Quick answer: Register your domain in your own name at a reputable registrar (Cloudflare Registrar sells at cost; most others charge more at renewal), then add email. Published prices checked 21 Oct 2026: Zoho Mail Lite $1/user/month billed annually (5 GB), Google Workspace Business Starter $7/user/month on an annual plan or $8.40 flexible (30 GB pooled), and Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7/user/month annually. Many web hosting plans also include basic mailboxes, which are fine for small sites but tie your email to your web host.
Email prices are from Google's, Microsoft's and Zoho's official pricing pages, checked 21 October 2026 (Asia/Dhaka). Taxes and local currency differ. Some links are affiliate links (disclosure).
Step 1: buy the domain the safe way
- Registrant = you. Use your own name and an email address you'll keep for years, not one on the same domain.
- Turn on 2FA and registrar lock. Domain theft is usually account theft.
- Look at the renewal price, not the first-year price. "Free domain for a year" hosting bundles renew at the registrar's normal rate.
- WHOIS privacy is free at most good registrars now.
- Cloudflare Registrar sells domains at wholesale cost with no markup. You need to use Cloudflare DNS, which is also a free CDN (Cloudflare guide).
- Country domains such as .com.bd have their own registrars and rules. Buy them from an authorised registrar.
Step 2: choose where email lives
| Option | Published price (checked 21 Oct 2026) | Storage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailbox included with web hosting | included in many plans | varies | Very small sites, low volume |
| Zoho Mail Lite | $1/user/mo (annual only); $1.25 for 10 GB | 5 GB / 10 GB | Cheapest reliable business email |
| Zoho Mail Premium | $4/user/mo (annual) | 50 GB | Archiving, larger mailboxes |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | $7/user/mo annual · $8.40 flexible | 30 GB pooled/user | Gmail + Docs teams |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $7/user/mo annual (month-to-month higher) | 50 GB mailbox + 1 TB OneDrive | Outlook and Teams users |
Google also showed a temporary intro discount for new customers at the time of checking. We list standard prices.
Host email vs separate email: host-included mailboxes are convenient, but your email then depends on your web host. If you change hosts, you migrate mail too, and a hacked site on shared hosting can hurt your sending reputation. Separate email (Zoho, Google, Microsoft) survives a host change.
Step 3: the DNS records that make email work
| Record | What it does | Example (use your provider's exact values) |
|---|---|---|
| MX | Tells the internet where to deliver your mail | example.com MX 10 mx.provider.com |
| SPF (TXT) | Lists servers allowed to send as your domain | v=spf1 include:_spf.provider.com ~all |
| DKIM (TXT/CNAME) | Signs messages so receivers can verify them | Key from your provider's admin console |
| DMARC (TXT) | Policy for failed checks, plus reports | _dmarc → v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@example.com |
Start DMARC at p=none. After a week or two of clean reports, move to quarantine. Only one SPF record is allowed per domain, so merge senders (your email provider, your website's contact form, newsletter tools) into one. If you use Cloudflare, mail records must be DNS only (grey cloud).
Step 4: send website email properly
WordPress contact forms that send through the server's mail() function often land in spam. Use an SMTP plugin with your email provider's SMTP, or a transactional email service, and add it to SPF and DKIM.
Typical yearly cost for a small business
| Setup | 1 user | 5 users |
|---|---|---|
| .com domain + Zoho Mail Lite | domain + $12 | domain + $60 |
| .com domain + Google Workspace Starter (annual) | domain + $84 | domain + $420 |
| .com domain + Microsoft 365 Basic (annual) | domain + $84 | domain + $420 |
| Domain + mailboxes included with hosting | domain + $0 extra | domain + $0 extra |
A .com usually costs roughly $10–20 a year depending on the registrar. Check the renewal price before you buy.
Next steps: choose hosting with the find my host quiz, compare renewal prices, or read our Hostinger review. Hostinger's shared plans include email mailboxes.