Business Email Not Included in Hosting: Here’s Why (And What to Do)
Business email is not included in CM Cloud hosting plans — and that is a deliberate, customer-friendly decision. This article explains why email and hosting are sold separately, what you actually get with each product, and how to build a complete professional setup for less than you might expect.
What “Business Email Not Included in Hosting” Actually Means
When you buy a shared hosting, Managed WordPress, Cloud VPS, or App Hosting plan from CM Cloud, you are paying for server resources — disk space, CPU, RAM, and bandwidth to run your website or application.
You are not paying for mailboxes, spam filtering, or a mail server. Those require a completely separate infrastructure stack, and bundling them into hosting plans silently inflates the price for customers who do not need email.
CM Cloud sells Business Email Hosting as a standalone product so you only pay for what you actually use.
Why Hosting Providers Bundle Email — and Why That’s Bad for You
Many providers advertise “email included” as a headline feature. In practice, this usually means:
- Shared mail servers with hundreds of other domains, which damages your sender reputation
- Email infrastructure is subsidised by inflating the hosting price
- You cannot scale mailboxes independently of your hosting plan
- Switching hosts means migrating your email at the same time — double the disruption
Keeping them separate means your email never goes down because your hosting plan changed, and vice versa. It also means you can buy exactly the number of mailboxes your business needs today and add more tomorrow without upgrading your entire hosting tier.
CM Cloud Business Email Pricing
Business Email Hosting at CM Cloud starts at $1.99 per user per month — the most affordable professional mailbox pricing available in Cameroon and West Africa.
| Plan | USD | XAF | EUR | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per Mailbox | $1.99/user/mo | XAF 1,250/user/mo | €1.85/user/mo | 1 professional mailbox |
| Bundle | $4.99/mo | XAF 3,000/mo | €4.60/mo | 5 mailboxes included |
The Bundle plan is ideal for small teams: five professional email addresses (e.g. [email protected], [email protected]) for XAF 3,000 per month.
How Business Email Compares to Competitors
Providers that claim to “include” email in hosting rarely tell you the renewal price. Here is an honest comparison:
| Provider | Email Starter (USD) | XAF | EUR | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM Cloud | $1.99/user/mo | XAF 1,250 | €1.85 | Transparent pricing, no lock-in |
| Google Workspace | $6.00/user/mo | ~XAF 3,750 | ~€5.60 | 48-hr support wait on Starter |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $6.00/user/mo | ~XAF 3,750 | ~€5.60 | Requires annual commitment |
| Hostinger Business Email | ~$1.99/user/mo intro | varies | varies | Renews higher; 48-mo lock-in on bundles |
CM Cloud charges the same price at renewal as it does on day one. There are no promotional rates that expire after 12 or 48 months.
What You Get With CM Cloud Business Email
- Professional mailboxes on your own domain ([email protected])
- Webmail access from any browser
- Full IMAP/SMTP support for Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, and mobile apps
- Spam and virus filtering built in
- Scales independently — add a mailbox when you hire, remove one when someone leaves
- Billed separately from hosting so a hosting change never affects your email
Building a Complete Business Setup on CM Cloud
Here is what a typical small business in Cameroon or West Africa needs — and the exact monthly cost:
Option A — Small Business Website + Email
- Shared Hosting (Starter): $3.99/mo (XAF 2,500)
- Business Email (Bundle, 5 mailboxes): $4.99/mo (XAF 3,000)
- Domain: CM Cloud has the cheapest domain registration prices on the market
- Total: from $8.98/mo (XAF 5,500) for a complete professional presence
Option B — WordPress Site + Email
- Managed WordPress (Starter): $6.99/mo (XAF 4,500)
- Business Email (Per mailbox, 2 users): $3.98/mo (XAF 2,500)
- Total: from $10.97/mo (XAF 7,000)
Option C — App or SaaS + Team Email
- App Hosting (Starter): $7.99/mo (XAF 5,000)
- Business Email (Bundle): $4.99/mo (XAF 3,000)
- Total: from $12.98/mo (XAF 8,000)
See all plan details at cmcloudhosting.com/pricing.
AI Credits — Available on Every Plan
Every CM Cloud account includes AI credits at no base cost, with top-ups available from $1.00 / XAF 500 / €0.93 for 25 credits. AI credits work across all products — hosting, email, and domains.
| Credit Pack | USD | XAF | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 credits | $1.00 | XAF 500 | €0.93 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does any CM Cloud hosting plan include email?
No. Business Email is sold as a separate product from all hosting plans — Shared, Managed WordPress, Cloud VPS, and App Hosting. This is intentional: you pay only for the resources you use.
Can I use Gmail or Outlook instead?
Yes, but using @gmail.com or @hotmail.com for business immediately signals that your operation is small or informal. A branded address (@yourdomain.com) builds trust with clients and partners, especially when sending invoices or proposals.
What if I only need one mailbox?
The per-mailbox plan at $1.99/mo (XAF 1,250) covers exactly that. You are not forced into a bundle.
Can I add email to an existing CM Cloud hosting account?
Yes. Log in to your CM Cloud portal, navigate to Business Email, and subscribe independently of your current hosting plan. Your hosting plan does not change.
Is email affected if I upgrade or change my hosting plan?
No. Because email is billed separately, any change to your hosting plan has zero effect on your mailboxes or email data.
Why CM Cloud’s Transparent Pricing Matters in 2025
Hostinger is currently promoting a 75%-off shared hosting deal locked to a 48-month commitment at $2.99/mo — that renews at $10.99/mo. The introductory price disappears; the lock-in does not.
CM Cloud does not operate that way. The price you see on cmcloudhosting.com/pricing is the price you pay at renewal. No surprise increases after a promotional period ends.
For businesses in Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, predictable monthly costs in XAF and local-equivalent pricing matter. CM Cloud is built for that reality.
Get Professional Business Email Today
Set up a branded business email address on your own domain for as little as XAF 1,250 per month — completely independent of your hosting plan.
View Business Email Plans → cmcloudhosting.com/pricing
Buy your domain, choose a hosting plan, and add Business Email as a separate subscription. Three products, one account, fully transparent pricing — no lock-in, no surprises.