Free Email Hosting on Custom Domain

Email hosting is using a custom domain for your email address instead of relying on generic email servers like Yahoo or Gmail. Professional email addresses (e.g., yourname@yourcompany.com) can help you reinforce your brand identity and build trust and credibility with your customers.

Free email server providers like Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail are convenient but come with limitations. They look unprofessional, have attachment and storage limits, and may distract recipients with display ads.

There are 5 benefits of email hosting on custom domains, as shown below.

1. Professional Appearance: A custom email address aligned with your domain (e.g., contact@yourcompany.com) shows professionalism. It’s memorable and aligns with your brand.
2. Ample Storage: Most custom domain email providers offer generous storage, ensuring you never run out of space as your business grows.
3. No Ads: Your emails remain clean and focused as there are no distracting display ads.
4. Privacy and Security: With your domain, you control your data – no third-party scanning or privacy concerns.
5. Branding Opportunities: Every email you send becomes a marketing opportunity. Your domain reinforces your brand with every communication.

Geekflare has researched and listed the best free email hosting services on a custom domain based on features such as email deliverability, user interface, email routing, and security measures.

• Zoho Mail – Free Email Hosting for up to 5 Users
• Neo – Best for Small and Medium Businesses
• Cloudflare Email – Best for Email Routing
• ImprovMX – Best for Email Forwarding
• Yandex Mail – Best for the Russian Market
• GMX Email – Best for User-Friendly Interface
• Google Workspace – Best for Enterprises
• Proton Mail – Best for Security and Encryption
• iCloud Mail – Best for Apple Ecosystem Integration
• Namecheap Private Email – Best for a 60-Day Free Trial
• Show moreShow less

Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is an excellent email hosting service, particularly noted for its Forever Free Plan. This plan supports up to five users, each receiving 5 GB storage and a 25 MB attachment limit. However, it only allows access through Zoho Mail’s webmail client, preventing integration with other email clients like Gmail or Yahoo.

The admin dashboard of Zoho Mail offers robust options for configuring policies, rules, and filters for managing email traffic and user access. The free plan allows up to five users, but you must upgrade to a paid plan to add more users. Organizations can mix and match different plans for different users.

Zoho Mail prioritizes data security and compliance, offering GDPR and HIPAA-compliant options. All plans include easy one-click email migration from and to the most popular email providers, such as Google Workspace or Office 365.

Zoho Mail Features

• User-friendly admin dashboard to sort and manage tasks.
• eDiscovery and email retention.
• Easy one-click email server migration.
• Global data servers in Europe, China, India, and the US.
• Various layers of security are available – TouchID, a push notification, a QR code, or Zoho’s OneAuth app.

Zoho Mail Pricing

Zoho Mail offers the following pricing plans:

Plan	Price	Offering
Free Forever	Free	An ad-free plan for up to 5 users. Each user gets 5GB storage and a 25MB attachment limit. Users can access their emails via the web interface, even on public computers.
Mail Lite	$1/user/month	Offers email hosting for multiple domains, email and folder sharing, offline access, IMAP/POP access in email clients, and more.
Mail Premium	$4/user/month	Includes 50GB of cloud storage, archival options, large attachments up to 1GB, eDiscovery, and white labeling.
Workplace	$3/user/month	Offers a complete communication suite and includes business email, online office apps, chat, and collaboration tools.

Regardless of your plan, you get mobile apps for iOS and Android to ensure smooth email management via smartphone.

Try Zoho Mail for FREE

Cloudflare Email

Cloudflare Email Routing allows you to create custom email addresses for your domain, protecting your primary email address. You can set up personalized addresses for various needs, such as individual users, families, or businesses. For instance, each family member can have their custom email address on a family domain.

Cloudflare Email Routing acts as a router at the transport layer and ensures that anti-spam and security protocols, such as DKIM and SPF, remain in place. This service forwards emails from these custom addresses to your preferred inbox, enabling you to manage all communications in one place without extra mailboxes.

