealers get no reply. They're landing in spam. His domain has two SPF records, one from his old hosting and one from Google, so neither works. Merging them into one fixes it the same day.
Keep the account in your name
Whoever sets up your email, make sure the administrator account is in your company's name, with your phone number for recovery. An agency or freelancer can be added as a second administrator. If they own the main login and you part ways, getting your email back can take weeks. The same goes for your domain. Here's why the accounts matter as much as the code.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a business email with my own domain?
Choose a provider (Google Workspace or Zoho Mail are the usual choices in India), verify that you own the domain, add the provider's MX records, then add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Finally, create a mailbox for each person.
Is there free business email in India?
Yes. Zoho Mail's Forever Free plan gives up to 5 users 5 GB each on one domain, through the web and mobile apps. Email forwarding is also free but doesn't give you a proper mailbox.
How much does Google Workspace cost in India?
On a yearly plan, Base is ₹99, Starter ₹270 and Standard ₹1,080 per user a month, before 18% GST. There's a 14-day free trial.
Google Workspace or Zoho Mail: which is better for a small business?
Google Workspace if your team already uses Gmail and Google Docs, and you value the familiar apps. Zoho Mail if cost matters more, or you already use Zoho CRM or Books. Both are reliable.
Why are my business emails going to spam?
Usually because your domain's SPF, DKIM or DMARC records are missing or wrong, or because there are two SPF records. Check each one with your provider's setup guide.
Can I keep my old Gmail emails when I switch?
Yes. Both Google Workspace and Zoho Mail can import email from an existing Gmail account. Do it after your new email is working.