This is not self-hosting related but If all you need is *@domain.tld (wildcard and any number of emails) without the ability to send out emails easily, try Cloudflare Email routing , this will forward all emails received on *@domain.tld (amy@domain, [email protected] ) to another of your existing email (can be gmail or proton mail or any other email address). if you need 1 to 5 inbox with easy setup and limited storage, try Zoho mail Forever Free plan* : Easy setup, Five free inbox with 5GB/User on custom domain. Can send and receive email compared to Cloudflare Email routing. Outlook - E5 developer account: Microsoft offers E5 developer account to Developers for 3/4 months, you can get 1 easily and as long as there are some developer activity, it will renew itself. (Not recommended) Skiff mail: Easy setup, 1 inbox with send and receive on custom domain (10GB storage on free), they also have refer bonus edit: clarifying cloudflare email routing and E5 Developer account recommendation edit2: skiff announced that it will discontinue its email service as of 16/02/2024 edit3: Zoho Forever free plan and cloudflare email routing clarification edit4: Zoho has started restricting their free forever email services. For now, it is "Available only in select data centers" Answer from Bekar_vai on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/selfhosted › best way to get [email protected] for free or cheap?
r/selfhosted on Reddit: Best way to get [email protected] for free or cheap?
October 12, 2023 -

So I have researched about self hosting your own email server such as Mailcow but it seems pretty divided on whether or not you should do it due emails potentially not getting delivered due to spam filters and such. So I'm kinda not interested in self hosting so I'm wondering what is the next best option to get my own email ideally for free but maybe settle for really cheap?

Edit: I have my own domain already.

Edit2: Thank you all! I have my domain with Cloudflare so I have tried their email routing but would like to be able to send from it too. I'll check out some other suggestions.

Edit3: Wow this got a lot of replies. Again thanks all for the recommendations. I haven't had a chance to actually check any out yet (busy weekend) but I will get to it.

Edit4: So I've had a little time to look at some of the options and it looks like maybe Zoho, onepoundemail or PurelyMail. They are both fairly cheap and around the same price. Anyone know how they compare?

Edit5: I ended up paying for Zoho for $12/year. So far it's doing everything I wanted and more. Very happy with it! Thank you all!!!

Top answer
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This is not self-hosting related but If all you need is *@domain.tld (wildcard and any number of emails) without the ability to send out emails easily, try Cloudflare Email routing , this will forward all emails received on *@domain.tld (amy@domain, [email protected] ) to another of your existing email (can be gmail or proton mail or any other email address). if you need 1 to 5 inbox with easy setup and limited storage, try Zoho mail Forever Free plan* : Easy setup, Five free inbox with 5GB/User on custom domain. Can send and receive email compared to Cloudflare Email routing. Outlook - E5 developer account: Microsoft offers E5 developer account to Developers for 3/4 months, you can get 1 easily and as long as there are some developer activity, it will renew itself. (Not recommended) Skiff mail: Easy setup, 1 inbox with send and receive on custom domain (10GB storage on free), they also have refer bonus edit: clarifying cloudflare email routing and E5 Developer account recommendation edit2: skiff announced that it will discontinue its email service as of 16/02/2024 edit3: Zoho Forever free plan and cloudflare email routing clarification edit4: Zoho has started restricting their free forever email services. For now, it is "Available only in select data centers"
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For email, I use MXRoute . They're especially affordable if you snag them on sale , which they have now and then . One possible option would be to use Cloudflare's free email forwarding to a regular (free) gmail account, and set that gmail account to send all outgoing mail via MxRoute (using Gmail's "send-as" feature), or though any other mail sending servie with a free tier, with your personal domain; I also setup a mail rule in Gmail to flag/tag all email that was sent directly to the gmail address, so I would notice it.
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Zoho
zoho.com › home › custom domain email
Create Custom Domain Email Address in Zoho Mail - Free for 5 Users
The free plan comes with a cap of five custom domain email addresses, whereas the paid plan can be extended to any number you would require. Yes, you can! You have options to buy a new domain for setting up your account. Even if you already own a domain, you can register an additional new domain ...
Discussions

Switch to free gmail with custom domain - Gmail Community
Skip to main content · Gmail Help · Sign in · Google Help · Help Center · Community · Gmail · Terms of Service · Submit feedback · Send feedback on More on support.google.com
🌐 support.google.com
HowTo easily set up your own domain email for free. Step by step guide.

