Email is the backbone of modern business, but for many freelancers and small teams, the big-name providers often feel bloated, costly, or unnecessarily complex. That’s where Greenmor Mail steps in, a lightweight hosting service built to give users just what they need: reliable email, calendars, and notes with strong spam protection, all without burning a hole in their pocket.

Founded by the team behind Greenmor, a web development company with over five years of experience, Greenmor Mail was born out of solving a recurring client pain point. In this conversation, we chat with the founder about the inspiration behind Greenmor Mail, how it’s competing with industry giants, and the future of simple, clutter-free email hosting.

We sat down with the Co-founder Niyati Sethia, for an one on one interview, in helping us understand their startup better, and learn about their goals and vision. Do go through their interview conducted by Desi Founder Team.

What sparked the idea of creating Greenmor Mail out of your website development business?

As an agency, we own 25 domains and manage many more client websites. Each domain needed at least one custom email, so we relied on Google’s Legacy accounts for hosting. When Google pulled the plug on free accounts and started charging, it was manageable at first but the costs kept climbing. The problem was, we didn’t need the full G-Suite for every single account, yet we were forced to pay for it. So, we moved a few to GoDaddy Mail and that’s when the spam nightmare began. On one side, we had a provider charging a premium and bundling tools we didn’t use, and on the other, a provider unwilling to improve basic functionality. Out of that frustration, Greenmor Mail was born, an email service built to be simple, affordable, and reliable without the unnecessary baggage.

How different was it to pivot from web development into building a full-fledged email service?

Not very different. Greenmor Mail was designed as a natural extension of Greenmor. We’d already been using in-house emailing services long before this, so we had a fair idea of what was needed. The foundation was familiar, just refined and scaled to make it simple and accessible for everyone.

How does Greenmor Mail make email hosting simpler for freelancers and small businesses compared to the big players?

We don’t bundle unnecessary tools or charge a premium for basics. With us, you get email, calendar, and notes — nothing more, nothing less. You don’t need a 30-app dashboard when all you want is to send reliable emails from your domain. That clarity makes it easier, faster, and cheaper to get started.

Could you explain how your smart spam filter and daily send cap help protect sender reputation?

The spam filter isn’t just static rules, it learns from how you use email. If you mark something as spam or not spam, it adapts, which means fewer false positives over time. The daily send cap of 100 emails/mailbox ensures no single account can get flagged for spamming, protecting the IP reputation for everyone on the platform.

Beyond email, what made you decide to include calendar and notes as features?

Because they’re essentials. Everyone needs a calendar to manage meetings, and notes are the simplest way to keep thoughts or drafts handy. But beyond that, we didn’t want to create another “workspace” suite. Just the basics, tightly integrated, without feature bloat.

Do you plan to add more productivity tools, or do you want to keep it minimal by design?

Minimal by design. Our philosophy is simple: email should be clean, fast, and reliable. Adding more would just take us down the same path of clutter we’re trying to avoid.

That said, we are still contemplating whether or not to offer AI assistance for emails. With all the concerns around data safety and privacy in AI, I’m not sure if that’s a feature our users would even want. If we do it, it will have to be done in a way that puts security first.

Why did you choose Amazon SES as the backbone for Greenmor Mail?

Because it’s battle-tested. Amazon SES powers email for some of the biggest companies in the world. Instead of reinventing email deliverability, we decided to stand on the shoulders of giants and focus on the user experience. It’s reliable, scalable, and trusted.

How do you ensure strong deliverability and uptime while keeping costs lower than giants like Gmail or Outlook?

By keeping things simple. Google and Microsoft pack in storage, chat, and a dozen other tools most people never really use and then charge a premium for it. We don’t bundle, which keeps our costs lean. On deliverability, we rely on Amazon SES, with proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configurations so emails land where they should. We also enforce daily sending caps to protect sender reputation and prevent abuse. Uptime is managed through disciplined server management and monitoring. We’ve designed the system to stay reliable without being over-engineered, so users get stability without the baggage.

How do you handle technical glitches and keep downtime to a minimum?

We’re proactive. Most issues are monitored before they ever affect the user. And when something does come up, our smaller size actually helps there’s no 12-step escalation process. We identify, fix, and communicate directly. Agility is our advantage.

Email is a crowded space. How does Greenmor Mail carve its niche against providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Zoho?

