Introduction
Choosing the right email hosting plan often comes down to how your team actually works day to day. Some businesses simply need reliable, professional email, while others rely heavily on shared calendars, mobile syncing, and collaboration tools. At Greatmail, we’ve designed two editions—Standard and Groupware—so you can choose the one that best fits your workflow without paying for extras you don’t need.
While both editions deliver the same rock-solid foundation for email hosting, the key difference is whether you want to keep things simple with email-only service or unlock advanced groupware features for deeper collaboration. Let’s take a closer look at how the Standard and Groupware editions compare.
Greatmail Standard Email Hosting
Our Standard Email Hosting plan is built for businesses that need reliable, affordable email service without advanced collaboration tools.
Key features:
- IMAP, POP3, and SMTP access
- Roundcube webmail access
- Spam and virus protection
- Choice of 10 GB or 25 GB mailboxes
- Minimum order: 5 mailboxes
Best for: Companies that simply need business-class email at an excellent price point, where each user primarily manages their own inbox.
Greatmail Groupware Email Hosting
Our Groupware Email Hosting plan adds collaboration tools on top of the standard feature set. This edition is designed for teams that need to stay in sync across devices and share information more effectively.
Key features:
- Everything in Standard edition, plus:
- SoGo webmail with integrated calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes
- Shared calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes
- ActiveSync support for syncing email, calendars, contacts, and tasks across Outlook, iOS, and Android
- CalDAV and CardDAV support (open standards for calendar and contact sync)
- Outlook compatibility via the CalDAVSynchronizer plugin
- Choice of 10 GB or 25 GB mailboxes
- Minimum order: 5 mailboxes
Best for: Teams that depend on collaboration tools, mobile sync, and cross-device access to shared resources.
Standard vs. Groupware: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Standard Email Hosting | Groupware Email Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Price (10 GB mailbox) | $1.95/user/month | $3.95/user/month |
| Price (25 GB mailbox) | $2.95/user/month | $4.95/user/month |
| Minimum Mailboxes | 5 | 5 |
| Email Access | IMAP, POP3, SMTP | IMAP, POP3, SMTP |
| Default Webmail | Roundcube | SoGo |
| Spam & Virus Protection | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Calendars, Contacts, Tasks, Notes | — | ✔️ |
| Mobile Sync (CalDAV / CardDAV) | — | ✔️ |
| ActiveSync Support | — | ✔️ |
| Shared Folders & Collaboration | — | ✔️ |
| Outlook Integration | — | ✔️ (via CalDAVSynchronizer plugin) |
Note: Greatmail services are provisioned by domain. Each domain is configured as either Standard or Groupware. It is not possible to mix both editions under the same domain. Organizations that require both types of service can provision them separately under different domains.
Which Plan Is Right for You?
Picking between Standard and Groupware often depends on how much collaboration your team needs beyond email. Both editions give you the same dependable hosting, security, and support, but the Groupware edition adds tools that help teams stay in sync across devices and schedules.
- Choose Standard if your priority is straightforward, professional email with plenty of storage and an easy-to-use webmail interface. It’s ideal for businesses that don’t rely heavily on shared calendars or mobile syncing.
- Choose Groupware if your team depends on calendar sharing, address book synchronization, and mobile device integration through ActiveSync. It’s built for organizations where collaboration and on-the-go access are just as important as email itself.
Note: Standard Edition users can still sync email across devices and access built-in calendars and contacts in webmail, Outlook, and mobile apps. What’s missing is the ability to sync calendar and contact data between devices and share that data between users.
Conclusion
Greatmail offers two powerful options for professional email hosting. Standard Email Hosting delivers essential business-class email at a low cost, while Groupware Email Hosting adds collaboration and sync features for teams that need to stay connected across devices. Both are secure, scalable, and supported by Greatmail’s responsive team.
👉 Ready to take the next step? Visit our Email Hosting Pricing Page to compare plans or contact our sales team to discuss the best option for your business.