MXroute vs Migadu
MXroute and Migadu are the two names that come up whenever someone asks for email hosting that charges per account, not per seat. Both are small, independent, and honest about their limits — which makes the choice between them unusually pleasant. Prices below were verified on both vendors' sites in July 2026.
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Summary verdict
Short answer
Pick Migadu if you're one person with several domains and modest sending needs — the $19/yr Micro plan is the cheapest credible custom-domain email anywhere, as long as you can live inside its 20-outgoing-messages-per-day cap. Pick MXroute the moment real business volume is involved: $59/yr buys 10 GB with unlimited domains and mailboxes and no per-day sending micro-caps at that scale.
Top pick
MXroute
At a glance
Comparison table
MXroute
Independent business email
- Starting price
- from $59/yrSmall — 10 GB, unlimited domains & mailboxesrenews at same price at renewalVerified July 2026
- Ease
- Performance
- Support
- Migration
- Included
- Included
Migadu
Flat-rate unlimited mailboxes
- Starting price
- from $19/yrMicro — 5 GB, unlimited domains/addressesrenews at same price at renewalVerified July 2026
- Ease
- Performance
- Support
- Migration
- Included
- Included
| Provider | Best for | Starting price | Ease | Performance | Support | Migration | Get it | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MXrouteIndependent business email at a flat yearly cost | Independent business email | from $59/yrSmall — 10 GB, unlimited domains & mailboxesrenews at same price at renewalVerified July 2026 | Included | Included | ||||
MigaduPower users who want unlimited domains/mailboxes at a flat rate | Flat-rate unlimited mailboxes | from $19/yrMicro — 5 GB, unlimited domains/addressesrenews at same price at renewalVerified July 2026 | Included | Included | See current pricingNon-affiliate recommendation |
Providers in this guide
The two contenders
MXroute
Independent business email at a flat yearly cost
- Pricing
- from $59/yrrenews at same price at renewalVerified July 2026
Pros
- +Flat annual pricing model on storage tiers
- +Unlimited domains and mailboxes on most plans
- +Independent from Google or Microsoft
Cons
- −No collaboration suite (docs, calendar, drive)
- −Self-serve support style
Confirm current pricing on the provider's site.
Visit MXrouteMigadu
Power users who want unlimited domains/mailboxes at a flat rate
- Pricing
- from $19/yrrenews at same price at renewalVerified July 2026
Pros
- +Flat pricing, no per-mailbox costs
- +Unlimited domains on all plans
- +Privacy-respecting Swiss operator
Cons
- −Volume-based limits instead of seats can surprise you
- −Self-serve support style
Confirm current pricing on the provider's site.
Visit MigaduPricing, decoded (verified July 2026)
Migadu sells storage-and-limit tiers, not mailboxes: Micro is $19/yr (5 GB pooled, 20 outbound messages/day), Mini is $90/yr (30 GB, meaningfully higher limits), and Standard is $290/yr. Every tier allows unlimited domains and unlimited addresses — you're paying for capacity, not seats.
MXroute's smallest plan is $59/yr for 10 GB, also with unlimited domains and mailboxes, and the vendor is explicit that there are no per-seat charges and the renewal price equals the entry price. Neither provider plays the intro-vs-renewal game that defines shared hosting.
The math: below roughly two active users or for archival/low-volume domains, Migadu Micro wins on pure cost. Once daily sending volume matters, MXroute's $59/yr undercuts Migadu's $90/yr Mini — which is the fairer comparison for a working business inbox.
Philosophy and limits
Migadu is unusually transparent about being a small operation with hard limits — its pricing page reads like a terms sheet, which we consider a feature. The outbound caps are real and enforced; treat the Micro tier as designed for receiving-heavy use.
MXroute is a long-running one-admin operation with a devoted following on communities like LowEndTalk. Its documentation is direct, its support is queue-based and technical, and its anti-spam enforcement is famously strict — which is part of why its deliverability reputation holds up.
We have not independently measured deliverability for either provider; both support proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration, which is most of what determines whether your mail lands in inboxes.
Who should pick which
Choose Migadu Micro for personal domains, side projects, and any setup where $19/yr and a sending cap are acceptable. Choose Migadu Mini if you like their per-capacity model and need more headroom.
Choose MXroute for small-business email: multiple staff mailboxes across several domains at a flat $59/yr is a price the per-seat suites structurally cannot match — three Google Workspace seats cost about $252/yr at the standard $7/user/mo rate.
Best fit for
- +Owners consolidating email across multiple personal or business domains
- +Anyone leaving per-seat pricing (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365) behind
- +Technical users comfortable setting DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Consider another option if
- −Your team needs shared documents, calendars-as-collaboration, or video calls — that's suite territory
- −You send bulk or marketing email — both providers prohibit it; use a transactional service
- −You want phone support and an enterprise SLA
Questions readers ask
FAQ
Ready to move forward?
MXroute is our top pick for this category.
Check current pricing on the provider's site — promos and renewal rates change frequently.
Reviewed by
Digital Hosting editorial team
Independent comparisons of hosting, VPS, WordPress, business email, and domain registrars. We weight renewal pricing, real-world performance, and support quality — not marketing claims.
See our affiliate disclosure and how we test and score providers.