This is pretty cool, thanks for the video. I never realized that you could just do email forwarding like that without the hosting.

I get that it's potentially beneficial to have Google as the host for your email instead of your own server host, but I'm wondering why someone might do this and not actually have a website hosted on the domain as well. For business use, it would seem pretty sketchy to me to email someone with a personalized domain, yet no site attached to it.

Still makes me curious to try this with my own site's email instead of using its mail server, but with Google's history of dropping features, I'd be concerned about them potentially removing this feature as well.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/howto
6
93
November 8, 2011
I want to create my own email for my company, and possibly a VERY basic website.
Buy your domain name and if you want to use gmail, then follow this https://gsuite.google.com/products/gmail/ If you want a basic landing page, you can use digital ocean ($5/m) and install wordpress + basic theme More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Entrepreneur
114
128
August 5, 2019
Is there a way to get a free custom email domain without your own website?
There’s no free service that I am aware of for custom domains. However you can buy a custom .com from namesilo for $8 for the year. Zoho let’s you setup a free inbox. You’ll just need to setup your dns for the mx records. It’s pretty easy. I use cloudflare for dns. Point the domain from namesilo to cloudflare, in cloudflare add the mx records from zoho. If you wanted more function you could buy the domain and signup for google apps for business. Only $6 a month. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/email
3
2
November 6, 2018
People also ask