You can continue using your preferred email hosting service, like Google or Microsoft, while enjoying Cloudflare’s flexibility. This is particularly useful for businesses, as it simplifies redirecting different inquiries, such as sales or support, to the appropriate recipients.

Cloudflare Email Routing Features

• Create email addresses and routing emails for free.
• Create custom email addresses for a domain.
• Add an optional catch-all for any address that has not been configured.
• Route emails to a preferred inbox.
• Prevent exposing your primary email address.

Cloudflare Email Routing Pricing

Cloudflare Email Routing’s pricing is free. Users can start email routing once they add their domain to Cloudflare DNS. This service comes free with any of the Cloudflare plans.

Route Emails Easily with Cloudflare

ImprovMX

ImprovMX offers a free email routing service for up to one domain, making it ideal for small businesses. You can create up to 25 email aliases per domain and forward emails to your desired inbox.

Setting up ImprovMX involves pointing your MX records to route emails to the specified addresses. You can even create a disposable email address as an alias to access websites and platforms.

ImprovMX’s free plan has some limitations. It provides only standard delivery speed and limits customer support to email queries, with 2-3 days response time. Additionally, the free plan does not support sending emails via SMTP and has a 10MB file attachment limit.

Some of the most popular ImprovMX features are free email aliases, email forwarding, fast email delivery, and importing domains in bulk via CSV. It guarantees priority email delivery and uptime.

ImprovMX Features

• Efficiently upload and manage large volumes of data.
• Comprehensive insights on your email activity.
• Data breach monitoring is used to keep sensitive information safe.

ImprovMX Pricing

ImprovMX’s pricing includes 3 plans apart from its free one, as listed below.

Plan	Pricing	Offerings
Free	Free	Up to 25 aliases for one domain. Normal delivery speed, email customer support, and 10MB attachment limit.
Premium	$9/month	Create up to 30 domains, up to 100 aliases/domain, priority delivery with a 99.99% uptime guarantee, webhook support, and data breach monitoring.
Pro	$24	Offers up to 100 domains with up to 200 aliases per domain, 30,000 emails sent per month via SMTP including premium features.
Enterprise	Custom Pricing	Everything in the premium plan + unlimited domains, aliases, uncapped SMTP usage, and a dedicated account manager.

Try ImprovMX

GMX Email

GMX Email, provided by Global Mail eXchange, is a free business email hosting offering extensive features. Creating an account is simple and grants a massive storage of up to 65GB, allowing you to store up to 500,000 emails. You can send attachments up to 50MB and set up your account via webmail or POP3/IMAP4 protocols.

GMX Email prioritizes security with advanced features. It offers antivirus protection for all devices, a spam filter to block unwanted senders, and encrypted PGP email for private communication. Ensuring a strong and secure password adds an extra layer of protection. Additional features include contact management, an online office suite for creating and editing documents, and an organizer with a calendar for reminders and appointments.

With GMX Email, you can create up to 10 alias addresses and manage them from one central mailbox, making it a reliable option if you’re looking for free transactional email platforms. The MailCheck browser extension for Chrome and Firefox browsers ensures you never miss an email. The Mail Collector organizes emails from other providers into one location. Customize inbox management with filter rules and utilize cloud storage for files and photos.

GMX Email also offers mobile apps for iOS, Android, and iPadOS, keeping you connected on the go. It provides a convenient and feature-rich experience, making it one of the most reliable business email hosting services.

GMX Email Features

• Create up to 10 email aliases from one central mailbox.
• 65GB worth of email storage (approx. 500,000 emails).
• Organize and manage all your email accounts in one place with the GMX Mail Collector.
• Access ready-to-use inbox management templates.

GMX Email Pricing

GMX Email is a free email hosting service. It makes money from showing ads in your inbox instead of charging you (user) a subscription fee.

Try GMX

Proton Mail

Proton Mail, based in Switzerland, is one of the best free email hosting providers. It uses end-to-end encryption to ensure only you can access your emails and attachments. Due to zero-access encryption, even Proton Mail itself cannot view your content. The service also blocks email trackers, protecting you from digital surveillance.

