Your own email server, anyone have one?

[Kev Williams]

This is getting frustrating...

Moving to G-suite---- FAIL!

What a PIA--best I can tell I'll essentially be changing registrars (that's okay) and moving my entire domain to Google (NOT okay), and I'll lose my unlimited email address capability; every email address I'm currently using will cost $6 per month EACH. I have like 10 addresses in play, which aren't worth $60 a month-! -on top of the other fees...

SO-- any host suggestions?

Mike Henderson: ...the provider I'm on only allows you to send email to 100 different email addresses per hour. Keeps spammers out.

--sounds like a good idea...

[Mike Henderson]

I use Dreamhost. I haven't priced them against others recently but I'm satisfied with what I pay. I can host (essentially) as many domains as I want (I just checked - I have 10 domains but a few point to the same place) and I have unlimited email addresses. I don't think I have any limits on storage or bandwidth - if there are limits I'm way below them.

They provide reasonable support. Haven't had to use it much because my websites are pretty simple. I'm pretty sure they'll help you move to their servers.

Mike

[The reason for some of the domains are names that are close to a name that my wife uses for her domain. I just point the duplicates to the same place as the "actual" domain. So if you misspell the domain name, you still get to the same place. I pay an annual fee for those duplicates but it's not much. When I set all this up, I was probably too cautious.]

[Jim Becker]

I use MyHosting.com. Ten addresses per domain are supported in the subscription.

[Bill Carey]

I've used 1&1 Ionos since 2007. Multiple web sites, I think a thousand emails available, of which I've used 60 or 70, great support, and an easy to use dashboard. When I signed up it was 8/month, now I pay 14/month.

[Kev Williams]

Thanks again all for the replies

Shortly after my last post a customer called and asked 'how's it goin'?' He got an ear-full! Then he told me he's used Bluehost for several years with no issues, and Bluehost is highly ranked in the best-of ads. So I pulled the trigger...

As I suspected, another PIA- After paying for 3 years of service I get to the "choose your email host!" page, which was pick Google or Microsoft-- WHAT? I actually went to their live chat and asked for my money back. But turns out access to their own web mail service was buried in the 'advanced' features, which was pointed out NOWHERE on the choose-email page. Wasn't too bad after that, and I'm mostly done I think. Don't know when the 'propogation' is supposed to happen but nothing yet. One nice thing is Bluehost uses the same Roundcube webmail program iPage does so the email process was pretty easy. Hoping everything else just 'happens'

If my email don't bounce off half my customer's email servers after this, it'll all be worth it...

[Frank Hagan]

I think you'll find BlueHost about equal to iPage - they are both owned by Endurance International Group (EIG). Your email server could be the same one you were on with iPage, although often they will move you to a new server when you switch to one of their other companies. I hope it works out for you and your experience is better with the company this time around. They own 80+ hosting companies so if you get fed up with them, search for a listing of all the hosting companies they own so you can pick someone else.

Getting your email to flow to Google's G Suite only requires you to change the MX ("mail exchange") records at your domain registrar. You change them, and email starts going to the new mailbox. It is more difficult if you have a lot of stored email to transfer over, and I recommend people pay to have that done.

I don't have any affiliation with these folks, but some hosting companies I like and have used are KnownHost, MDD Hosting, and Hawkhost.

[Frank Hagan]

Also, once your site is up and running on the new service, you can check to see if your domain and/or IP address are on blacklists. Go to mxtoolbox.com and click "Blacklists" in the menu bar. Enter your domain name in the space provided and click the "Blacklist check" button to see if you are on any blacklists. If you are, it doesn't mean none of your email will go through. But if you are on a few of them, chances are you are also on the proprietary ones that the big email folks like Google, Outlook (MS) or Yahoo use.