Business email cost in Malaysia 2026: Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365

Business email on your own domain costs about RM14 to RM35 per person a month in Malaysia, before tax. Google Workspace Business Starter is RM29.20 on a yearly plan or RM35 month to month, and new customers pay half for the first 12 months. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is listed at USD 3.50, about RM14.21. Google adds 8% SST.

Last updated 9 November 2026. Prices read on the vendors' Malaysian pages that day. General information, not tax advice.

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How much does business email cost in Malaysia?

A business email costs about RM14 to RM35 per user a month on the entry plans, Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Google Workspace Business Starter, at the providers' Malaysian list prices before tax. Higher tiers cost more and add storage, desktop apps, AI features and admin controls. Google lists in ringgit, Microsoft in US dollars.

Google figures from its Malaysian pricing page. Microsoft figures from its Malaysian plans page and mailbox limits, converted at Bank Negara Malaysia's USD middle rate of 4.0588 on 6 November 2026. All before tax.

Asked on 9 November 2026, Gemini put Starter at RM29.20 to RM35.00 and Business Basic at RM12 to RM16, close to these lists, citing resellers but no Microsoft page.

Why does Google Workspace cost twice as much in year two?

Google's lowest Malaysian price is a welcome offer. New customers on the Annual plan pay RM14.60 a user a month for Business Starter, 50% off, and RM35.04 for Business Standard, 40% off. Google says the offer covers "the first 20 users added, for 12 months. Standard pricing will apply to all users after 12 months."

So year two is RM29.20 for Starter and RM58.40 for Standard. On the Flexible plan, which you pay month to month, the first-year prices are RM17.50 and RM42, rising to RM35 and RM70.

The Annual plan is about 16.6% cheaper than Flexible, which Google rounds to "Save 16%". The catch is the commitment. Google's billing help says you can reduce licences only at renewal, and spells out what leaving early costs:

"If you cancel your subscription before the renewal date, you're charged for the remaining balance of your contract and no refunds are issued."

Google Workspace Help, Compare Flexible and Annual/Fixed-Term payment plans

On Flexible you can remove a user any time.

Google offers a 14-day free trial.

What does Microsoft 365 cost in ringgit?

Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs about RM14.21 a user a month in Malaysia on a yearly plan, before tax, because Microsoft lists it at USD 3.50. That ringgit figure uses Bank Negara Malaysia's USD middle rate of 4.0588 on 6 November 2026, so it moves when the ringgit does. Basic without Teams is USD 2.70, about RM10.96.

Two things change the bill. Microsoft's page says each price "does not include tax" and is an annual subscription that auto-renews. And since 1 April 2025, paying an annual subscription month by month costs more:

"The monthly billing plan for annual subscription will be priced 5% higher."

Microsoft Community Hub, Flexible billing for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Pricing updates for annual subscriptions & Teams Phone

Paying Business Basic monthly is about RM14.92.

Malaysian resellers sell in ringgit. Exabytes lists Business Basic from RM14.99 and Business Standard from RM47.99. GB Network lists Basic at RM15.94 on 12 months or RM19.12 on one month, and Standard at RM51.01 or RM61.21. Microsoft's own page lists the Copilot version of Standard, at about RM95.38.

ZenWeb's 2026 table puts Business Basic at RM25 to RM30, about 1.8 to 2.1 times the list price, and says platforms publish in USD. Microsoft does. Google publishes in ringgit.

What will a five-person business pay in the first two years?

A five-person team on Google Business Starter's Annual plan pays RM876 in year one and RM1,752 in year two, before tax. On Microsoft 365 Business Basic the same team pays about RM852 a year at today's exchange rate, with no first-year jump.

Microsoft rows use 4.0588 ringgit to the dollar; its 8% figure assumes the foreign digital services rate, as Microsoft's page says tax is extra. With 8% SST, Google Starter Annual's year one is RM946.08. Google Business Standard on the Annual plan is RM2,102.40 in year one and RM3,504.00 in year two, before tax.

Budget Google's year-two price from day one. Business Basic is the cheaper list price, but its bill follows the dollar.

Do you pay SST, and do you need a self-billed e-invoice?

Yes, plan for 8% tax on top of the list price. Malaysia's service tax on digital services from foreign providers rose from 6% to 8% on 1 March 2024 (CCS & Co), and Malay Mail reported that Google told Workspace users it would charge 8% from March 2024. Microsoft's Malaysian prices also exclude tax.

