Seven ways to get email at you@yourdomain.com, ranked by real annual cost. No affiliate links. Prices as of May 2026.
The cheapest custom domain email in 2026 depends on how you measure it. On raw sticker price, Purelymail is lowest at roughly $10/yr for a standalone mailbox, followed by Zoho Mail Lite at about $12/yr per user - but both charge per user or per mailbox and need manual DNS. SendMailAs is the best overall value at a flat $29/yr for unlimited domains and unlimited addresses, plus a permanently free tier covering 1 domain, and it works inside your existing free Gmail so you send and receive without Google Workspace. Other anchors: Forward Email is around $36/yr, Fastmail roughly $60/yr per user, Google Workspace about $84/yr per user, and ImprovMX Premium $108/yr. Once you have more than one domain or one person, SendMailAs becomes the cheapest because its price never scales. All competitor prices are approximate as of May 2026.
Cheapest sticker price first. Prices approximate, as of May 2026.
1 domain, send + receive in Gmail. No card. Most rivals' free tiers are receive-only.
Cheapest sticker price. Standalone mailbox, manual DNS, solo-dev operation.
Cheap for one user. Cost scales per seat. Separate webmail, not Gmail.
Unlimited domains + addresses. Lives inside your existing Gmail. Auto DNS.
Open-source. Paid tier adds SMTP send + mailbox. Manual DNS.
Polished standalone client. Per-user pricing. Not a Gmail integration.
Full suite (Drive, Meet, Calendar). Overkill if you only need email.
SMTP send + API + webhooks. Manual DNS per domain.
The same table, sortable in your head. Scroll sideways on mobile.
| Provider | Annual price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SendMailAs FreeFree | $0 | 1 domain, send + receive in Gmail. No card. Most rivals' free tiers are receive-only. |
| Purelymail | ~$10/yr | Cheapest sticker price. Standalone mailbox, manual DNS, solo-dev operation. |
| Zoho Mail Lite | ~$12/yr | Cheap for one user. Cost scales per seat. Separate webmail, not Gmail. |
| SendMailAs ProPick | $29/yr | Unlimited domains + addresses. Lives inside your existing Gmail. Auto DNS. |
| Forward Email | ~$36/yr | Open-source. Paid tier adds SMTP send + mailbox. Manual DNS. |
| Fastmail | ~$60/yr | Polished standalone client. Per-user pricing. Not a Gmail integration. |
| Google Workspace | ~$84/yr | Full suite (Drive, Meet, Calendar). Overkill if you only need email. |
| ImprovMX Premium | $108/yr | SMTP send + API + webhooks. Manual DNS per domain. |
All competitor prices are approximate and based on publicly advertised plans. Prices as of May 2026.
Per-user pricing adds up fast. SendMailAs stays flat.
| Scenario | SendMailAsPick | Purelymail | Zoho Lite | Workspace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 domain, 1 person | Free | ~$10 | ~$12 | ~$84 |
| 1 domain, 3 people | $29 | ~$10 | ~$36 | ~$252 |
| 3 domains, 3 people | $29 | ~$10 | ~$36 | ~$252 |
| 10 domains, 5 people | $29 | ~$10 | ~$60 | ~$420 |
Estimates for illustration. Per-user providers multiply by seat count. Prices as of May 2026.
A lower price usually means more manual work or a worse inbox. The SendMailAs trade is different - it stays cheap while removing the friction:
The only things SendMailAs doesn't do: standalone mailboxes, API access, and the rest of an office suite.
On raw sticker price, Purelymail is the cheapest at around $10/yr for a standalone mailbox, and Zoho Mail Lite is roughly $12/yr per user. But those are per-user or single-mailbox prices with manual DNS. SendMailAs is $29/yr flat for unlimited domains and unlimited addresses, with a free tier covering 1 domain - which works out cheaper than anything else once you have more than one domain or user. Prices are approximate as of May 2026.
Yes. SendMailAs has a free tier that includes 1 domain with send and receive inside your existing Gmail - no Google Workspace and no credit card. Most 'free' competitor tiers (ImprovMX free, Forward Email free) are receive-only forwarding; sending from your domain usually requires a paid plan.
Zoho Mail, Fastmail, and Google Workspace charge per user per year, so costs scale with your team. SendMailAs Pro is a single $29/yr flat fee covering unlimited domains and unlimited addresses. If you run two domains or have two people, SendMailAs is already cheaper, and the gap widens from there. Prices approximate as of May 2026.
ImprovMX Premium is about $108/yr for SMTP sending with a 30-domain cap. SendMailAs Pro is $29/yr for unlimited domains with send and receive. For most people who just want to send and receive custom domain email in Gmail, SendMailAs is roughly a quarter of the price.
No. Deliverability comes down to correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, not price. SendMailAs pre-generates the exact records (including DKIM aligned with your own domain so there's no 'via' banner) for you to add at your existing DNS host, then verifies them automatically. Cheaper manual providers can deliver just as well - you just have to figure out and configure the DNS records correctly yourself.
For exactly one mailbox on one domain, Purelymail (~$10/yr) and Zoho Mail Lite (~$12/yr/user) have a lower sticker price than SendMailAs Pro at $29/yr. But neither lives inside your existing Gmail, both need manual DNS, and both charge more as you add users or domains. SendMailAs stays $29/yr flat no matter how many domains or addresses you add.
Competitor prices listed here are approximate and based on publicly advertised plans as of May 2026; providers change pricing and tiers frequently, so always confirm on their site. SendMailAs is $29/yr flat for Pro with a permanently free 1-domain tier.
Unlimited custom domains, unlimited email addresses, send and receive inside your existing free Gmail account, pre-generated SPF/DKIM/DMARC/MX records you copy-paste at your existing DNS host with automatic verification, and no 'via' banner because mail is DKIM-signed with your own domain. No Google Workspace and no per-user fees.