Proton Mail offers a free plan with ample storage and no ads. However, the free version does not support custom domains; you need a paid plan for this feature. Paid subscriptions provide additional features such as email backup and more storage, including sending larger files. Users can also benefit from customized filters to manage spam and organize messages automatically.

Proton Mail’s key features include multiple email aliases, a browser add-on for quick access, and robust antivirus protection. It is a trusted choice for those prioritizing privacy, including journalists and activists. The Easy Switch tool imports emails, contacts, and calendars, making switching to Proton Mail from other providers straightforward.

As an open-source service, Proton Mail is independently audited for security. The platform operates under Switzerland’s strict privacy laws, ensuring top-tier protection.

Proton Mail Features

• Strips IP addresses from emails.
• Powerful third-party integrations with Proton Mail Bridge
• Easy Switch tool offers seamless migration from other email providers.

Proton Mail Pricing

Proton Mail offers a free plan and three paid plans under two categories: Individuals and Businesses. You can buy a monthly, 12-month, or 24-month plan. Here are the prices for the 12-month plans.

Individual Plans

Individual Plans	Pricing	Offerings
Proton Free	FREE	1 user, 1 email address, and up to 1GB storage.
Mail Plus	$4.99/mo	15GB storage, 1 user, 10 email addresses, support for 1 custom email domain, unlimited folders, labels, and filters.
Proton Unlimited	$12.99/month	500GB storage, 1 user, 15 email addresses, support for 3 custom email domains, unlimited folders, labels, and filters.
Proton Family	$29.99/month	3TB storage, up to 6 users, 90 email addresses, support for 3 custom email domains, unlimited folders, labels, and filters.

These are the prices for the business plans.

Business Plans	Pricing	Offerings
Mail Essentials	$6.99/user/mo	10 email addresses per user, support for 3 custom email domains, unlimited folders, labels, and filters, contact groups management, calendar sharing, 1 free VPN connection/user, 15GB storage/user.
Business	$10.99/user/mo	15 email addresses/user, custom email domains, unlimited folders, labels, and filters, contact groups management, calendar sharing,10 VPN connections per user, 500GB storage/user, and unlimited hide-my-email aliases.
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Everything in the Business plan + features tailored to your needs, a dedicated account manager, and as much storage as needed.

Save 23% with Proton Mail

iCloud Mail

iCloud Mail is a secure and private email service from Apple, ideal for users within the Apple ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with the Mail app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, offering features like smart search, undo send, rich links, and reminders.

To start, sign in with your Apple ID on the iCloud Mail website or create a new account. Use your iCloud email address or the email associated with your Apple ID. You can access iCloud Mail from any device, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, or Android.

iCloud is a free hosted email service that offers 5 GB of free iCloud storage for your mail, photos, and other content. However, you cannot set up a custom domain with the free plan. You need to upgrade to iCloud+ if you need additional features like extra storage, Hide My Email, set up more than three email aliases, Private Relay, and HomeKit Secure Video.

iCloud Mail is tightly integrated with Apple devices, making it a convenient and reliable option for managing your emails if you’re an Apple user.

iCloud Mail Features

• Seamless integration with Apple devices.
• 5GB of free iCloud storage for your mail, photos, and other content.
• Clean interface within Apple products.

iCloud Mail Pricing

iCloud Mail offers a free plan for Apple users. For additional advanced features, you need to upgrade to one of the following iCloud+ plans.

Plan	Pricing	Offerings
iCloud	Free	5GB cloud storage, free email hosting, and automatic syncing.
iCloud+ 50GB	$0.99/mo	Automatic syncing, iCloud Private Relay, Hide My Email, custom email domain, family sharing, HomeKit Secure Video for 1 camera, and 50GB storage.
iCloud+ 200GB	$2.99/mo	All of the above, but HomeKit Secure Video for 5 cameras and 200GB storage.
iCloud+ 2TB	$9.99/mo	All of the above, but HomeKit Secure Video for unlimited cameras and 2TB storage.
iCloud+ 6TB	$29.99/mo	All of the above, but HomeKit Secure Video for unlimited cameras and 6TB storage.
iCloud+ 12TB	$59.99/mo	All of the above, but HomeKit Secure Video for unlimited cameras and 12TB storage.

