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How Greatmail Compares to Popular Email Hosting Providers

Provider	Price/Mailbox	Monthly Billing	Phone Support
Greatmail	$1.95/month	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Fastmail	$4.00/month	✓ Yes	✗ Email only
Google Workspace	$6.00/month	✓ Yes	✗ Chat only

*5-mailbox minimum ($9.75/month total). Best value for small teams needing professional email with US-based phone support.

Email Hosting Questions and Answers

What is the difference between IMAP, POP3, and SMTP?

IMAP, POP3 and SMTP are different protocols that enable you to use your mailboxes in email clients like Microsoft Outlook and on mobile devices. Specifically, IMAP and POP3 are used to retrieve incoming mail from your mail server while SMTP allows you to send outgoing mail messages to recipient addresses.

Think of these protocols like connectors allowing your email client or mobile device to communicate with your mailbox on the server. Instead of having to go to a webmail application or use a special mobile app to use your mailbox, IMAP, POP3 and SMTP let you use desktop email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail etc.) and the built-in mail applications on Android and iOS mobile devices.

To use these protocols in your email client or on your device, you will at least need to know your email address and password to be able to connect to your mailbox. Depending on the client or device you are trying to use, you may also need some more information like your server host name, port numbers and encryption settings. However, many email providers have autodiscovery services that attempt to manage the configuration settings automatically using just your email address and password.

Email clients and mobile devices will use either IMAP or POP3 for your incoming mail but not both. Which protocol you decide to use for incoming mail will depend on your personal preference. IMAP synchronizes mail with the server allowing you to have a unified experience on multiple devices while POP3 downloads messages from the server letting you decide to delete them right away or after a specified period of time.

If my domain's MX record is pointed to one provider, how am I able to access my mailboxes at another provider?

This is a common source of confusion during transition from one email service provider to another. The hosting of your domain's mailboxes and the pointing of your domain's MX record are distinct. The MX record in your domain's DNS specifies where incoming mail to mailboxes at your domain is routed. However, it is possible to have your mailboxes set up with different hosting providers simultaneously which is commonly done when you move your email hosting from one service to another. During this transition period, you can access your email at both the old and new hosts. This makes it possible to test connections to the new host before switching your MX record to their servers. It also enables you to migrate mailbox data before, during or after the MX record update since both the old and new hosts can be accessed via IMAP or other protocols.

Can I use my own domain with Greatmail email hosting?

Yes, Greatmail specializes in custom domain email hosting. You can use your existing domain name to create professional email addresses like [email protected]. We support multiple domains on a single account and provide DNS guidance to help you configure your domain's MX records to point to our email servers. Our team provides migration assistance to help you transition from your current email provider while maintaining your custom domain.

Does Greatmail support DKIM, SPF, and DMARC authentication?

Yes, Greatmail fully supports modern email authentication protocols including SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). These authentication methods are essential for email deliverability and security. We provide DNS configuration guidance and can assist with implementing these records for your domain to ensure your emails are properly authenticated and reach recipient inboxes reliably.

Is there a minimum number of users required for Greatmail email hosting?

Yes, Greatmail requires a minimum of 5 mailboxes to set up an account. This minimum is designed for small teams and businesses, making our pricing very cost-effective at $1.95 per mailbox per month ($9.75 total monthly). This team-focused approach allows us to provide better support and maintain our US-based infrastructure while offering significant savings compared to per-user productivity suites like Google Workspace.

Can I migrate from Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 to Greatmail?

Yes, we provide expert migration assistance to help you transition from Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or any other email provider to Greatmail. Our migration process includes importing your existing emails, contacts, and calendar data (where applicable). We guide you through DNS changes and provide step-by-step instructions to ensure a smooth transition with minimal downtime. Many businesses migrate to Greatmail to reduce costs while maintaining professional email functionality without paying for productivity suite features they don't use.

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• Email Hosting Guide