While Microsoft offers one of the most robust online workspaces on the market, you should explore a few alternatives before deciding if it’s worth committing to. Zoho is among the most notable ones, as it has evolved quite a bit over the last decade and provides a comparable 

This Zoho Workplace and Zoho Mail vs. Office 365 and Outlook comparison 

outlines both options and explains key differences 

so that you can decide if either suits your workflow.

While prioritizing privacy using a rock-solid encryption method, Skiff provides a comprehensive solution for collaboration and communication

Take control of your data with Skiff

Microsoft 365 vs. Zoho Workplace—similarities and differences

Zoho Workplace and Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) share a few general features. Both are predominantly cloud-based and require monthly or annual subscriptions. Each platform has a suite of apps that let you perform the most common business activities, most notably:

Microsoft and Zoho’s solutions are also 

, as you can opt for entry-level tiers that don’t include advanced features typically 

don’t mean that Microsoft 365 and Zoho Workplace are equally suitable for all users

. To help you decide which option is better for you, this comparison will focus on the following factors:

When you first open Microsoft 365 and Zoho Workplace, you’ll notice that the latter has a more streamlined feel due to excellent integration between different tools. Microsoft 365 feels like a bundled collection of platforms, while 

Zoho gives off the impression of a centralized workspace

. It’s reminiscent of collaboration platforms like Slack, except it has more extensive features of a full-fledged productivity suite.

If convenience and fluidity are your priorities, Zoho Workplace might be a better option. This isn’t to say that Microsoft 365 is overly complex, but it does involve a steeper learning curve. 

Microsoft’s focus has always been on feature variety

, so it’s a better option for advanced users.

The only downside of Zoho Workplace in this regard is a lack of desktop apps—

, so you can only use it as a web app or download the mobile app. 

Microsoft 365 offers much better cross-platform support

, adding more flexibility to your workflow.

 as the native email client, while Zoho Workplace comes with Zoho Mail. Both platforms are available independently, in which case you can use them for free. The main difference is that 

you can upgrade Zoho Mail as a standalone platform

. They feature a similar design with connected apps on the far left, email categories next to them, mail management features above the inbox, and split-square email viewing.

the design of both apps feels quite cluttered

, with Zoho Mail having a slightly cleaner look due to fewer accent colors. There are far cleaner and more eye-pleasing options out there, but this isn’t a major issue unless you prioritize aesthetics.

all the necessary email management features

 you’d expect from your email provider, such as:

The comprehensive organization through folders and labels

A notable advantage of Zoho’s solution is the 

up to 1 GB, compared to Outlook’s 150 MB

 with a similarly priced plan. Another standout feature is the attachment viewer, which lets you preview the attachment without having to download it.

Most people are familiar with Microsoft’s Office suite, which encompasses three powerhouse editing apps—Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Zoho’s equivalents to these three platforms are:

Even though Microsoft’s solutions are far more widely adopted, Zoho’s tools are quite impressive and 

offer some innovative features that can speed up document editing

For example, Zoho Writer features Zia, an 

AI writing assistant that can perform several useful functions

With Microsoft Word, you’d need third-party tools like Grammarly to unlock such functionalities, so 

having them built into the document editor is quite an advantage

The main downside of Zoho’s editing apps is that they work in a closed environment. While you can download a Word or Excel doc and send it via email to anyone, 

there’s no such option with Zoho’s apps

. You can only share documents through links, and the recipient 

must have a Zoho account to edit or comment on them

With this in mind, internal collaboration might be smoother with Zoho Workplace, but file sharing outside your workspace is more challenging.

Zoho Workplace has a straightforward pricing structure—

there are three plans to choose from, as shown in the following table

It’s more affordable than the Microsoft 365 Business plans

, considering that Microsoft’s lowest-priced tier costs the same as Zoho’s most expensive option. You can also choose from three plans depending on the features you need:

If you don’t need the entire Microsoft 365 suite, 

you can opt for Microsoft 365 Apps for business

, starting at $8.25/user per month with annual billing. You’d get desktop versions of the Office suite and Outlook, which are otherwise available with the Business Standard or higher.

Microsoft 365 offers various pricing categories beyond Business

This makes the pricing structure more complicated but provides 

more flexibility for businesses and organizations of different types

If you compare Zoho’s Business Professional to Microsoft’s Business Basic (due to the same price), you’ll notice that the latter is more generous. You get 50 GB of dedicated email storage alongside 1 TB of OneDrive 

more email space (100 GB), but you only get 100 GB for WorkDrive

, which may not be enough in the long run.

A common denominator of Zoho Workplace and Microsoft 365 is basic security, which may not be sufficient for privacy-conscious users. This is especially the case with both suites’ email solutions, considering they use 

ciphers your emails while traveling to the recipient

, which is known as encryption in transit. The AES-256 algorithm is used for encryption at rest, which 

that encryption keys are stored and managed by the provider

they can decrypt your emails and read their contents

 penetrates the servers and steals the keys, your information might fall into the wrong hands. The hackers can do this through 

, which are getting increasingly elaborate and 

That is why you should consider a privacy-oriented email provider and a productivity suite beyond Zoho Workplace and Microsoft 365.

