Migadu pricing alternative for custom-domain email

Short answer

Shipmail is the Migadu pricing alternative for small teams that need custom-domain email with shared inboxes, team access, webmail, IMAP/SMTP, and API workflow. Migadu Micro is cheaper for basic annual email hosting, many domains, aliases, or forwarding; Shipmail is better when support@, hello@, billing@, or sales@ are active team inboxes.

By Julien
Published March 9, 2026Updated June 29, 2026
Migadu pricing 2026Custom-domain emailMigadu alternative

Founder of Shipmail. Building business email hosting for solo founders and small teams.

  • Targets Migadu pricing, Migadu Micro, and custom-domain email decisions for 2026

  • Shipmail starts at $4/month for 3 mailboxes with shared inbox workflow included

  • Migadu is better for domain-heavy basic hosting; Shipmail is better for active team mailboxes

Rust-based mail engine, independently audited by Radically Open Security. Open protocols, no lock-in.

Migadu pricing alternative for custom-domain email

If you searched for Migadu email hosting pricing in 2026, the decision is less about the headline price and more about what the account needs to do. Migadu Micro is a strong annual entry plan for basic custom-domain email. Shipmail is the alternative when those domain addresses are active business inboxes that a team needs to share.

Use Shipmail when you want custom-domain mailboxes, shared role inboxes, team access, webmail, IMAP/SMTP, and API automation without adding a second shared-inbox tool on top of the email host.

Migadu pricing and Migadu Micro

Migadu prices by account rather than by mailbox. Its public pricing lists Micro at $19/year, Mini at $9/month or $90/year, Standard at $29/month or $290/year, and Maxi at $99/month or $990/year. Micro is annual only; Migadu says the monthly fee would be too small after payment processing costs.

That makes Migadu Micro a strong low-cost option for basic custom-domain email, individuals, freelancers, families, and very small setups. The tradeoff is that Micro is not a shared-inbox product and is not designed around multiple teammates working together inside the same role inbox.

Small teams: pricing is not the only decision

For a solo domain with simple mailboxes, Migadu Micro can be cheaper on an annual basis. For a small team, the better question is whether people need to work from the same inboxes. Shipmail Pro is $9/month for 10 mailboxes and includes shared inbox workflow for the team.

If support@, sales@, hello@, and billing@ are operational addresses that multiple people need to read and answer, Shipmail is built for that use case. If those addresses are mostly aliases or simple forwarding destinations, Migadu may be enough.

Custom-domain email: mailbox workflow vs domain coverage

Both products can host custom-domain email. The difference is the center of gravity. Shipmail starts from active mailboxes and team workflow. Migadu starts from broad domain and address coverage under account-level limits.

That is why the cheapest provider changes by scenario: domain portfolios and low-activity mailboxes lean Migadu; active mailboxes, shared inboxes, and customer-facing role addresses lean Shipmail.

Who should choose Shipmail over Migadu

Choose Shipmail when your custom-domain email is operational: multiple people answer support@, hello@, sales@, billing@, or founder inboxes; you need shared access without password sharing; and you want one monthly bill that includes mail hosting plus collaboration.

Shipmail is also the better fit when migration matters. Create the new domain mailboxes first, move historical mail with standard IMAP, then update DNS once the team inboxes are ready. Start with the pricing page to pick a mailbox tier, then use the migration guide when you are ready to switch.

Compare pricing and plan the migration

For a live plan comparison, open Shipmail pricing and compare Solo, Pro, and Team against the Migadu Micro, Mini, Standard, and Maxi scenarios above. If you are switching from another host, the migration guide covers mailbox setup, DNS timing, and IMAP history transfer before you cut over.

Useful next links: Shipmail pricing at /pricing, custom-domain setup at /docs/guides/custom-domain-email-without-google-workspace, and migration steps at /docs/guides/migrate-from-gmail.

Best Migadu alternatives by use case

Shipmail is the Migadu alternative to consider when the missing piece is collaboration. Fastmail fits polished individual email. Zoho Mail fits very low-cost per-user seats. Proton Mail fits encryption-first email. Google Workspace fits teams that need Gmail plus Docs, Drive, Meet, and admin controls.

If you are searching for Migadu alternatives because of pricing, start with the table above. If you are searching because of shared inboxes or small-team workflow, Shipmail is the more direct alternative.

Verdict

For team workflows with shared inboxes, Shipmail. For domain-heavy basic setups, Migadu. The pricing unit tells the story: if you care more about mailbox collaboration, choose the mailbox-based product. If you care more about domain coverage, choose the domain-heavy product.

FactorShipmailMigadu
Choose Shipmail whenA small team needs custom-domain mailboxes, shared access, and role inboxesThe setup is mostly individual/basic mailboxes, aliases, or forwarding
Choose Migadu whenMailbox collaboration matters more than maximizing domain countYou have many domains and few people actively sharing inboxes
Entry pricing$4/month for 3 mailboxes; $9/month for 10 mailboxes on Pro$19/year on Micro; Mini starts at $9/month or $90/year
Migadu Micro fitNot the cheapest annual plan, but includes team/shared-inbox workflowLowest-cost basic plan; no monthly Micro option
Shared inboxBuilt inNot available
Custom-domain handlingCustom domains included with mailboxes, DNS guidance, webmail, IMAP/SMTP, APIDomain-heavy model with unlimited addresses and broad domain coverage
Best fitSmall teams, agencies, startups, and operators using support@, hello@, billing@Technical users and domain-heavy setups with basic mailbox needs

Pricing breakdown

Last verified June 2026

1 domain, 3 active mailboxes

Shipmail

$4/mo (Solo)

Migadu

$19/year (Micro)

Migadu Micro wins on lowest annual price for basic usage; Shipmail wins when the 3 addresses need real shared/team workflow.

Small team: 5 domains, 10 mailboxes

Shipmail

$9/mo (Pro)

Migadu

$9/mo or $90/year (Mini)

The price is close, so the decision is workflow: Shipmail includes shared inbox and team access; Migadu is simpler domain-heavy hosting.

20 domains, mostly forwarding

Shipmail

$29/mo (Team)

Migadu

$19/year Micro or $9/mo Mini depending on usage

Migadu is usually cheaper when the need is many domains with few active mailboxes and no shared inbox collaboration.

Sources

FAQ

Questions worth answering.

Common questions about choosing between Shipmail and Migadu.

What is Migadu Micro?
Migadu Micro is Migadu's lowest-cost annual plan for basic email usage. Migadu lists it at $19/year and does not offer a monthly Micro plan.
Is Migadu Micro cheaper than Shipmail?
For very basic personal or low-activity custom-domain email, yes: Migadu Micro has a lower annual entry price. Shipmail is the better fit when those addresses are active business mailboxes that need shared inboxes, team access, API, and a workflow built for small teams.
What are the best Migadu alternatives for business email?
The best Migadu alternatives are Shipmail for shared inboxes and team access, Fastmail for polished individual email, Zoho Mail for low-cost basic mailboxes, Proton Mail for encryption, and Google Workspace for teams that need the full office suite.
Why compare mailbox-based pricing to domain-based pricing?
Because the pricing unit determines which setup is cheaper. Teams with operational mailboxes and shared access save with Shipmail. Setups with many domains and few active mailboxes save with Migadu.
Does Migadu include a shared inbox?
No. Migadu is email hosting with mailboxes, aliases, forwarding, and domain coverage. It does not include the shared-inbox collaboration workflow Shipmail provides for role addresses such as support@, hello@, or billing@.
When does Migadu still make sense?
When the setup involves many domains with basic forwarding and mailbox needs, and shared inbox collaboration is not part of the workflow.