Host Europe: GoDaddy comments on email mailbox migration stop

Following the surprising stop of the email migration project, the US company GoDaddy, owner of Host Europe, one of the best-known providers in hosting, has commented to heise online. The company admits that it did not correctly assess the difficulties for some customers – but maintains its statement that the migration has already been successfully completed for the majority.

As early as March 2025, Host Europe announced the switch from classic IMAP/POP3 mailboxes to Microsoft 365, which would have cost almost one euro per mail account per month in the future. Customers expressed criticism in forums and letters: Those who previously had hundreds of mail accounts included free of charge in their package suddenly faced massive additional costs – and on top of that, the move of their emails to a US cloud provider.

Further course of action still open

"Unfortunately, we had to realize that we underestimated the challenges of the migration for a small portion of our customers," the statement reads. The migration stop explicitly affects only this group with "special requirements" – not all customers. This implicitly contradicts the impression created by the widely communicated about-face.

At the same time, Host Europe remains vague about the future of classic hosting and inclusive mail accounts. It is carefully examining "the most suitable path" to continue offering affected customers "secure, reliable, and sustainable services." Further steps will only be taken when "secure processes, practical options, and suitable support structures are in place." A return to the classic mail server or a permanent abandonment of the Microsoft 365 migration is not in prospect. There is also no timeline for when the company will make a decision.

Host Europe: Intensively seeking solutions

The statement does not answer the central question of why the company only reacted after almost a year of the migration project. Instead, Host Europe emphasizes that it has always strived for "consistent and clear communication" and has intensively sought solutions before deciding to stop.

For customers who have already switched their accounts to Microsoft 365 or have left the provider, nothing changes due to the statement. Host Europe stands by its offer to grant customers four months of free classic hosting if they withdraw their cancellation – an offer that is unlikely to be relevant for customers who have already left.

(mki)