---
title: Zoho Mail
canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/zoho-mail/
category: Email Hosting
points: 79
rank: 2 of 9
facts_checked: 2026-10-09
---

# Zoho Mail

Business email with a free plan for up to 5 users and a paid Mail Lite plan at $1 per user a month on yearly billing.

79 points out of 100. #2 of 9 email hosting services. Vendor: Zoho Corporation. Website: https://www.zoho.com/mail/

- Mail Lite costs $1 per user a month billed annually, so 5 mailboxes cost $5 a month [1][2].
- Mail Lite has no monthly billing option; it is sold yearly only [1].
- Mail Lite gives 5 GB of mail storage per user; a 10 GB option costs $1.25 [1][2].
- A free plan covers up to 5 users on one domain, with 5 GB each, but no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync [1].
- Zoho lists 24x7 support by email, chat and call, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, on Mail Lite and the other paid plans [1].

Verdict: Zoho Mail suits small teams on a tight budget: $5 a month for five mailboxes on Mail Lite, plus a free plan for up to five users [1][2]. Mail Lite includes SAML SSO, aliases and 24x7 chat and phone support [1]. The catch: yearly billing only, 5 GB per mailbox, and Zoho's terms contain no uptime credits [1][17]. Best for: Small teams that want a low price and are happy to pay a year at a time.

## Points

| Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Cost for a team of 5 | $5/mo | 12/12 | Mail Lite 5 GB, $1 per user a month billed annually, times 5 mailboxes [1][2]. |
| Price | Free plan on your own domain | Yes | 6/6 | Mail Free: forever free, up to 5 users, custom email for one domain; offered in select regions [1]. |
| Price | Monthly billing | No | 0/4 | The Mail Lite card says no monthly plan; it is billed annually only [1]. |
| Mailbox | Storage per mailbox | 5 | 2/10 | Mail Lite's 5 GB option is the cheapest tier at $1; the 10 GB option costs $1.25 [1][2]. |
| Mailbox | Open mail and calendar protocols | IMAP, POP3, CalDAV, CardDAV | 8/8 | IMAP and POP pages exclude only the Free plan; CalDAV and CardDAV pages state no plan limits [3][4][5][6]. |
| Mailbox | Shared calendar and contacts | Yes | 5/5 | Mail Lite lists Integrated Calendar and Group Calendars, and plan cards mention Shared Calendars [1]. Each user gets a Contacts app [21]. |
| Mailbox | More than one domain | Yes | 3/3 | Zoho says it allows multiple domains under a single organisation; the help page states no plan cap [7]. |
| Mailbox | Aliases and catch-all | Yes | 3/3 | Mail Lite lists Email Aliases and Domain Aliases; a help page covers catch-all setup [1][8]. |
| Security | Two-factor sign-in | Yes | 7/7 | Users can use authenticator apps or Zoho OneAuth for two-factor; the pages state no plan limit [10][9]. |
| Security | Passkeys or security keys | Yes | 3/3 | Zoho Accounts help says it supports FIDO U2F and FIDO2-based security keys; the pages state no plan limit [10][11]. |
| Security | Admins can require 2FA | Yes | 3/3 | Admins enable two-factor for the entire organisation under Security and Compliance; no plan limit is stated [9]. |
| Security | Single sign-on (SAML) | Yes | 5/5 | The plan table lists SAML based SSO integration for Mail Lite; a help page covers SAML setup [1][12]. |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Yes | 6/6 | Zoho says it is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and ISO/IEC 27001 certified for all its cloud services [13]. |
| Security | SPF, DKIM and DMARC guides | Yes | 4/4 | Zoho Mail help pages cover SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup for a custom domain [14][15][16]. |
| Reliability and support | Written uptime commitment | Not published | 0/9 | Pricing lists a 99.9% uptime guarantee, but the terms [17] contain no uptime commitment or credit. |
| Reliability and support | Public status page | Yes | 2/2 | The Zoho status page lists Zoho Mail components and has an incident history section [18]. |
| Reliability and support | Live support | Yes | 4/4 | The plan table lists 24x7 support by email, chat and call for Mail Lite [1]. |
| Reliability and support | Mail migration tool | Yes | 3/3 | Mail Lite lists a migration tool; admins run IMAP migration from the Admin Console, with no plan limit stated [1][19]. |
| Reliability and support | Official phone apps | Yes | 3/3 | The plan table lists a Zoho Mail app for iOS and Android on Mail Lite [1]. |

