Choose Fastmail
When email, calendar, aliases and custom domains are the job—and a full office suite would mostly become shelfware.
Inspect the Fastmail fit →Business email decision guide
Choose the smallest email system that removes the real risk.
A business email decision is not Gmail versus Outlook versus a cheaper inbox. It is a choice about collaboration, privacy, administration, portability and who will own the system after setup.
Choose Proton
When confidentiality, encrypted services and reducing exposure to large advertising or productivity ecosystems matter most.
Inspect the Proton fit →Choose Google Workspace
When Docs, Sheets, Drive, Meet and familiar browser-based collaboration are part of the operating model.
Compare with focused email →Choose Microsoft 365
When Outlook, Exchange, Teams, Office and Microsoft identity are already organisational infrastructure.
Compare the privacy trade-off →The decision order
Do not start with brands.
Name the operating model
Focused email, privacy suite, browser collaboration or Microsoft standardisation.
Count the real users
Separate people, shared addresses, aliases and automated senders before comparing subscriptions.
Protect the domain
Keep registrar ownership, DNS access and recovery credentials independent from the email provider.
Price the migration
Include mailbox history, calendars, contacts, mobile devices, aliases, authentication records and rollback time.
Do nothing
Keeping the current provider can be correct.
Do not migrate because another interface looks cleaner. Stay put when the present service is secure, documented, correctly authenticated and no material workflow or privacy problem is being solved.
Move only when at least one condition is true
- The current provider creates recurring administrative friction.
- Privacy requirements exceed the current model.
- The team needs a collaboration suite it does not have.
- Domain control, deliverability or exit access is weak.
- The total cost is materially out of line with actual use.
Decision rule
Email is infrastructure. Buy the operating model, not the logo.
Fastmail is the focused choice. Proton is the privacy choice. Google Workspace is the browser-collaboration choice. Microsoft 365 is the Microsoft-standardisation choice. Keeping the current provider is the fifth legitimate option.
Primary evidence
Provider documentation checked for this decision.
- Fastmail features
- Custom domains with Fastmail
- Migrate to Fastmail
- Managing multi-user accounts
- Download all your data
- Proton business plans
- Use a custom domain with Proton Mail
- Migrate Google Workspace to Proton
- Set up MX records for Google Workspace
- Google Workspace data migration
- Add a custom domain to Microsoft 365
- Connect a domain with DNS records
Evidence reviewed 20 July 2026. Product details and commercial terms can change; verify final configuration with the provider.