Bluehost and HostGator, both part of Newfold Digital, now include two cPanel email mailboxes with a hosting plan and charge for more, starting at $2.99 a month. On a 36-month Bluehost Starter plan, which renews at $9.99 a month, the first paid email tier adds about 30%.

HostGator’s account limits table listed unlimited email accounts on its shared plans as recently as March 10, and it now lists two, with 100 MB of email storage. Both hosts describe cPanel Email as “a paid add-on” and give the same reason in their FAQs: it “runs on the same server as your website hosting,” and tiered plans help “prevent email traffic from slowing down your hosting environment.”

Key facts

  • Existing accounts: according to its overview, Bluehost will review active mailboxes on each account and match customers to a plan.
  • Lower tier: both FAQs name deleting unused mailboxes or consolidating accounts as a way to move to a lower tier and reduce costs.
  • Downgrade or non-renewal: mailboxes and data are preserved, but sending and receiving may be restricted until a plan is reactivated.
  • Top tier: cPanel Email Premium, at $8.99 a month, adds unlimited mailboxes, 1,000 emails an hour per domain and SpamExperts filtering.

Four Tiers, Tied to the Hosting Plan

Both hosts list the same tiers and prices. The plans attach to the hosting plan, not to each domain, so several domains can share one email plan.

TierMailboxesPer monthPer yearEmails per hour, per domain
Free0 to 2$0$0200
cPanel Email Basic3 to 10$2.99$35.88200
cPanel Email Plus11 to 20$5.99$71.88200
cPanel Email PremiumUnlimited$8.99$107.881,000

The free tier does not include 24/7 guided support, which starts with Basic. SpamExperts filtering comes only with Premium. Both hosts note that pricing is subject to change and point customers to their portals for current offers and renewal rates.

Europe’s Hosts Bundle Email to Keep Customers. One in Four Mailboxes Has No SPF.

Accounts With More Than Two Mailboxes

Bluehost’s overview, last updated on July 14, explains how accounts will be handled: “Bluehost will review the number of active mailboxes on each account and match customers to the plan that best fits their needs.” The company presents this as a way to “ensure reliable service while avoiding charges for unused mailboxes.”

Both hosts’ FAQs explain that the plans “are based primarily on mailbox usage” and that a customer who reaches a limit “can upgrade to a higher tier to avoid blocks on creating new mailboxes or sending outbound emails.” If a customer downgrades or does not renew, the FAQs answer that mailboxes and email data are preserved, though “sending and receiving functionality may be restricted until the appropriate plan is reactivated.”

Mailboxes at GoDaddy, Namecheap, DreamHost and Hostinger

GoDaddy’s limits table sets the Economy plan’s maximum at 100 email accounts, and Namecheap lists 30 mailboxes on Stellar. At DreamHost and Hostinger, the included email is free for a limited time. DreamHost’s Launch plan includes 20 mailboxes free for three months, and Hostinger’s limits table lists one mailbox on Web Single and two per website on Web Premium as a Business Email free trial, which lasts from one month to a year depending on the hosting plan’s billing period.

Final Thoughts

Mailbox allowances on the plans compared here follow three patterns: a mailbox cap at GoDaddy and Namecheap, a free period at DreamHost and Hostinger, and at Bluehost and HostGator, two free mailboxes with paid tiers above them.

At Bluehost and HostGator, the number of mailboxes is now part of what hosting costs. On the Basic tier, a plan with three to ten mailboxes adds $35.88 a year, and unlimited mailboxes on Premium add $107.88.