By staying focused. Gmail wants to be your whole work suite. Zoho wants to be your all-in-one business OS. We just want to do email, calendar, and notes really well. That focus makes us cleaner, simpler, and more affordable.

What feedback have you received from early adopters that confirmed you’re on the right track?

Many early users told us the biggest relief was finally being able to set up multiple mailboxes for their teams without breaking the bank. Before Greenmor Mail, they either ended up sharing a single mailbox or paying hefty costs just to get everyone their own address. They were tired of paying thousands every year for features they didn’t need, and now with AI tools like Gemini creeping into inboxes, there was genuine worry about privacy. With Greenmor Mail, the reassurance they found was simple — it’s affordable, it’s private, and it sticks to being email instead of becoming a data experiment. That combination seemed to strike a chord.

What is your revenue model, and how do you balance affordability with profitability?

Our model is straightforward, $1/month per mailbox. By focusing only on the essentials and running with a lean team, we keep overheads low and margins healthy, even at that price point. We didn’t build Greenmor Mail to be acquired, and we’re not chasing VC funding. The goal has always been sustainable growth, making email hosting affordable without compromising reliability, while building a product that can stand on its own.

Do you tie up with agencies or companies to onboard users at scale?

Yes. Agencies managing multiple websites often need email solutions for their clients. We’ve started partnerships where they can onboard entire client batches with us, saving time and giving them peace of mind on deliverability.

Are there plans to expand internationally, or is the current focus purely on Indian freelancers and businesses?

We started with India, but Greenmor Mail was built with global use in mind. That’s why we already support multiple currencies. Expansion will be gradual, but it’s definitely on the roadmap.

Where do you see Greenmor Mail in the next 5 years?

In five years, we want Greenmor Mail to be powering hundreds of thousands of mailboxes across the world. We see it as the email service people recommend when someone asks, “What’s simple, affordable, and just works?” The dream is to grow from a lean startup into a globally recognized provider that small businesses and freelancers can rely on without a second thought. It might sound bold today, but every big story starts with small, deliberate steps and we’re already on that path.

What role do you think email will play in the future of communication when tools like Slack and WhatsApp are everywhere?

Email isn’t going anywhere. It’s the universal protocol for business, no app lock-in, no walled gardens. Slack is great for teams, WhatsApp for chats, but when you need to send an invoice, sign a deal, or onboard a client, it always comes back to email.

What’s been your biggest learning from running a web development company and now an email hosting platform?

That simplicity wins. In web development, clients want fewer clicks. In email, users want fewer distractions. Overbuilding is the enemy.

As a founder, how do you divide your day between operations, product building, and client support?

Honestly, it shifts daily. Some mornings I’m deep in product notes, other days I’m on calls with users. Support takes priority because hearing user pain points fuels product decisions. Balance isn’t perfect, but that’s the founder’s life.

What’s been the most challenging part of bootstrapping Greenmor Mail?

Saying no to distractions. When you’re bootstrapped, every feature, every dollar, every hour matters. The temptation to “add more” is constant, but we’ve learned restraint is what makes the product valuable.

How do you keep your small team motivated while competing with billion-dollar giants?

We remind ourselves: giants aren’t built for the little guys anymore. Google and Microsoft don’t care about a freelancer in Bangalore or a 5-person agency in London. We do. That focus gives us pride and purpose.

Finally, what’s your advice for budding entrepreneurs who want to build SaaS products in a crowded space?

Don’t listen to the naysayers. You have one thing they don’t: the ability to dream beyond your means and go all-in on that dream. Entrepreneurship, like life, isn’t just about wins or losses; it’s about the process. Focus on the thrill and joy of creating. Even if there are already plenty of similar options out there, there will still be enough room for you to grow. You don’t have to be unique to be accepted, you just have to be valuable.

As the world of digital tools gets increasingly crowded and complex, Greenmor Mail reminds us that sometimes less really is more. By focusing on essentials such as email, calendars, and notes, and ensuring affordability without sacrificing reliability, they’ve carved out a space that speaks directly to freelancers, small businesses, and growing teams. What began as a solution for their own clients has now grown into a platform that could redefine how we think about business email. With plans to scale and continuously refine user experience, Greenmor Mail is proving that simplicity, when done right, is a powerful differentiator.

That will be a wrap of the interview. Hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as we enjoyed creating it. If you too have an interesting Founder Story to share it with the world, please feel free to submit a request at contact@desifounder.com