Email Clients vs Email Hosting
Published
A very common misconception is thinking that Gmail or Outlook "is your email". Most of the time, those are just email clients.
Email client: the app you use to read and send emails (Gmail app, Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail). It is just an interface.
Email hosting: the actual server that stores your inbox and sends/receives emails for your domain.
When you use a custom business email like [email protected], the email hosting is usually a separate service. The client simply connects to it and retrieves your messages, or gives it instructions on where to send your emails.
Common protocols (you will hear these names a lot):
IMAP: how your client reads/syncs emails from the server.
SMTP: how your client sends emails through the server.
Why this matters: if email is not working, you need to know if the problem is the client (wrong password/settings) or the hosting (DNS/MX issues, server issues, account suspension).
Quick checklist when email "stops working":
1) Can you login to webmail? (hosting side check)
2) Are MX records correct? (DNS side check)
3) Is the password correct in the email client?
4) Is the mailbox full or suspended?
Bottom line
Email clients are not the same thing as email hosting. Knowing the difference saves time and prevents paying for unnecessary "email fixes".