If you run a small business in any industry or are about to take the steps needed to get one off the ground, choosing the best – yet most cost-effective options – is vital.

While you may have got the best deals possible on your equipment, devices, and overheads, it’s also important to consider your comms network: specifically, the email options open to you.

It’s easy to use the default email app on your device’s OS; without thinking about alternatives. However, taking some time to consider switching could save you money and give you the features and tools your business needs to get off to a flying start. Below are the best free email options to look into if you run a small enterprise.

Spike

A free web-based email client like Spike, that’s focused on boosting your team’s productivity, is an excellent alternative to installing an email app and comes with a range of great features.

Spike pioneered the world’s first conversational email. This approach meshes emailing functionality with the natural flow of instant messaging so that threads are easy to follow, join, and find.

Free webmail with Spike also gives users access to video messaging and group chats directly from their inbox to promote seamless workflow – this is especially useful if some or all of your team members work remotely.

Gmail

Google’s Gmail is an enduringly popular email client that’s free, fast, and easy to use. The multiple keyboard shortcuts make messaging a breeze; it offers a generous amount of storage and integrates slickly with Google Drive.

The downside? You will see ads pop up based on your email content, and it’s a little tricky to bring non-Gmail emails into the interface.

Outlook

As Microsoft’s take on an email client, Outlook has a simple interface that’s easy to use, boasts a clutter-free, focused inbox, and actively safeguards its users from spyware that could compromise their personal and business data. In addition, Outlook further beefs up security by deploying two-step security verification, making it extremely difficult for a hacker to gain access to your account.

Outlook includes an innovative in-built calendar and a tool that allows you to recover any emails you or a colleague have accidentally deleted!

Zoho

For small businesses on a budget, Zoho is a great choice. This free email service is encrypted, secure, and ad-free. It offers email hosting for multiple domains, email routing, offline access, shared calendars, appointment scheduling tools, and more.

Zoho can grow with your business too. As your operation expands, you may upgrade to a paid tier to unlock features such as an online file manager, presentation software, and enhanced collaboration tools.

GMX

Many start-ups and small businesses favor this popular email client for its fast, user-friendly interface and the fact that users can access mail from other accounts. It provides 5GB of online storage and allows you and your team to send messages with attachments up to an impressive 50MB.

GMX’s spam filter is effective, saving you the annoyance of dealing with junk mail, and every incoming message received is scanned for viruses. The drag-and-drop feature is helpful, too.

There are a couple of things to consider with this option, however. GMX doesn’t accept incoming encrypted mail, and there’s no tool on offer to search for emails based on past actions.

ProtonMail

An encrypted free email account from ProtonMail could suit the needs of your business perfectly. This company is based in Switzerland, a country with stringent privacy laws, which is reflected in the client’s enhanced security and privacy settings.

The free tier will give you 500MB of storage space and a messaging limit of 150 per day. When your business is ready to take its next step, you can stick with ProtonMail and upgrade to a Plus, Professional, or Visionary account, all of which offer increased space and daily message limits and will allow you to add extra email addresses to your account.

Titan

Titan may not be as well-known a name in the world of email clients as the others on this list, but it undoubtedly deserves a place here.

Users can access a range of templates to craft ultra-professional-looking emails, and scheduling tools can be deployed to send this message at a future date. You can even set a reminder to give you a nudge if you don’t receive a response to a message by a specific time.

The easy-to-use in-built signature builder this client offers is worth noting: you can use it to add your business’s logo, contact details, and links to other emails. Titan works across all mobile and desktop platforms too.

Neo 

Neo is designed for small businesses and entrepreneurs looking for a highly user-friendly, secure, and reliable email service. Neo has its own fast web and tools like read receipts, one page website (link in the bio tool), email marketing, and appointment scheduling, making it perfect for sales, customer service, and marketing activities. Neo is a preferred choice for those who don’t already own a domain name, as it lets them choose a fully branded business email address ([email protected]) and send emails in minutes. Setting up with Neo is relatively straightforward. You can begin by selecting one of their business plans. Neo offers a complimentary co.site domain if you don’t have one. Neo sweetens the deal with a bonus: a free one-page site for immediate use.

Choosing the Right Email Client for Your Business

When selecting an email client, think carefully about the unique needs of your business and the features and tools that would be most beneficial to its productivity. Look at plenty of user reviews to get an accurate idea of what you can expect, and be sure to pay close attention to the overall levels of security each client offers to ensure your small business stays as protected as possible.