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Per month (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Mail Free | Free [1] | $0 |
| Mail Lite (5 GB) | $1/user/month, billed annually [1][2] | $1 |
| Mail Lite (10 GB) | $1.25/user/month, billed annually [1][2] | $1.25 |
| Mail Premium | $4/user/month, billed annually [1][2] | $4 |
| Workplace Standard | $3/user/month, billed annually [1][2] | $3 |

Prices come from the pricing data file the Zoho pricing page loads [2]. Zoho gives an approximate 20% discount for annual billing [1].

## Strengths

- Mail Lite costs $1 per user a month on yearly billing, so five mailboxes cost $5 a month [1][2].
- Free plan hosts up to 5 users on a domain you own [1].
- Support by email, chat and call is listed for Mail Lite [1].
- Admins can turn on two-factor sign-in for the whole organisation [9].
- Names ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 for all Zoho cloud services [13].

## Limits

- Mail Lite is billed yearly only; Zoho says there is no monthly plan [1].
- Mail Lite storage starts at 5 GB per user [1].
- The free plan has no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, and is limited to selected regions [1][3].
- Zoho's terms contain no uptime commitment or service credits, though the pricing page lists a 99.9% uptime guarantee [1][17].
- Admins can turn on two-factor only for the whole organisation, not per user [9].

## Vendor claims (not scored)

- Zoho says it ensures 99.9% uptime for Zoho Mail [20].

## Sources

1. [Zoho Mail pricing](https://www.zoho.com/mail/zohomail-pricing.html), Zoho, accessed 2026-10-09
2. [Zoho Mail pricing data file](https://www.zohowebstatic.com/sites/zweb/json/pricing/mail-pricing-val.json), Zoho, accessed 2026-10-09
3. [IMAP access](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/imap-access.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
4. [POP access](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/pop-access.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
5. [Sync your Zoho Mail contacts with CardDAV](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/CardDAV.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
6. [Cross-platform calendar sync](https://www.zoho.com/calendar/cross-platform-sync.html), Zoho Calendar, accessed 2026-10-09
7. [Add domains](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/add-domains.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
8. [Catch-all setup](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/catch-all-setup.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
9. [Two-factor authentication (admin)](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/two-factor-authentication.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
10. [Set up two-factor authentication](https://www.zoho.com/mail/how-to/setup-two-factor-authentication.html), Zoho Mail, accessed 2026-10-09
11. [Security key (MFA)](https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/accounts/multi-factor-authentication/articles/mfa-security-key), Zoho Accounts Help, accessed 2026-10-09
12. [SAML authentication](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/saml-authentication.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
13. [Zoho compliance](https://www.zoho.com/compliance.html), Zoho, accessed 2026-10-09
14. [SPF - Sender Policy Framework](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/spf-configuration.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
15. [DKIM configuration](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/dkim-configuration.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
16. [DMARC policy](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/dmarc-policy.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
17. [Zoho Terms of Service](https://www.zoho.com/terms.html), Zoho, accessed 2026-10-09
18. [US Zoho Services Availability Status](https://us.zohostatus.com/), Zoho, accessed 2026-10-09
19. [IMAP migration](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/imap-migration.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09
20. [Zoho Mail security and compliance](https://www.zoho.com/mail/security.html), Zoho, accessed 2026-10-09
21. [Contacts](https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/contacts.html), Zoho Mail Help, accessed 2026-10-09