You can share your iCloud+ plans with up to five people in your Family Sharing group.

Try iCloud Mail

Namecheap Private Email

Namecheap Private Email is a robust email hosting service by Namecheap, a popular domain registrar and web hosting provider. It enables users to create personalized email accounts using their domain name. Storage options range from 5GB to 75GB, based on the plan selected.

Namecheap’s service includes webmail access, email forwarding, autoresponders, spam filtering, and virus protection, ensuring a secure and user-friendly experience. It supports popular email clients such as Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and mobile apps, facilitating easy email management across multiple devices.

A standout feature of Namecheap Private Email is its secure communication via SSL/TLS encryption, protecting emails from unauthorized access. You can get a 60-day free trial of any paid plans. Paid plans start at $0.99/mo, making it an affordable choice for both individuals and businesses.

Additionally, Namecheap Private Email integrates smoothly with Namecheap’s other services, such as web hosting and domain registration. This integration allows users to manage their email accounts, domains, and hosting services from one platform, ensuring a streamlined and efficient user experience.

Namecheap Private Email Features

• Powerful security features like SSL/TLS encryption, spam filtering, and virus protection.
• Offers branding opportunities like social media links, custom logos, and handwritten and HTML signatures.
• Create email aliases that all feed into one inbox.

Try Namecheap for FREE

Comparison of Free Email Hosting Providers

A comparison of free email hosting providers with custom domains has been done below on the basis of custom domain support, storage space, and advanced features.

Free Email Hosting Providers	Storage Space (per mailbox)*	Custom Domain Support	Advanced Features
Zoho Mail	5GB	Yes	Calendar, Tasks, Lists, Basic Contacts, etc.
Cloudflare Email	Undisclosed	Yes	Powerful insights on emails
ImprovMX	Undisclosed	Yes	Lightning-fast deliverability
GMX Mail	65GB	No (But up to 10 email aliases allowed)	MailCheck browser extension
Proton Mail	1GB	Yes (With paid plans)	Robust anti-virus protection
iCloud Mail	5GB	Yes (With iCloud+ plans)	Hide My Email, Private Relay, HomeKit Secure Video, etc.
Namecheap Private Email	5GB	Yes	Powerful offline mobile synchronization

What is Email Hosting?

Email hosting is a service that provides businesses and individuals with an email server and associated services to send and receive emails using their own custom domain name (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com).

When you use email hosting, the service provider manages and maintains the email server infrastructure on your behalf, including hardware, software, and security updates. This allows you to access your email through various email clients or webmail interfaces without worrying about the technical complexities of running an email server yourself.

The 5 key features of email hosting services are as below.

1. Custom email addresses: You can create email aliases with your domain name, such as info@yourdomain.com or sales@yourdomain.com, which can enhance your professional image as disposable email services can work for individuals, but businesses and entrepreneurs need to maintain contact while maintaining privacy.
2. Email storage: Email hosting providers offer massive storage space for your emails. This way, you can store thousands of emails without any problem.
3. Email management tools: Most free email hosting for domains comes with tools like spam filtering, virus protection, email forwarding, and auto-responders. This simplifies managing your business communication.
4. Webmail access: Email hosting services provide a web-based interface (webmail) that allows you to access your email from any device with an internet connection without the need to install an email client.
5. Mobile email access: Many email hosting providers offer mobile apps or mobile-friendly webmail interfaces for accessing your email on smartphones and tablets.

Business email hosting is really useful for businesses that want to maintain a consistent brand image with their customers. It eliminates the need for free email services from companies like Google or Yahoo and provides more control and customization options.

Types of Email Hosting

The 6 types of email hosting offered by providers have been listed below. The type of email hosting ultimately chosen should depend on hosting requirements, budget, and business size.