What is custom email domain?
Custom email domain is the name of your brand or website domain that you use to generate email addresses for your company, instead of using the email provider's generic name. For example, a custom email domain can be used to create email addresses in the format [email protected].
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zoho.com
zoho.com › home › custom domain email
Create Custom Domain Email Address in Zoho Mail - Free for 5 Users
How many custom email addresses can I have with a domain?
There is no limit to the number of email addresses you can create with your domain name. The free plan comes with a cap of five custom domain email addresses, whereas the paid plan can be extended to any number you would require.
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zoho.com
zoho.com › home › custom domain email
Create Custom Domain Email Address in Zoho Mail - Free for 5 Users
What are the benefits of having a custom domain email address?
Custom domain email addresses add a touch of professionalism to every piece of communication that goes out from you, brings your brand the visibility it deserves, and helps you and your business earn credibility with your users.
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zoho.com
zoho.com › home › custom domain email
Create Custom Domain Email Address in Zoho Mail - Free for 5 Users
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Lawrence Systems
forums.lawrencesystems.com › networking & firewalls
Custom email domain for free on Gmail - Networking & Firewalls - Lawrence Systems Forums
April 8, 2025 - Hi I’m a hobbist trying to create a custom domain email on gmail for free. It uses a domain routing rule to point the emails to a gmail email address and on the gmail side it uses an app password to to access the gmail …
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Neo
neo.space › custom-email-domain
Create Your Own Custom Email Domain (Free Trial) with Neo
Proceed with or without an existing domain; Neo offers a free .co.site domain if needed. Enter your current email address, set it up, and start using your email domain. ... Please note: To enable people to view and book a service, ensure that you mark the service as Active while adding it.
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Microsoft Support
support.microsoft.com › en-us › office › add-a-custom-domain-name-071780ac-46bb-4758-b30d-39ad0aeccf42
Add a custom domain name - Microsoft Support
Choose the services you want to use with your domain name (Email, contacts, Teams, etc.), and then select Configure. Select Authorize to finish domain setup. If your domain with a less common registrar you must set up your domain manually or contact support for help. To manually verify ownership and configure DNS records, follow the instructions in Add DNS records to connect your domain.
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Moosend
moosend.com › email marketing › 7 free email domain providers for 2025 [guide]
7 Free Email Domain Providers For 2025 [Guide]
2 weeks ago - To get started, the first step is to create an account. Then, there are two options available. If you already have a domain name for your site, you can use Zoho to set up a matching email address for free.
Find elsewhere
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Mail.com
mail.com
Free email accounts with mail.com | Log in here or register today
Choose from 100+ email domains · Email · Create a free email account at mail.com · features · Practical mail features – from apps to virus protection · verification · Is that email for real? Here’s how to find out · Learn how to confirm if an email is genuine with easy verification ...
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Google Workspace
workspace.google.com › solutions › business-email
Create a Professional Business Email Address | Google Workspace
A custom email domain helps your business look more professional and stand out from the competition. With Gmail and Google Workspace, you can easily create a professional address for your business.Get started · Time for a professional email address? With Workspace and Gmail, it’s easy to set up an @yourbusiness email.
Published   June 10, 2024
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GoDaddy
godaddy.com › resources › skills › domains › how to create and set up an email address with your domain name
How to create and set up an email address with your domain name
Learn how to create domain email addresses in 5 easy steps. Transform your business communications from free webmail to professional branded email with this complete setup guide.
Published   October 15, 2025
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ThemeIsle
themeisle.com › blog › how to use gmail with your own domain name (free methods)
How to Use Gmail With Your Own Domain Name (Free Methods)
June 6, 2025 - You don’t need to choose between Gmail’s tools and your own domain name. You can have both. Yes, you can use Gmail with your domain name…even for free. If you’re tired of sending emails from an address that ends in @gmail.com – especially when you own a domain that sounds way better – this guide is for you.
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The Digital Nonprofit
thedigitalnonprofit.com › use-gmail-own-domain-free
How to Use Gmail with Your Custom Domain Name for Free
October 16, 2025 - So, if you want to create a new free Gmail account, follow these steps: Create a Gmail account here and pick a new email address. An address like [email protected] usually works well.
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Google Support
support.google.com › mail › thread › 192514848 › switch-to-free-gmail-with-custom-domain
Switch to free gmail with custom domain - Gmail Community
Skip to main content · Gmail Help · Sign in · Google Help · Help Center · Community · Gmail · Terms of Service · Submit feedback · Send feedback on
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Google Workspace
workspace.google.com › business › new-business
How To Create a Professional Business Email | Google Workspace
Group email aliases such as sales@yourcompany and support@yourcompany are included free and don't count as users. ... Google’s ultra-reliable servers guarantee 99.9% uptime on your email. Industry-leading security, spam protection, and automatic backups help protect your business data. ... During signup specify the domain you want for your business email. If you don’t yet own the domain, you can purchase it from Google for an additional fee.
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Dynadot
dynadot.com › email
Free Custom Email Domain - Boost Your Brand | Dynadot
To get started, simply click on the 'Start with Free Email' or 'Start with Pro Email' buttons above. You will then be required to either register a new domain name or find an existing domain in your Dynadot account that you want to attach our email service to.
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IONOS
ionos.com › digital guide › e-mail › technical matters › reasons to get your own email domain
Personal Email Address: What it is and how to create one - IONOS
May 26, 2025 - IONOS offers a professional solution for email communication. Get an ad-free email account that comes with your own email domain!
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GMX
gmx.com › mail › create-email-address
Create a free email account today | GMX
Next, enter your desired email address (email id), consisting of a user name and domain name, and a secure password. Now complete the captcha security question and read and agree to the terms and conditions, then you’ll be ready to start enjoying your new free email account!
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Forbes Advisor
forbes.com › advisor › business
How To Get A Custom Email Domain – Forbes Advisor
September 10, 2025 - Getting a custom email domain is as simple as picking a registrar and buying a domain, but it’s far more helpful to follow the process through and show you how to set up a custom domain email.
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Medium
medium.com › @jimtdev › how-to-guide-to-set-up-your-own-domain-name-email-914e553eba91
How-to guide to set up your own domain name Email | by Jim T Dev | Medium
November 22, 2023 - Now go back to Settings > Global ... to the free @tuta.io email there is no extra cost. For an extra 1€/month you can set your catch-all email to a specific address with your domain name (Settings > User Management > Add User). After this, you should be all set up now. You can test it by sending an email to any prefix @yourdomain.com. ... Congratulations, you’re all set up! Now you truly own and control ...
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WP Mail SMTP
wpmailsmtp.com › home › wordpress tutorials › how to create your own email domain for free
How to Create Your Own Email Domain for Free In 2025
March 9, 2022 - Want to learn how to create your own email domain for free? This tutorial explains the whole process. You only need web hosting to create a free email domain.
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B12
b12.io › resource-center › small-business-basics › how-to-create-your-own-email-domain-free-of-charge.html
How to create your own email domain free of charge | B12
Click on the "+Create" option under the "Email" button. DreamHost offers a similar service to Bluehost. You get free email domains and free email addresses included with your web hosting plan.