Email Hosting Vs Web Hosting

Email Hosting vs. Web Hosting: 9 Best Options & Key Differences (Feb. 2024)

Written by: Alexandra Anderson

Alexandra Anderson

Alexandra is a web marketer, Agile Product Owner, and die-hard wordsmith who's contributed to HostingAdvice, InMotion Hosting, HostGator, and other prominent hosting and technology blogs, as well as Forbes. She has a master's degree in information technology from Virginia Tech and more than 10 years of experience building websites, advising on web and mobile app design, and crafting content that engages and converts. Her primary subject matter expertise spans WordPress, UX design, Agile project management, and, of course, web hosting.

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Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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When comparing email hosting to web hosting, one might assume they’re straightforward, similar, and possibly even interchangeable terms; however, these services are similar and related, but not the same.

The short and clear answer: Web hosting involves website files being stored on one or more servers, or computers, whereas email hosting refers solely to storing email data. The comparison can get confusing when a company offers both plans and mixes up the naming conventions.

Our mission is to clear up any mysteries throughout this article. Read on for definitions, descriptions, and the best options for all types of site owners and emailers.

Best Web Hosting Provider Options

A quality web host should hit on the three hallmarks of reliability: plenty of server space, reputable uptime rates, and competent customer service on-call should anything go wrong. Whether you’re on the hunt for email, domain, WordPress, or cloud services, our recommendations point to hosts that consistently hit these support factors out of the park.

Our current favorites for quality, affordable, reliable web hosting are reviewed below:

CHEAP RATING
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • Unlimited everything, from storage to databases
  • FREE site builder & WP performance upgrades
  • FREE daily or weekly backups
  • Custom control panel and auto-installation scripts
  • SSH access & unlimited FREE SSL certificates
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.49
Money Back Guarantee 30 days
Disk Space 50 GB SSD – 200 GB SSD
Domain Name FREE (1 year)
Hostinger: Our Expert’s Review
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

As the shared hosting market becomes increasingly saturated, unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts have become surprisingly average. Hostinger, however, extends the routine, expected metrics to greater lengths — the number of websites, databases, FTP users, subdomains, and parked domains are all unrestricted for most customers.

Go to full review »
CHEAP RATING
★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
  • FREE cPanel integration and Softaculous apps
  • Auto daily backups and web application firewall
  • Reliable and redundant cloud servers
  • FREE SSL encryption and website migration
  • 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • Get started on HostArmada now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.49
Money Back Guarantee 45 days
Disk Space 15 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD
Domain Name FREE (1 year)
HostArmada: Our Expert’s Review
Lynn Cadet (HostingAdvice.com):

HostArmada’s cloud network spans four continents, with datacenters in Europe, the US, Asia, and Australia. Its server redundancy and website optimization features allow users to run stable and performant sites for end users across the globe while running a simplified hosting environment.

Go to full review »
CHEAP RATING
★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
  • 1-click install for WordPress, Drupal and 400 others
  • Unlimited email accounts, databases & bandwidth
  • 24/7 tech support for beginners and pros alike
  • 12-month or 36-month plan at $2.95 /month
  • Anytime unconditional money-back guarantee
  • Get started on ScalaHosting now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.95
Money Back Guarantee 30 days
Disk Space 10 GB SSD – 50 GB SSD
Domain Name FREE (1 year)
ScalaHosting: Our Expert’s Review
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

It’s tough to argue with a shared hosting service that comes with all-SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth, databases, and email accounts. ScalaHosting provides all the above and several other premium features for a very affordable price.

Go to full review »

See more web host reviews »

Best Email Hosting Provider Options

While we still expect reliability and room to grow to be high on the list of features outlined in our top-recommended email hosts, there are other variables to consider when evaluating a niche service. We like to see hosts include complimentary domain name registrations and free email accounts. The ability to host unlimited domains on one account is a plus, as are unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email allowances.

Our favorite hosts for email, listed below, capitalize on these points while offering other email-friendly features such as IMAP/POP3 support, spam filtering, and integration with Google Apps.

EMAIL RATING
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • Easily import contacts, messages, and calendars
  • FREE domain name with annual plan
  • 1-click integrations with 50+ productivity tools
  • Collaborate with polls, shared to-do lists
  • Less than $1 per mailbox per month!
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.49
Money Back Guarantee 30 days
Disk Space 50 GB SSD – 200 GB SSD
Domain Name FREE (1 year)
Email Hosting Plans www.hostinger.com/email
Hostinger: Our Expert’s Review
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

Showing major value, Hostinger email plans come complete with all the collaboration and productivity tools you’d expect from higher-priced hosts. We especially love the easy integrations with platforms like Twitter, Google Drive, and others.

Go to full review »
EMAIL RATING
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • Professional business email with FREE custom domain included
  • Ample email storage from 50 to 150 GB
  • Spam protection and daily backups
  • Compatibility with POP3, IMAP, and SMTP
  • Up to unlimited emails with the cloud email plan
  • Get started on ScalaHosting now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.95
Money Back Guarantee 30 days
Disk Space 50 GB – Unlimited GB
Domain Name FREE (1 year)
Email Hosting Plans
ScalaHosting: Our Expert’s Review
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

ScalaHosting’s email packages cater to businesses of all sizes. With plans ranging from 50 to unlimited email accounts, enterprises and mom-and-pop stores can use its email features for businesses. Its four feature-packed email plans give you…

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EMAIL RATING
★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
  • Unlimited email hosting at your domain
  • Compatible with multiple webmail and email clients
  • Secure email protocols and anti-spam solutions
  • Easy oversight via cPanel and FREE site builder
  • Ideal for business email hosting with 99.9% uptime
  • Get started on SiteGround now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.99
Money Back Guarantee 30 days
Disk Space 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD
Domain Name New or Transfer
Email Hosting Plans www.siteground.com/email
SiteGround: Our Expert’s Review
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):

SiteGround offers excellent email hosting services — compatible with all major webmail and email clients, including RoundCube and Outlook. Email hosting customers get unlimited email accounts at their domain, secure email protocols, and SPAM filters.

