Are you also thinking of starting an online business? If yes, you already know that email is one of the most valuable things in business. You must have seen many people using professional email for their business, and you must be wondering why they all use paid email when they can use free email.
I know that you want to know the difference between free and paid email. Then don’t worry because in this article I will give you complete details about free vs. paid email along with the differences & advantages.
So, let’s get started…
Free Email vs. Paid Email: An Introduction
There are two types of email used in online business. The first type of email is a free email, and the second type is a paid email. So now let us talk more about them one by one.
1. Free Email
As we can guess from its name, free email is a type of email service that many companies, including some big names like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, offer us. They provide free emails for various reasons, such as advertising, and sometimes they sell their products and services.
Free email services offer limited storage and little privacy. This means that you no longer have control over your data, and your email can be accessed by providers at any time. They also have the ability to delete your account.
Even so, there are many free email providers; some of the most well-known and significant email providers are;
- Gmail
- Outlook
- Yahoo Mail
People mainly use these companies when they want to create a free email, as these companies provide many features to their users for free. Like free cloud storage, virus protractor, spam filter, and more.
Benefits of Using a Free Email Address
- Free emails are free, and you do not have to pay any money to use them
- You can create as many free emails as you want
- They provide you with some features like storage, virus protection, and spam filters for free.
- Its interface is straightforward to use
Disadvantages of using free email
- Your account is not secure and can be deleted at any time.
- Free emails look a bit unprofessional.
- Free email-providing companies can sell your data.
- Companies can read your email
- Ads can be shown in your inbox by companies.
2. Paid Email
In the paid email, we have to pay some monthly charge to the email-providing company, which is why it is called paid email.
Their fee for email varies from company to company but is mostly between 5$ to 10$ monthly. In paid email, they provide more convenience than in free email.
Many companies provide paid email, but these are some of the best companies that people most use and trust.
- GSuite (aka Google Workspace).
- Zoho Mail.
- Yahoo Small Businesses
- iCloud Mail
Most people mainly use these companies because they provide more features to their users, such as additional cloud storage, than other companies. Their security is also much higher than others.
What’s the Difference Between Paid and Free Email?
Above, I briefly introduced the difference between Free vs. Paid email. Now let me give you a detailed comparison of the difference between free and paid email.
1. Privacy & Security
There is a considerable difference between paid and free email regarding privacy and security. Let me explain in detail.
You have no control over your email, so there is no security for your email. It can be deleted anytime the company wants to do it. And it is also not safe in terms of privacy, as the most used earring method of free email providers is by selling your data.
So there is a high possibility that these companies can sell your data. And these companies can also read all your emails, disturbing your privacy.
While in paid email, you are protected from all these; companies cannot sell your data, and your account is also very secure as they cannot delete your email without your permission.
2. Storage Space
In storage also, there is a big difference in free email in that you only get a certain amount of storage, and what is significantly less is usually between 2GB and 5GB. So sharing so many documents via email can become a problem for you.
But in paid mail, much storage is provided, which is more than enough for any usage. Mostly it is given 25 to 30GB, and if you want more, you can increase it by paying a minimum amount.
3. Ads
Ads can be very annoying, and if you are doing some critical work, then at times, they can disturb your work and also slow down your work speed. So that’s also one of the main factors we should consider.
As I mentioned earlier, ads are their primary source of earning only in free email, so if you are using a free email, then be ready for ads because, in a free email, you have to read any mail or your email. There will be ads in the dashboard.
But when it comes to paid emails, you do not get a single ad because paid emails are ad-free, which can take a lot of your time, make your work faster, and stop bothering you.
4. Spam Filters & Virus Protection
Spam filters are provided in free and paid email, depending on how it works. If you are using a free email, you can sometimes see spam emails in your main dashboard.
But if you use paid email, the spam filter is very accurate, and you will not see any spam mail in your main dashboard. Also, you will get a virus protector, so even if you open any malicious attachments, you will be safe.
5. Customer Support
Customer support is one of the essential things, as help can quickly assist you if you run into any trouble.
So this is one of the most critical factors, but you do not get exclusive support in the free email, which is a big drawback. But in paid email, you get instant support, which is excellent and helps premium users.
6. Professional Appearance
Paid emails are the clear winners when it comes to business presentations because with paid emails. You can create custom emails that look very professional and helpful in business. (Ex: [email protected])
But in a free email, you cannot create any custom email. There will always be the provider name which makes the email very unprofessional. (Ex: [email protected])
7. Extras Features
Free email offers many features like you can join meetings using Gmail, and there are many features in free email.
But paid email has many more features, including all the free email features. And in paid email, you also get additional add-ons like extra storage, security, and much more.
8. Compatibility with Cross-Devices
Lastly, we talk about compatibility. The free email provider does not support such tools as they are only compatible with specific devices and systems.
Paid emails are more compatible with multiple devices and systems, which means you can access your email from different locations and work from various locations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the benefits of free email?
Free emails are free, and you don’t have to pay any money to use them They are effortless to set up and use, and if you want, you can create as many free emails as you want.
Plus, they provide you with some features like storage, virus protection, and spam filters for free.
Is it worth it to pay for email?
Yes, it is worth paying for email as there are many benefits of paid email, and in the paid email, your data is very secure and cannot be traded or sold.
What is a free email account?
Free emails are those emails that we can create for free without paying any money. Most people use this email for their present day. (ex: [email protected])
Are Free Email Accounts Safe?
No free email accounts are not as safe as paid accounts. They can be deleted anytime without your permission, and other than this, there is one more thing they can read your emails which makes your account and your privacy unsafe.
Which free email is best?
Many companies in the market provide free email, so we can not say any one company is the best. Because every company is best on its terms, here are some of the best free email-providing companies.
- Gmail.
- Outlook.
- Zoho Mail.
- ProtonMail
Conclusion
I have tried to give you a complete comparison between Paid email and free email, and now I hope you know all the differences between them.
In the end, I would say that if you need email for your daily requirement, then you should prefer free email because they are free and still provide us with many things.
But if you are looking for an email for your online business, you should buy a paid email as it looks more professional, which will significantly help your business.
In the end, the decision is yours. You can ask me in the comments if you still have any doubts or confusion. I will reply to you as soon as possible.
Recommended Readings…
Great explanation on free vs. paid emails. It clarified the difference in terms of privacy, security, storage, and professional look. For a successful online business, a paid email seems a better choice. Thanks for simplifying this.
Great comparison between free and paid email services. This helps understand their differences, benefits, and drawbacks. Both have their perks, but the choice depends on individual business needs.
Your comparison of free vs paid email is comprehensive and helpful. It provides valuable insights into crucial factors like privacy, security, storage space and professional appearance. This is going to be really useful for anyone starting an online business. Great job!
Your article is very informative, providing thorough insights about the differences and advantages of free vs. paid email services. It’s clear that paid emails are more beneficial for online businesses.
Your article really enlightened me about the differences between free and paid email services. I was especially impressed by how well you explained the security features of each. This will definitely help me in making an informed decision for my online business.