LHDN's e-Invoice Specific Guideline (version 4.7, 20 April 2026) lists "services rendered by foreign suppliers" among purchases where the buyer issues a self-billed e-invoice. For imported services it is due by the end of the month after you pay or receive the invoice, whichever is earlier.

Office Niaga, a Malaysian Google reseller, puts it plainly: "Buy direct and your supplier is Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, which bills in Ringgit too, but a business inside the LHDN mandate then has to raise its own self-billed e-invoice for the expense." A local reseller issues the invoice instead. Ask your accountant whether the mandate covers you yet.

Buy direct, through a reseller, or use cheaper mail?

Buy direct for the lowest list price, or through a Malaysian reseller for a local invoice and support, usually at a small premium. Office Niaga sells Starter at Google's list price, RM350.40 a user a year, but adds "a one-time RM100 setup fee and 8% SST".

Exabytes lists Starter at RM29.99 a month, RM9.48 a year above Google's Annual price. Its free domain is "only applicable to yearly plan", and moving 10 mailboxes or fewer costs from RM400.

Cheaper mail exists if you only need an inbox:

• Mail bundled with hosting. Cynet says most hosting plans "come with unlimited email accounts at no extra cost". For what the hosting itself costs a year, see our website maintenance cost guide.
• Office Niaga Mail, a standalone tier, from RM18 a month for 5 mailboxes.
• Zoho Mail's Forever Free plan, for one domain and up to 5 users with 5 GB each. It leaves out IMAP, POP and ActiveSync, the settings most mail apps use to sync, and Zoho says it is "available only in select data centers" (Zoho).

How do you connect business email to your .com.my domain?

You connect business email by pointing your domain's MX record (the setting that tells the internet where your mail goes) at your provider, then adding the records that prove your mail is genuine. You need the domain first: our guide to registering a .com.my domain covers cost and documents. Acclaira registers the domain for every client we build a site for.

1. Sign up and verify the domain with Google or Microsoft, or a reseller.
2. Add the MX record at your registrar. For Google the value is smtp.google.com. Google warns: "Remove any other MX records. Your email might not work correctly if you keep old or incorrect MX records" (Google).
3. Wait. New MX records can take up to 72 hours to work.
4. Add SPF or DKIM. Gmail requires one from every sender, and since 1 February 2024 anyone sending more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail must meet stricter rules, including DMARC. Otherwise, Google says, "your email might not be delivered as expected, or might be marked as spam."

ZenWeb, a Malaysian agency, puts it well: "The plan you pick matters less than the DNS records behind it." For the record, Acclaira's own email runs on Google Workspace.

Acclaira helps Malaysian businesses become the business customers find first, on Google and when they ask AI, and Dan Duar teaches how in a free one-hour class on Zoom every Thursday at 9.30pm Malaysia time.

Sources

• Google Workspace, Malaysia pricing, Annual and Flexible views, read 9 November 2026.
• Google Workspace Help, Compare Flexible and Annual/Fixed-Term payment plans, read 9 November 2026.
• Google Workspace Help, Set up MX records, read 9 November 2026.
• Google, Email sender guidelines, read 9 November 2026.
• Microsoft 365 for business, compare plans (Malaysia), read 9 November 2026.
• Microsoft Learn, Exchange Online limits, read 9 November 2026.
• Microsoft 365 Blog, Pricing updates for annual subscriptions, 12 November 2024.
• Bank Negara Malaysia, exchange rates, USD middle rate for 6 November 2026.
• CCS & Co, Service Tax (Rate of Digital Services Tax) (Amendment) Order 2024, read 9 November 2026.
• Malay Mail, Google raises SST rate to 8pc from March, 5 February 2024.
• LHDN, e-Invoice Specific Guideline, version 4.7, 20 April 2026.
• Office Niaga, Google Workspace pricing in Ringgit, read 9 November 2026.
• Exabytes, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, read 9 November 2026.
• GB Network Solutions, Microsoft 365 Business, read 9 November 2026.
• ZenWeb, Business Email Hosting Malaysia: Setup & Costs 2026, read 9 November 2026.
• Cynet, How to Set Up a Professional Business Email With Your Own Domain, read 9 November 2026.
• Zoho Mail, pricing, read 9 November 2026.