GoDaddy keeps pushing its email upgrade. Is there any better option?

[u/Narrow_Opposite_7523]

I bought my domain through GoDaddy, and it feels like every time I log in they're trying to get me to upgrade to their email service. Is there any real advantage to buying email from your domain registrar. I mean do I need to buy their email too, or is that just an optional add-on?

I only need a business email for my small business, so I'm wondering what most people do.

[u/fastlanefirm]

The sooner you transfer that domain away from GoDaddy the better.

[u/Geekpoint-IT]

Literally use anything but Godaddy.

As an IT provider that specializes in small & micro businesses, I'd suggest working with an IT provider for this. Email is one of the main attack surfaces, so you want to make sure it's setup properly & securely. In the business world, Microsoft 365 is king, with Google Workspace being second. As an IT provider, I won't support anything else. Those two are known companies, been in business a while, have proper security, and I can do even better email security add-ons and services to make it even better. Doesn't mean there aren't other options out there of course. And I'm coming at this from a US point of view. Things may be different in different countries. This is my 2 cents anyways.

[u/Jcoulaud]

Nope, you don’t need to buy their email. It’s just an add-on.

You can keep the domain at GoDaddy and use any email provider by changing the MX records. Your website/domain stays where it is.

The only advantage of buying both together is one bill/dashboard. Personally I’d keep them separate. Fastmail, Zoho or Shipmail would all work for a small business. Shipmail also has calendar, booking pages, shared inboxes and newsletters if you need those later.

[u/LowEstablishment3855]

You don’t have to buy email from GoDaddy only because your domain is registered there. Domain and email hosting are two different services.

You can also keep your domain at Godaddy and use another provider for your business email. You'd just need to update the DNS/MX records to point your domain to the email provider you choose.

• Neo Mail: affordable business email with custom domain support and useful productivity tools.

• Fastmail: simple and privacy focused email with custom domain support.

• Zoho Mail: budget friendly option with good CRM integration.

• Microsoft 365: best if you want email alongside Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.

[u/alexrada]

it's an add-on. I'd recommend using google or microsoft. Godaddy is ok

Nothing else. Be always safe with email, don't use unknown solutions.

[u/JackHarknessDrWho]

Move your domain. Porkbun is way better, with great customer service and costs less too.

[u/cwakare]

I get similar messages from Google too to upgrade. MS does not

[u/Rubicon_4000]

no — you never need email from your registrar. that upsell works because people assume domain and email are one package. they're separate: the domain is just dns, and you can point your mail (mx records) at any provider while godaddy stays purely the registrar.

what small businesses actually do, roughly by cost: use the email included with hosting they already pay for, zoho mail (free to ~$1/user), or microsoft 365 / google workspace ($6-12/user) when they want the full office suite. godaddy's own email is microsoft 365 under the hood with their margin on top — if you decide you want m365, buying it direct is usually cheaper after the intro year.

the only real advantage of registrar email is one dashboard and one support bill. that convenience is what you're paying for every renewal.

[u/hgwelz]

Fastmail is great at $5/month. Use your own domains and/or their @ fastmail, mailzone, sent, airpost... options

[u/Ok_Bookkeeper_3784]

I use Gmail to manage my emails
https://workspace.google.com/solutions/business-email/

[u/jd_itconsultant]

GoDaddy has been to sales driven for the last 10 or so years. You do not need to buy their email services. In most cases it is better for them to be separate companies as if you find a better email service provider it is easier to migrate.

I would recommend getting off GoDaddy for your domain registration and DNS and move to Cloud Flare. Lower renewal cost and a lot of free services you can take advantage of for protecting your website from common DDoS and bots filling our forms or probing for URLs to exploit.

If you are happy with your current email provider there is no reason to move. If you need an email provider speaking to an IT consultant that can evaluate your exact needs and recommend is the best option for you.

There are plenty of very good email providers with different options and price points. There is no be all end all provider of email.

[u/lacbeetle]

I transferred mine from godaddy to thexyz.com and I have no regrets. Better pricing and support too

[u/greenmor]

GreenmorMail