I'm looking for insights from anyone who's had experience with "lifetime" email hosting plans. I know these plans don't truly last forever; they typically only last as long as the company survives, which can make them a risky investment. However, I'm drawn to the idea of making a one-time payment to avoid the hassle of fluctuating prices and remembering to renew subscriptions.
Currently, I'm using Gmail for personal and university email, and I believe they limit me to four accounts per phone number. I'm unsure if my university email counts as one of those slots, since it was set up by the university. I need more than four accounts anyway. I've heard people suggest verifying new accounts using a VOIP number, but I'm not sure why that would be necessary compared to simply paying for a dedicated service. Some folks argue that having my accounts on Gmail looks more professional, but that seems unlikely for my plans.
I love using ProtonMail because of its clean interface and my affection for its purple theme. I've read about their old "Visionary" plans but want to steer clear of any monthly fees. MxHost seems good, but it sounds complex, and I'm definitely not tech-savvy. I've also come across Purelymail, which offers a plan for $10 a year. Right now, I'm weighing $129 from MailWish against $75 from NameCrane. What I really need is easy email hosting for multiple accounts without any unnecessary complexity. I won't be sending out emails from these accounts; they'll mostly serve as bases for my projects, so storage isn't a major concern.
Any advice or experiences you have to share would be greatly appreciated—this process is pretty overwhelming! I don't want to be a difficult customer, especially on a limited budget, but I'm also unsure where I'd fit best.
2 Answers
Honestly, I'd stick with Google. Their services aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Sure, ProtonMail is nice and all, but it’s a smaller company, and who knows if they might shut down one day? With Google, you get reliability. Plus, using Gmail with a custom domain is a great way to go—I've been doing it for years with no limits on the number of accounts, just keep that in mind!
Quick clarification: do you need more *accounts* or just more *email addresses*? Many email providers let you create multiple addresses that all direct to the same inbox. It might save you some hassle!
For my various business ideas, I think I need more accounts. I just want separate inboxes and names for each one. Hope I'm not being too confusing!