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Ask HN: Personal email hosting service on the cheap?

3 points by thisispete ↗ HN
Now that google charges for google apps for small business, how do people go about hosting just an email address at their own domain on the cheap?

Many of the services I've seen (rackspace, fusemail) require $10 per month. Google apps for small business is approx $50 per year, There's got to be something better / cheaper for just email. (ideally sub $20 / year)

I'd like to find a reliable, well known, add and spam free, hosted imap server that allows multiple addresses (aliases) that point to a single mailbox.

Suggestions?

6 comments

[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 25.5 ms ] thread
cdvonstinkpot
Fastmail.fm
chetanahuja
Hmm... just checked out fastmail.fm The tier with custom domain starts at $40. Not that much better than google's $50 per seat which includes access to lots of other google apps in the bargain.

Try zohomail.com You can create a zoho apps account (including ad-free email) for upto 3 users with custom domain for free.

fencepost
namecheap.com offers hosted email with Open-Xchange for annual prices ranging from $3 to $30 (details: https://www.namecheap.com/email/email-hosting.aspx).

Basics: 3GB/5GB/10GB, all have POP3/IMAP, some have "mobile" meaning ActiveSync and comparable technologies. Since the most expensive is still only $2.50/month it's not likely to be a wallet-buster either way.

stevekemp
I guess one part of the problem is deciding on a flat-fee for a year, or a price which is dependent upon the number of accounts/users you have.

Were it me I'd rent a VPS and configure email myself. A less technical user might find that too much work (although online control panels might make it more palatable).

A decent VPS might cost $20/month or $100/year and would be sufficient to handle mail for 50ish users.

Sure a VPS just for email might seem like overkill..