What each one is
Email hosting gives you mailboxes on your own domain (you@yourbusiness.co.uk), with webmail and support for the mail app of your choice. It does one job, and does it well. See IMAP and webmail in the glossary for the terms.
A productivity suite such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace includes email, and adds calendars, contacts, shared online documents, video meetings, file storage and administrator controls. Those extras are what you pay for.
Side by side
| Aspect | Email hosting | A productivity suite (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace) |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Mailboxes on your own domain, with webmail and support for any mail app | Mailboxes plus calendars, contacts, online documents, video meetings and file storage |
| Best for | Individuals and small teams who mainly need reliable email | Teams that collaborate on documents, share calendars and meet online |
| How you pay | A flat monthly price per plan, with a number of mailboxes included | Usually a price per user per month |
| Admin controls | Create and manage mailboxes, forwarders and spam settings | Broader controls: device management, sharing policies, retention |
| Using your own domain | Yes | Yes |
| Mail apps | Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and phones, using IMAP, plus Roundcube webmail | The suite's own apps, and standard mail apps too |
| Moving later | Copy mailboxes over IMAP | Copy mailboxes over IMAP, plus import tools |
How to decide
- Do you need shared calendars and documents? If several people edit the same files or book each other's time, a suite saves effort every day.
- How many people? Email hosting plans include a number of mailboxes for one price. A suite is priced per user, which adds up faster for larger teams but gives every user the full toolkit.
- What do you already use? A team that works in Word and Excel, or in Docs and Sheets, will want the matching suite.
- Do you have compliance or device-management needs? Retention rules and managing staff phones are suite features.
- What is the budget? If email is all you need, paying for a suite buys features you will not use.
What Cloud Cabin email hosting includes
Our email hosting is built for everyday business email: spam and malware filtering, DKIM, SPF and DMARC wizards, Roundcube webmail, and support for the major mail clients including Microsoft, Google, Apple and Mozilla. Plans start at £3.99 a month, you can upgrade at any time, and migrations are available on Cabin Email Grow and Elite. It is not designed for mass commercial mailings. For bulk or marketing email we recommend a dedicated commercial sending service.
Your website and your email can live in different places
A common arrangement is to host the website in one place and the email in another. It works because email delivery is controlled by your domain's MX records, not by where the website sits. If you move the website, leave the MX records alone and email carries on. When you move email, copy the mailboxes first and change the MX records last. Read the website migration guide for the order of work, and make sure the SPF record lists every service that sends mail for you (see the email authentication guide).
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Both let you use your own domain. You change your domain's MX records to point at the service.
Yes. Email hosting works with all the major mail apps through standard settings, including Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and the apps on phones, and also through webmail.
It can be, if the provider filters spam and malware and supports email authentication. Look for those, for backups, and for a way to reach support. Price alone tells you little.
Yes. Copy your mailboxes across with an IMAP migration, then change the MX records. Your domain and addresses stay the same.
Our plans are built for everyday business email, not mass commercial mailings. Limits are generous for normal use. For bulk or marketing email we recommend a dedicated commercial sending service.
