Email Aliases vs Shared Mailboxes: Which Do You Need?
Every business needs role-based addresses like sales@, support@ and info@. But should each be an alias or a shared mailbox? They look similar from the outside and are easy to confuse - yet they work very differently. Here is how to pick the right tool.
What is an email alias?
An alias is an extra address that delivers into an existing mailbox. Mail sent to info@yourcompany.com simply lands in, say, your own inbox. There is no separate login, no separate storage - it is just another name pointing at a real mailbox.
Aliases are perfect when:
- One person handles the address
- You want multiple addresses without extra mailboxes
- You are running short-term campaigns (promo@, event@) that forward somewhere
What is a shared mailbox?
A shared mailbox is a real inbox that multiple people can open and work in together. Everyone sees the same messages, so any team member can read and reply, and the conversation history lives in one place.
Shared mailboxes are ideal when:
- A whole team handles the address (support@, accounts@)
- You need visibility into who replied to what
- Coverage matters - someone is always available to respond
We cover this more in shared mailboxes and team collaboration.
The key difference
| Alias | Shared mailbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Separate inbox | No - forwards to a real mailbox | Yes - its own inbox |
| Team access | One person | Multiple people |
| Best for | Extra names, forwarding | Team functions, coverage |
The simplest way to decide: is this address handled by one person or a team? One person - use an alias. A team - use a shared mailbox.
What about catch-all?
A third option, catch-all, routes any address at your domain (even ones that do not exist) to a chosen mailbox, so nothing is ever lost. It complements both aliases and shared mailboxes. See what is catch-all email.
You can mix and match
Most businesses use all three: aliases for individual and campaign addresses, shared mailboxes for team functions, and catch-all as a safety net. With DigiCloudMail you set them all up from one admin panel in a few clicks.
Not sure how to structure your addresses? Talk to us and we will set it up for your team.
Ready to upgrade your business email?
Custom domains, advanced security and free guided migration from any provider.
Contact us