Kinsta, known for its managed WordPress hosting services, does not offer email hosting as part of its plans. This can come as a surprise to some users, especially those accustomed to getting email services bundled with their web hosting providers. However, Kinsta has chosen to focus its expertise and resources exclusively on providing top-notch WordPress hosting performance, security, and scalability.
While this might seem like a limitation at first, Kinsta encourages users to use third-party email hosting providers. The idea is that specialized email hosting services offer superior reliability, features, and security for handling email accounts. Let’s explore why Kinsta doesn’t offer email hosting, what third-party services you can use instead, and the benefits of this separation of services.
Why Doesn’t Kinsta Offer Email Hosting?
Kinsta’s philosophy is to excel in one area: WordPress hosting. By focusing solely on managed WordPress hosting, they can offer faster speeds, better security, and more robust tools for managing WordPress websites. Their entire infrastructure is built on Google Cloud, which ensures top-tier performance and scalability for WordPress websites. However, this also means that Kinsta doesn’t want to dilute its focus by offering a service like email hosting that falls outside its core competency.
In other words, Kinsta believes in partnering with specialized email providers to deliver the best experience to its customers rather than offering a bundled email solution that may be less reliable than dedicated providers.
The Benefits of Using a Separate Email Hosting Provider
While having an all-in-one solution for website and email hosting can be convenient, separating the two services has its advantages:
- Enhanced Performance: Email hosting and web hosting often have different resource needs. By using separate services, you can ensure that one doesn’t slow down the other. Your email provider can focus on handling the demands of email traffic, while Kinsta focuses on optimizing your website’s performance.
- Better Email Features: Dedicated email hosting providers often offer more advanced email management features, such as better spam filtering, collaboration tools, and larger storage options. For example, using services like Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) or Microsoft 365 gives you access to a suite of productivity tools in addition to email hosting.
- Improved Security: Dedicated email services often provide stronger security measures, including encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), and robust spam filters. By using a service that specializes in email, you can ensure your communication is secure without relying on a general hosting provider to handle it.
- Scalability: As your business grows, you may need more advanced email features, such as custom email routing, shared inboxes, and administrative controls. Dedicated email hosts are built to scale with your needs.
- Uptime and Reliability: Reputable email providers have massive infrastructures dedicated to ensuring reliable email delivery and uptime. They have backup systems, failover options, and dedicated teams ensuring your email is accessible 24/7.
Recommended Third-Party Email Hosting Providers for Kinsta Users
Since Kinsta doesn’t provide email hosting, they recommend several third-party providers known for their reliability and feature sets. Here are some of the best options for email hosting if you’re using Kinsta for your website:
1. Google Workspace (formerly G Suite)
Google Workspace is one of the most popular choices for email hosting, offering powerful tools such as Gmail with your custom domain, Google Drive for file storage, Google Docs, and Google Meet. Gmail is known for its intuitive interface, excellent spam filtering, and reliability.
Key Features:
- Custom email addresses (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com)
- 30 GB to unlimited storage (depending on the plan)
- Advanced spam filtering and security features
- Google Docs, Sheets, Drive, Calendar, and Meet included
- Easy to manage multiple users for businesses
Cost: Starts at $6 per user per month.
2. Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)
Microsoft 365 offers robust email hosting via Outlook with your custom domain, in addition to Microsoft’s suite of productivity tools, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive for cloud storage. Microsoft’s collaboration tools are top-notch, making it a great option for businesses that rely on Microsoft Office applications.
Key Features:
- Custom domain email (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com)
- 50 GB mailbox storage (with OneDrive for file storage)
- Secure and reliable email hosting with anti-spam and anti-malware protection
- Access to the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Microsoft Teams for communication and collaboration
Cost: Starts at $6 per user per month for basic email and OneDrive; $12.50 per user per month for access to the full Office suite.
3. Zoho Mail
Zoho Mail is a popular, cost-effective email hosting solution, particularly for small businesses. It offers a robust email service with a focus on privacy and security. Zoho also includes additional business tools like a calendar, contacts, and tasks. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option that doesn’t skimp on features, Zoho Mail is a great choice.
Key Features:
- Custom domain email hosting
- Ad-free, clean interface
- 5 GB storage per user (up to 50 GB on higher plans)
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security
- Zoho apps for collaboration, like Zoho Docs and Zoho Meeting
Cost: Starts at $1 per user per month for the basic plan and $4 per user per month for higher-tier plans.
4. Fastmail
Fastmail is another option for users who prioritize privacy and speed. It doesn’t come with the productivity suites of Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, but it provides a fast, reliable, and ad-free email service. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a simple, focused email hosting solution with strong privacy features.
Key Features:
- Custom domain support for personalized email addresses
- 30 GB of storage for email, contacts, and calendar
- Strong privacy and no ads
- Focused, easy-to-use interface
Cost: Starts at $3 per user per month.
How to Set Up Third-Party Email Hosting with Kinsta
Even though Kinsta doesn’t provide email hosting, they make it easy to integrate third-party email services with your website domain. Here’s a basic outline of the steps you’ll need to follow:
- Choose a third-party email provider (such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, etc.) and sign up for an account.
- Set up your custom domain for email hosting within the third-party email provider’s dashboard. This usually involves pointing your domain’s MX (Mail Exchange) records to the email provider’s servers.
- Configure DNS settings in the Kinsta DNS manager (or wherever you manage your domain’s DNS records). You’ll need to add the MX records provided by your email hosting provider, along with any additional SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records for email authentication and security.
- Verify your domain with your email provider to start sending and receiving emails from your custom domain.
Kinsta’s support team can assist you with configuring your DNS settings to ensure a smooth setup, even though they don’t host the email service themselves.
Conclusion
While Kinsta doesn’t offer email hosting, the decision to separate web hosting and email hosting can be a benefit rather than a drawback. By using dedicated email hosting providers like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, or Fastmail, you can enjoy a more robust, reliable, and feature-rich email experience. This allows Kinsta to focus solely on providing best-in-class WordPress hosting without spreading their resources too thin.
If you’re already using Kinsta for your website, integrating a third-party email solution is straightforward, and you’ll likely appreciate the added flexibility and reliability that these specialized services offer. Ultimately, separating email from web hosting ensures that you get the best of both worlds—high-performance hosting for your website and top-tier email services for your communication needs.