1. Shared Email Hosting: This is a low-cost option where multiple email accounts share resources on a single server. It is suitable for individuals or small businesses with basic email needs. For example, GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator.
2. Dedicated Email Hosting: A dedicated server is assigned to a single customer, providing more resources and better performance than shared hosting. It is suitable for businesses with high email volumes and specific security or compliance requirements, such as Rackspace or Liquid Web.
3. Cloud Email Hosting: With its Cloud infrastructure, these email hosting providers offer scalable resources and high availability by leveraging multiple servers in the cloud. It is a flexible and cost-effective option for businesses of all sizes—for example, Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Microsoft Office 365, and Zoho Mail.
4. Self-Hosted Email Servers: This involves setting up and managing an email server within an organization’s own infrastructure. Self-hosted email servers offer complete control but require significant technical expertise and resources for maintenance and security. Examples include Postfix, Sendmail, or Microsoft Exchange Server.
5. Enterprise Email Hosting: This robust and feature-rich email hosting solution is designed for large enterprises and organizations. It typically includes advanced security, compliance, and integration features, such as Microsoft Exchange Online Protection, Proofpoint, and Mimecast.
6. POP3 and IMAP Email Hosting: These protocols define how email clients access and manage emails on a server. POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) downloads emails to a local device, while IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) allows access to emails stored on the server. Most email hosting providers, such as GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Gmail, offer both POP3 and IMAP access to email accounts.

Limitations of Free Email Hosting

Free email hosting services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Outlook.com typically have some limitations compared to paid or business email solutions like Google Workspace or Yandex Mail. Here are 8 common limitations of free email hosting:

1. Storage space: Free email accounts usually have limited storage space for your emails and attachments, ranging from a few gigabytes to around 15GB. Once you reach the limit, you may need to delete emails or pay for additional storage.
2. File size restrictions: The size of an email attachment you can send or receive is often restricted, typically ranging from 20MB to 50MB.
3. Advertising: Many free email services display advertisements within the email interface or in your inbox to generate revenue.
4. Limited customization: With free email services, customization options for your email address, interface, and branding are usually limited or non-existent.
5. No dedicated support: Free email services typically offer limited or no dedicated customer support, unlike paid email solutions that often provide priority support channels.
6. Security and privacy concerns: Free email services may have less robust security measures and potentially scan your emails for targeted advertising, which could concern privacy-conscious users or businesses.
7. Limited features: Advanced features like mail filtering, email scheduling, email templates, and integration with other productivity tools may be limited or absent in free email services.
8. No service level agreements (SLAs): Free email services typically don’t offer guaranteed uptime or service level agreements, which can be important for businesses or critical communications.

While free email service providers are convenient and sufficient for personal use, businesses or users with more demanding requirements may need to consider paid email solutions or hosting their email servers for greater control, customization, and advanced features.

Benefits of Free Email Hosting

Free email hosting offers 8 main benefits for businesses:

1. Cost Savings: Free email hosting eliminates the need for additional expenses related to email services, making it ideal for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
2. Professional Appearance: Even free email hosting services like iCloud or Zoho Mail often allow custom domain names (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com), which enhances your business’s professional image.
3. Ease of Setup: These services are usually straightforward to set up, requiring minimal technical knowledge, which is beneficial for businesses without dedicated IT staff.
4. Basic Features: Free email hosting typically includes essential features like spam filtering, virus protection, and webmail access, providing a reliable email experience without extra costs. For features like order confirmation and shipping confirmation, a free transactional email platform is better suited.
5. Accessibility: Users can access their emails from anywhere using webmail or mobile apps, ensuring continuous communication regardless of location.
6. Scalability: Many free services offer the option to upgrade to paid plans as your business grows, allowing for more storage and advanced features when needed.
7. Security: Reputable free email hosting services provide basic security measures, such as SSL/TLS encryption, to protect your communications.
8. Integration: These services often integrate well with other free tools and platforms, streamlining your business operations and improving efficiency.

Free email hosting is a cost-effective solution for businesses needing reliable email services without significant financial investment.

Frequently Asked Questions