Go to full review »

See more email host reviews »

Combo Platter: Cheap Web Hosting with Free Email Accounts

Free web hosting — what could go wrong? Always read the fine print and don’t fall for false advertising. While free web hosting plans exist, they’re often laden with impossible storage and bandwidth limitations or hidden fees. Ultimately, you’ll feel cheated and irritated when you pay more to make up for the faults of a rip-off service.

Let’s skip that step and opt for a low-cost, high-quality service recommended by experts. Especially if you’re browsing for professional purposes, you must consider your hosting a worthwhile business investment.

Accept nothing short of ample storage space, free email hosting, 99.9% uptime rates, and (if desired) easy-to-use design tools to get a website up and running. Our favorite host to recommend for cheap pricing met with premium service is below.

CHEAP RATING
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • Unlimited everything, from storage to databases
  • FREE site builder & WP performance upgrades
  • FREE daily or weekly backups
  • Custom control panel and auto-installation scripts
  • SSH access & unlimited FREE SSL certificates
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.49
Money Back Guarantee 30 days
Disk Space 50 GB SSD – 200 GB SSD
Domain Name FREE (1 year)
Hostinger: Our Expert’s Review
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

As the shared hosting market becomes increasingly saturated, unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts have become surprisingly average. Hostinger, however, extends the routine, expected metrics to greater lengths — the number of websites, databases, FTP users, subdomains, and parked domains are all unrestricted for most customers.

Go to full review »

See more cheap hosting reviews »

Best Email and Web Hosting for Small Business

If you’re like many business owners, your livelihood begins and ends with your email inbox. It’s how you communicate with employees, clients, partners, and vendors.

We live in an increasingly digital and mobile world, and instant access is do or die when it comes to the content ushered through your email server. We’ve thoroughly vetted the most popular hosting companies, making note of the features and services that directly benefit business owners, and we encourage you to take a look at the hosts below.

My current favorites to recommend for business email and web hosting packages are below:

EMAIL RATING
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0
  • FREE domain registration or no-downtime transfer
  • Unlimited SPAM Safe™ email with IMAP
  • 1-click app installer and FREE marketing tools
  • Business-class hardware and eCommerce-ready
  • SSD storage plus FREE backups and SSL security
  • Get started on InMotion now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.29
Money Back Guarantee 90 days
Disk Space 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD
Domain Name FREE (1 year)
Email Hosting Plans www.inmotionhosting.com/email
InMotion: Our Expert’s Review
PJ Fancher (HostingAdvice.com):

For business-class email hosting, look no further than InMotion Hosting. They offer a free domain name, SSD drive, and secure IMAP email, plus Google app integration with a three-step wizard.

Go to full review »
EMAIL RATING
★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
  • Unlimited email hosting at your domain
  • Compatible with multiple webmail and email clients
  • Secure email protocols and anti-spam solutions
  • Easy oversight via cPanel and FREE site builder
  • Ideal for business email hosting with 99.9% uptime
  • Get started on SiteGround now.
Starting Price/Mo. $2.99
Money Back Guarantee 30 days
Disk Space 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD
Domain Name New or Transfer
Email Hosting Plans www.siteground.com/email
SiteGround: Our Expert’s Review
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):

SiteGround offers excellent email hosting services — compatible with all major webmail and email clients, including RoundCube and Outlook. Email hosting customers get unlimited email accounts at their domain, secure email protocols, and SPAM filters.

Go to full review »

See more email hosts for small business »

What’s the Difference Between Email Hosting and Web Hosting?

In a nutshell, the web host serves up webpages when someone types yourdomain.com into a web browser, whereas an email host owns the server from which content is fetched when an email is sent to yourname@yourdomain.com. The line between email and web hosting has become blurred in recent years, as more providers offer combo packages that include free hosting for your email accounts with the purchase of a web hosting plan.

Fortunately, the roles and responsibilities behind the scenes are pretty straightforward. Your website, domain, and related email accounts are three separate entities that can live in different places.

You’ll often get domain and web hosting in one fell swoop — and many folks knock out their domain, email, and web hosting needs with one plan/provider.

Is Web Hosting Necessary for Email?

Email must be hosted on a server somewhere — but you don’t necessarily need a web hosting provider. For example, Google’s Gmail service can meet personal-use email needs for free. Business email users may opt for a paid plan by upgrading to Google Workspace, which unlocks Google cloud storage, chat features, and other productivity tools. Other free email hosting options include Zoho Mail, Yandex, and the aptly named Mail.com.

Google Workspace and Microsoft Exchange remain the most popular professional email service options (assuming you don’t require website hosting). The benefit of going with one of these email clients include the ease of use and access to other business essentials such as the collaboration tools packaged in Microsoft Office 365. For more on this, check out our top-recommended hosts for Microsoft Exchange email.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandra Anderson’s interest in website administration was sparked in her teens, priming her for a fast-paced career in managing, building, and contributing to online brands, including HostingAdvice, Forbes, and the blogs of prominent hosting providers. She brings firsthand experience reviewing web hosts, perfecting website design, optimizing content, and walking site owners through the steps that add up to a successful online presence. With a master's degree in information technology from Virginia Tech, she combines her extensive writing experience and technical understanding to unpack some of the most complex topics that daunt novice website owners, as well as the subjects that excite veteran technologists within the HostingAdvice readership.

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