A Zoho Mail alternative you can self-host
Zoho Mail and Zoho Workplace are the budget choice, with a free plan for five people. Work Inbox is free for five people too, with shared mailboxes, aliases and live notes in the free plan, then €1 a person billed monthly, and can run on your own Cloudflare account.
Side by side
Zoho Mail's facts from its own pages, checked 10 November 2026. Prices as Zoho Mail shows them, before tax.
| Feature |  Work Inbox |  Zoho Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | €1 / €2.50 / €5 a month (Starter, Pro, Business), billed monthly; first 5 people free, at least 5 billed; self-hosted free | Free for 5, then $1 to $7 a month |
| Free plan or trial | Included: Free for up to 5 people; 14-day trial for teams, no card. Self-hosting free for good | Included: Free plan for 5 people; 15-day trial of Workplace Professional |
| Shared mailboxes | Included: Unlimited on every plan, no licence per mailbox | Included: Shared mailbox group type |
| Aliases and catch-all | Included: Unlimited aliases, catch-all per domain, plus addressing | Partly: 30 aliases per mailbox; catch-all per domain |
| Notes or docs edited together | Included: Shared notes with live editing, checklists, tables, @mentions | Included: Zoho Writer in Workplace; Notebook separately |
| Self-hosting and source code | Included: Open source; runs on your own Cloudflare account | Not available: No: hosted by Zoho only |
| IMAP and mobile mail apps | Not available: Not yet: web app only (installable). IMAP gateway planned | Partly: Not on the free plan; paid plans not confirmed on the pricing page |
| Claude / ChatGPT (MCP) | Included: MCP server: search and read mail, notes, contacts and drive files on every plan; replies and changes on Pro and Business | Included: Official Zoho Mail MCP server |
| Calendar, contacts, files | Partly: Calendar, contacts (a team address book) and a shared drive; no office documents or video calls | Included: Calendar, contacts, WorkDrive, Meeting, Cliq |
Zoho Mail's plans
- Mail Free: up to 5 people and one domain, 5 GB each, no IMAP
- Mail Lite: $1 to $1.25 a person a month, annual only; Mail Premium: $4, annual only
- Workplace Standard: $3 annual, $4 monthly; Workplace Professional: $6 annual, $7 monthly
Why teams pick Work Inbox
- Free for 5 like Zoho Mail Free, with shared mailboxes, aliases and notes included; then €1 a person, billed monthly, no yearly commitment.
- Open source, and free on your own Cloudflare account.
- Mail and live notes in one app with one search.
Pick Zoho Mail if
- You want a whole suite (drive, chat, meetings) from one vendor today.
- You need IMAP or mobile apps now (on Zoho's paid plans).
- You pay yearly anyway and only need mail: Mail Lite at $1 a person is cheaper for big teams.
Questions
What does Zoho Mail's free plan include?
Up to five people on one domain, 5 GB each, the web and mobile apps, without IMAP, POP or ActiveSync. From the sixth person every user moves to a paid plan. Work Inbox is free for five people too, with unlimited shared mailboxes, aliases, a catch-all and shared notes.
How much is Zoho Mail?
Mail Lite is $1 a person a month (5 GB) or $1.25 (10 GB), Mail Premium $4, both billed yearly only. Workplace Standard is $3 a month yearly or $4 monthly, Professional $6 or $7. Work Inbox Starter is €1 a person billed monthly, the first five people free, at least five billed.
Can I move from Zoho Mail to Work Inbox?
Yes: add your domain in Work Inbox and point its MX records at the new records Work Inbox lists. New mail then arrives in Work Inbox. Old mail comes along too: upload an export (.mbox or .eml files) in Settings → Mail → Import mail.
Sources
Other comparisons
Bring your domain
Your team's mail on it this afternoon.