Skiff provides a feature-rich E2EE ecosystem without hiding it behind a paywall

Access end-to-end encrypted tools

How privacy-first workspaces keep your data safe

Big Tech platforms typically fail to include the gold-standard encryption type in their solutions—

. Unlike TLS and AES, E2EE protocols give users full control over their data using encryption keys created and stored on their devices, not the provider’s servers.

When you send an end-to-end encrypted email, 

it’s ciphered before leaving your device

the recipient holding the decryption key can read it

. File encryption works similarly, ensuring unauthorized parties can’t access 

, which you must first configure after buying a certificate. Considering you’d already paid for the subscription, you’d face unnecessary costs and complications.

Skiff—a privacy-first productivity suite for everyone

Skiff is a secure workplace that builds end-to-end encryption into all of its four products:

your correspondence is inaccessible to everyone but the recipient

A public encryption key the sender shares with the recipient

A private decryption key the recipient stores on their device

The keys are created on your device and aren’t stored on Skiff’s 

, so not even the platform’s team can decrypt your messages. Even in the unlikely case that someone intercepts your correspondence, 

—they can’t access the keys unless they corrupt your device.

Skiff combines E2EE with three additional security layers

—Lets you secure your account beyond login credentials through the Authenticator App

—Enables confidential signup without the need for personal information, like your name or 

—Encrypts critical account data to minimize the 

, so the codebase is publicly available. You can find it on 

 for additional information on the platform’s security measures.

Create, share, and collaborate in a safe environment

Besides advanced security, each platform in Skiff’s suite offers numerous features that let you create a streamlined workflow:

Crypto wallet integrations (MetaMask, Coinbase, Keplr, and more)

Zoho Workplace and Zoho Mail vs. Office 365 and Outlook—an in-depth comparison

Skiff Calendar and Brave Talk now integrate seamlessly to bring secure, private video chat to your calendar meetings, events, and conferences. With this integration, you can now easily share a video call link on Brave Talk from any Skiff Calendar meeting, directly inside your browser.

To add video conferencing to Skiff Calendar events, simply click on the "Add Brave Talk" button in the event details once you have the 

 installed. A call link will subsequently be added to the meeting link section of your calendar event. Once your participants join the chat, you will be able to see and hear each other in real time.

Brave Talk is a secure, private video chat platform that is built on top of the Brave browser. It is built to be privacy-first, with an option to enable end-to-end encrypted video calls, and it does not collect any data about your chats.

The Brave Talk extension is designed to easily integrate one-click video call links to your calendar events. From inside Skiff Calendar, simply click “Add Brave Talk” to generate and add a meeting link. This meeting link is included in calendar invites shared externally, allowing you to easily schedule secure and private video calls.

Yes, Brave Talk is free, but only for conferences with up to 

Yes. All Skiff accounts can access Skiff Calendar at 

To learn more about Brave Talk or Skiff Calendar, visit:

Brave Talk x Skiff

From email filters and spam settings to server issues and incorrect forwarding, 

various factors can disrupt the traffic in your Gmail account.

 Many users face this frustrating issue and can’t receive email messages, as Google struggles to maintain consistent service despite being a tech giant.

This in-depth guide will teach you about:

The most common causes of your Gmail account not receiving emails

Alternative email services that offer stability

With its sterling organizing features, Skiff is set on ensuring emails reach your inbox without compromise

Get streamlined communication with Skiff Mail

What to do if you are not receiving emails—8 practical tips

While there are various reasons behind this problem, here are some simple solutions to get your inbox functioning again:

Check the email app, folders, and filters

, with servers rarely experiencing unplanned downtime. Still, Gmail and other Google Workspace apps occasionally run into unexpected difficulties or prolonged maintenance.

If that happens, the only solution is to wait for Gmail to resume working, as the problem isn’t on your end. 

, where you can see the current status of all its services

If Google’s servers are up, the connectivity issue could be on your end. If you’re on Wi-Fi, check your:

If the router is currently on, your internet speed might be sluggish, or you might have experienced a momentary outage. Use an

to check the stability of your connection. Your device might also be the culprit, so 

check your emails on another phone, tablet, or computer.

 to confirm you haven’t run out of mobile data

 Your phone carrier probably maintains a mobile app where you can see such details, or you can enter the appropriate pound code and receive a notification.

—solving your problem might be as simple as that.

If you’re actively using Google Photos and Drive to back up pictures and other files, you can quickly burn out your storage. All Google Workspace apps use the 15 GB of storage you get with a free Gmail account and up to 30 TB with one of Google’s 

all incoming mail will return to the sender.

 It might be the reason your Gmail account isn’t receiving emails.

see how much free space you have in the dashboard of your Google account.

