If it's just you, you're paying a per-seat price for one seat. Get custom domain email inside your existing free Gmail for $29/yr flat.
If it's just you, the best Google Workspace alternative is SendMailAs: $29/yr flat versus Google Workspace's roughly $84/yr per user, with no per-seat fee and no admin console to manage. Instead of migrating to a new mailbox, SendMailAs adds your custom domain to the free Gmail account you already use, so you can send and receive as you@yourdomain.com without touching DNS yourself - SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured automatically through Cloudflare. You keep your existing free Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar exactly as they are; nothing is replaced and nothing is lost. Workspace makes sense for teams that need shared admin controls, but a single person paying a full per-seat price purely for custom domain email is overpaying for features one user never touches. For solopreneurs, freelancers, and indie founders who only need professional email on their own domain, SendMailAs delivers exactly that part for a flat $29 a year.
Workspace is priced and built for teams. You're a team of one.
Google Workspace bills per user. Business Starter is roughly $84/yr per seat. As a single person you carry that entire seat cost just to send from your own domain. SendMailAs is $29/yr flat - the price doesn't change because there's only one of you.
You don't migrate anything. SendMailAs adds your custom domain to your existing free @gmail.com account using Gmail's built-in 'Send mail as'. Email to you@yourdomain.com lands in the same inbox, and your free Gmail, Drive, and Calendar stay exactly where they are.
Workspace is built around a multi-user admin console - users, org units, policies. As one person you don't need any of that overhead. SendMailAs has no admin console: add a domain, it's working, done.
SendMailAs generates the exact SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records for you to paste into your existing DNS host - no nameserver change, no figuring out the values yourself. The dashboard verifies them automatically, which is the step solo users usually get stuck on.
Annual cost for a single person. Scroll sideways on mobile.
| Option | Price / yr (1 user) | What you keep |
|---|---|---|
| SendMailAs ProPick | $29/yr flat | Your existing free Gmail, Drive & Calendar |
| Google Workspace (Business Starter) | ~$84/yr per seat | A new Workspace mailbox (replaces your setup) |
| Zoho Mail (Mail Lite) | ~$12/yr per user | A separate Zoho mailbox, not your Gmail |
| Fastmail | ~$60/yr per user | A separate Fastmail mailbox, not your Gmail |
Competitor pricing is approximate and per single user. SendMailAs Pro is $29/yr flat with unlimited domains. Prices as of May 2026.
SendMailAs replaces the email part of Workspace, not the whole suite. Even as one person, Workspace can still be worth the seat if you specifically rely on:
But if you only open Gmail and just want email on your domain? One seat of Workspace is money you don't need to spend.
No. Google Workspace charges per user - around $84/yr per seat for Business Starter. If you're a single person, you're paying that whole seat price just to send email from your own domain. SendMailAs gives you send and receive on your custom domain for $29/yr flat, while you keep using your existing free Gmail, Drive, and Calendar. There's no per-seat fee and no admin console to manage.
Yes. That's the whole point. SendMailAs adds your custom domain to your existing free @gmail.com account using Gmail's built-in 'Send mail as' feature. You don't migrate, you don't create a new mailbox, and you don't lose your free Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Calendar. Email to you@yourdomain.com lands in the same inbox you already use.
For send and receive on a custom domain, SendMailAs Pro is $29/yr flat with unlimited domains and addresses. Google Workspace Business Starter is roughly $84/yr for one seat. Zoho Mail Mail Lite is around $12/yr per user but is a separate mailbox, not your Gmail. Fastmail is around $60/yr per user. SendMailAs is the cheapest option that keeps you inside the Gmail you already use. Prices as of May 2026.
You don't have to figure them out. SendMailAs pre-generates the exact MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain - you copy-paste them once at your existing DNS host (no nameserver change), and SendMailAs verifies them automatically. The part solo users normally get stuck on with other services is researching and hand-crafting the right records; here that's done for you and checked for you.
Your outgoing email is DKIM-signed with your own domain, so it sends as you@yourdomain.com with no 'via gmail.com' or 'via someservice.com' banner. Recipients see your domain, which is what matters when you're a solo founder, freelancer, or consultant being judged on first impressions.
Yes. The SendMailAs free plan covers 1 domain with 2 addresses, including both send and receive inside Gmail. Many solo users never need to upgrade. Pro at $29/yr unlocks unlimited domains and addresses if you later run multiple projects or side businesses from the same inbox.
If you only used Workspace for custom domain email, almost nothing - SendMailAs replaces exactly that part. You keep free Gmail, Drive, and Calendar on your existing account. You only lose Workspace-specific extras like an admin console, domain-wide policies, shared Team Drives, and branded Meet links, which a one-person setup rarely needs.
Yes. Because everything runs through your normal Gmail account, the Gmail app on iOS and Android shows your custom domain address the same way the desktop web does. Once it's set up, sending as you@yourdomain.com works everywhere your Gmail already works.
Keep your free Gmail. First domain free. Auto DNS. No Workspace needed.
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