If you run a small business, side project, or SaaS, you probably want a professional email address like:
- support@yourdomain.com
- hello@yourdomain.com
But most email hosting services charge $5 to $12 per user per month. If you only need a few addresses, that cost adds up quickly.
The good news is you can set up a custom domain email for free using Cloudflare Email Routing and Gmail. This setup lets you:
- Receive email at your domain
- Send an email from your domain
- Use Gmail as your inbox
- Pay $0 per year
I use this setup for several projects, and it works extremely well for founders, solo developers, and small teams.
What You’ll Need
Before getting started, make sure you have:
- A domain name
- DNS managed by Cloudflare
- A Gmail account
Cloudflare Email Routing handles receiving mail, and Gmail handles sending mail.
Step 1: Enable Cloudflare Email Routing
First, enable email routing in Cloudflare.
- Log in to Cloudflare
- Select your domain
- Go to Email → Email Routing
- Click Enable
Cloudflare will automatically add the required MX records to your DNS.
Now you can create forwarding addresses.
Example:
- support@yourdomain.com → yourgmail@gmail.com
- hello@yourdomain.com → yourgmail@gmail.com
You can create as many addresses as you want.
All emails will be forwarded to your Gmail inbox.
Step 2: Allow Gmail to Send From Your Domain
Now configure Gmail to send emails from your custom domain address.
In Gmail:
- Click Settings
- Go to Accounts and Import
- Under Send mail as, click Add another email address
Enter:
- Name: Tim Leland
- Email address: support@yourdomain.com
Leave Treat as an alias checked.
Click Next Step.
Step 3: Configure Gmail SMTP
On the next screen, use Gmail’s SMTP server:
- SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
- Port: 587
- Username: yourgmail@gmail.com
- Password: Use a Google App Password
- Connection: TLS
Step 4: Create a Google App Password
If your Google account uses two-factor authentication (which you should), Gmail will require an App Password.
Go to:
https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
Create a new password for:
- App: Mail
- Device: Other (name it Gmail SMTP)
Google will generate a 16-character password.
Use that password in the Gmail SMTP setup instead of your normal Gmail password.
Step 5: Verify Your Email Address
Gmail will send a verification email to support@yourdomain.com.
Cloudflare Email Routing will forward it to your Gmail inbox.
Click the confirmation link in the email to verify the address.
Once confirmed, you can send email from Gmail as support@yourdomain.com.
Step 6: Add an SPF Record
To improve email deliverability, add an SPF record in Cloudflare DNS.
However, since Cloudflare Email Routing is handling inbound mail and Gmail is sending mail, you must include both services in your SPF record.
- Type: TXT
- Name: @
- Value:
v=spf1 include:_spf.mx.cloudflare.net include:_spf.google.com ~all
This allows both Cloudflare and Gmail to send email on your domain’s behalf.
If you only include Google in your SPF record, Cloudflare may disable Email Routing.
One More Deliverability Tip (DMARC)
Adding a DMARC record helps protect your domain from email spoofing and improves trust with email providers.
Add the following record in Cloudflare DNS:
- Type: TXT
- Name: _dmarc
- Value:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:support@yourdomain.com; fo=1; pct=100
This record tells email providers to monitor authentication failures and send reports to your inbox.
Example Workflow
When someone sends an email to support@yourdomain.com, Cloudflare forwards it to your Gmail inbox.
When you reply, Gmail sends the message as support@yourdomain.com.
To the recipient, it looks exactly like you’re sending from your domain.
Why This Setup Is Great for Founders
This setup is perfect for:
- Indie hackers
- SaaS founders
- Developers
- Side projects
- Small teams
Benefits include:
- No monthly email hosting cost
- Unlimited email aliases
- Gmail interface and search
- Fast setup (about 5 minutes)
Example Addresses You Can Create
Most projects benefit from having several public email addresses.
For example:
- support@yourdomain.com
- hello@yourdomain.com
- press@yourdomain.com
- jobs@yourdomain.com
- billing@yourdomain.com
All of them can forward to a single Gmail inbox.
When You Should Upgrade
Eventually, you may want dedicated email hosting if you need:
- Multiple users with their own inboxes
- Shared team mailboxes
- Large attachment storage
- Enterprise-level deliverability
But for many projects, the Cloudflare + Gmail setup works perfectly for years.