 If low storage is the issue, you have two options:

Upgrade to a higher Google Workspace subscription

If you choose the first option, delete larger files from your Google Drive and Google Photos. Videos and other high-resolution visuals can quickly eat up your 15 GB of free space.

Gmail protects users from spam with notoriously aggressive email filters, which can 

 Before ruling out this option, check the following folders in Gmail:

You can find Gmail’s folders in the left-hand sidebar. If your missing emails haven’t ended up in Trash or Spam and don’t appear when you go to All Mail, they probably haven’t arrived yet.

Gmail also lets you create additional filters and block specific contacts from sending you emails. You might have 

accidentally marked someone’s emails as spam

 in the past or added them to your block list.

To check if this is the case, follow these steps:

If any contacts are mistakenly on this list, remove the associated filters and ask them to resend the emails. You should then receive their messages without problems.

An outdated Gmail app on your smartphone or tablet might also be causing the issue. Go to Gmail’s page on the Google Play store to see if you’re running the latest app version, and update if necessary. After that, 

re-log to your Google account on all devices

 and display them in your browser or app. If your 

, the emails might have arrived in your inbox but aren’t visible on your device.

To enable the protocol, follow these instructions:

 in Gmail and you have a premium Google Workspace subscription, you might be experiencing one of the following account problems:

If a managed hosting provider handles your domain, you won’t have to fix related issues yourself.

 Contact the provider and have them look into why your Google account is not receiving emails.

Some antivirus programs have email filtering options that may

mistakenly mark a legitimate message as spam or a threat.

Disable email filtering or the antivirus program temporarily

Log out and log back into Gmail to refresh it

Disabling your antivirus for long is dangerous

turn it back on after you’ve checked whether the email filters were the issue.

If the email arrives after you’ve disabled the antivirus, the program has mistakenly registered the sender as a threat. Most antimalware programs with email filters allow you to 

create a whitelist with the email addresses of trustworthy senders. 

Add this sender to the list, and your antivirus will ignore their messages, letting them land freely in your inbox.

If this issue with your Gmail account persists or reappears regularly,

trying to solve the problem might not be worth it. While Gmail is generally stable, you shouldn’t have to spend so much time and energy on troubleshooting.

Reliability isn’t the only reason for a transition since Gmail doesn’t do enough to 

. Your privacy is also endangered since Google and other major email providers have long 

 for ad targeting and training machine-learning algorithms.

provide the same quality-of-life features as Gmail but without the glaring 

 offer a stable, reliable service without compromising on 

Skiff Mail is a stable, security-oriented email service

 is a steady email platform with an easy-to-use, modern user interface (UI). A free Skiff account lets you create up to

You can use one alias for work-related messages and another for online registrations. Organizing your incoming mail this way can help you stay in control of your inbox contents and 

In Skiff’s streamlined UI, forwarding, 

, filtering, and other options are available in one Settings window.

overview of any setting that could block an incoming message

, reducing the risk of misconfigured options.

The encryption offered by Skiff is based on two keys:

, creating a string of random characters unreadable to anyone but the recipient with the decryption key. Both keys are generated and stored at the device level, ensuring

 no one besides the intended recipient could read your emails

—including Skiff’s team and unauthorized third parties.

Access Skiff's robust features for a secure and streamlined communication

Get a reliable service 

Skiff is a trustworthy alternative to Google Workspace

Switching to Skiff gives you access to an

 that can rival Google Workspace. In addition to Skiff Mail, a free account gets you three E2E encrypted products, including:

—An encrypted scheduling app that integrates with Skiff Mail for a seamless user experience

Gmail account not receiving emails—top 8 solutions

Having a Gmail account you don’t use connected to your phone can be frustrating. You probably receive countless email notifications from newsletters you no longer care about, which causes clutter and damages your productivity.

this guide will show you how to remove a Gmail account from a phone

. You’ll also learn why moving away from Gmail might be a good idea and what email provider can fill its shoes.

With Skiff, you can easily manage your email accounts with added privacy and security features

Switch to Skiff for enhanced data protection

How to delete a Gmail account from my phone—three methods to use

 from your phone, some of which depend on the device you’re using. Here you’ll see how to:

Removing your Gmail account from an iPhone

If you connect your Gmail account to your 

, where you can manage them alongside other accounts. You can add or remove accounts from the 

 app, so there you’ll find an option to delete your Gmail account. Take the following steps to do so:

Here you’ll see all accounts connected to the Mail app, so tap 

 at the bottom of the menu and confirm the deletion when prompted

you can choose which Gmail data you want to sync with your phone

 but might need the account in the future, you can toggle 

How to remove Gmail accounts from Android

 from an Android phone is quite similar to doing it on an iPhone and involves three quick steps:

Tap the Google/Gmail account you want to remove

Note that Android is Google’s operating system, so, naturally, that the company wants you to use their accounts on the phone. That is why 

removing your Google account doesn’t only delete Gmail but also other connected services and data

Sunny Li