An organization email trial is only useful if you test the paths your team will use after you pay. AzAd self-serve mail trials are card-required with 15 GB storage. Cancel before the trial ends if you are not continuing — there is no charge during the trial when you cancel on time.
Exact day count follows the product constant (14 days). Start at /start/. CRM-only evaluation is separate at /start/crm/.
Day 1–2: foundation
- Create the organization and admin user
- Add the domain; publish SPF/DKIM from admin guidance
- Create at least two mailboxes (admin + a normal user)
- Send mail between them in webmail
- Confirm pricing tier matches the storage you expect after trial
Day 3–5: clients and mobile
- Configure Outlook or another client with IMAP/SMTP on
server.azademail.com - Reject auto-guessed
mail.azademail.comhosts - Install AzAd Mail Android on an eligible plan path
- Download a received attachment on Android; note compose upload is not in the app yet
- Try Contacts and local ToDos tabs on Android if available on your build
Day 6–8: DNS cutover rehearsal (optional)
- Decide full MX vs hybrid
- If hybrid, configure Google host port 25 and unrecognized routing in a maintenance window
- If full cutover, lower TTL and schedule MX change with a rollback plan
- External send/receive tests to Gmail and Outlook.com
Day 9–11: CRM (if relevant)
- Enable or start CRM; create a company, person, and deal
- Draft an estimate or invoice; preview HTML
- Open a ticket or knowledge article if support matters
- Re-read CRM vs email so billing shape is clear
Day 12–14: go / no-go
- Offboard a test user (disable/delete) and confirm access stops
- Check spam placement on a few external threads
- Decide subscribe vs cancel in Billing before the trial ends
- Bookmark comparison pages your stakeholders asked for (Google, Microsoft, admin suite)
Who should run the checklist
Assign one admin owner and one “normal user” tester. Admins validate DNS and offboarding; normal users validate Outlook/IMAP quirks and mobile daily habits. Executives should not be the first IMAP test — fix hostname mistakes on non-VIP mailboxes first.
What “green” means
Green does not mean perfect feature parity with Google or Microsoft. Green means: inbound/outbound works for your domain, clients you will actually use are configured, offboarding is tested, and finance understands mailbox vs CRM billing if both are in scope. If Docs/Meet are still mandatory for most people, note that explicitly in the go/no-go doc — AzAd is not selling suite parity.
Cancel-before-charge habits
The card-required trial charges only if you continue past the trial window. Set a calendar reminder three days before end. Export any CRM test data you care about. If you cancel, mailboxes stop — plan accordingly. CRM-only trials follow their own billing path at /start/crm/.
After trial: subscribe or pivot
Subscribe: confirm storage tier on pricing matches what you tested (15 GB default for self-serve).
Pivot to hybrid: keep old MX, enable hybrid, re-run external + internal send tests.
Pivot away: document why (calendar dependency, compliance, etc.) — honest feedback beats silent churn.
Related guides
Stakeholder one-pager
Summarize for leadership: trial owner, DNS status, client strategy (webmail vs Outlook IMAP vs Android), hybrid decision, and cancel date. Checklists fail when only IT knows the plan.
Day-by-day escalation
If Day 3 client setup fails, stop and fix hosts before Day 6 DNS rehearsal. If Day 8 hybrid tests fail, do not proceed to Day 12 CRM — one major system at a time.
Billing day reminder
Set a calendar alert three days before trial end. Confirm whether finance will subscribe to monthly or yearly mail tiers and whether CRM org add-on is in scope.
Attachments on Android
Remember compose attachment upload is not in the Android app yet — if your trial testers rely on phone-only workflows, validate webmail for file sends before go-live.
Spam folder spot check
On Day 12, send a few threads to external Gmail and Outlook.com and confirm they land in inbox, not spam — DNS can be correct while content or volume still triggers filters.
Document decisions
Write one paragraph: hybrid or full MX, chosen storage tier, client standard (webmail / Outlook / Android), and cancel date. Future you will not remember why the trial succeeded.
Related comparison pages
Share Google Workspace alternative or Microsoft 365 email alternative with approvers who asked “why not stay on the suite?”
Next step
When the checklist is green, continue from pricing or finish signup flows that started at /start/.