You don't need a $84/yr productivity suite just to send email as you@yourdomain.com. Here are four alternatives, compared honestly.
Honest pros and cons. No affiliate links. No sponsored picks.
Custom domain email inside Gmail. Auto DNS. No Workspace.
Best for: Gmail users who want zero-friction setup
Pros
Cons
Open-source email forwarding and hosting.
Best for: Privacy-conscious users and developers who value open-source
Pros
Cons
Email forwarding with developer tools.
Best for: Developers who need API access and webhook integrations
Pros
Cons
Ultra-cheap standalone email hosting.
Best for: Tinkerers who want a standalone mailbox at the lowest price
Pros
Cons
All five options in one table. Scroll sideways on mobile.
| Feature | Workspace | SendMailAsPick | Forward Email | ImprovMX | Purelymail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual price (basic paid) | $84/user | Free | $36 | $108 | $10 |
| Custom domains | 1 per plan | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 | Unlimited |
| Gmail integration | Native | Native | SMTP | SMTP | None |
| Send from Gmail | Yes | Yes (free) | Yes (paid) | Yes (paid) | No |
| DNS setup | Manual | Automatic | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| DKIM alignment | Auto | Auto | Their domain | Manual | Manual |
| Standalone mailbox | Yes | No | Yes (paid) | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | No | Paid | Paid | No |
| Open-source | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Drive / Meet / Calendar | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Setup time | 15-30 min | 5 min | 15-30 min | 15-30 min | 15-30 min |
Prices are annual. Workspace: $84/user/yr (Business Starter). All prices as of April 2026.
These alternatives replace the email part of Workspace. They don't replace the suite. If your team uses any of the following daily, Workspace is still the right tool:
But if you only open Gmail? You're overpaying.
No. Google Workspace bundles email with Drive, Meet, Calendar, Docs, and admin tools. If you only use it for custom domain email in Gmail, you're paying for features you don't need. Services like SendMailAs, Forward Email, and ImprovMX give you the email part without the suite.
SendMailAs Pro at $29/yr covers unlimited domains with no per-domain fees. Purelymail is $10/yr with no hard limits. Forward Email Enhanced is $36/yr. ImprovMX Premium is $108/yr for up to 30 domains. Google Workspace charges $84/yr per user regardless of domains.
SendMailAs, Forward Email, and ImprovMX all integrate with Gmail's 'Send mail as' feature. You receive email in your Gmail inbox and reply from your custom domain. Purelymail is a standalone email provider - you'd use it through a separate email client or webmail, not inside Gmail.
All options listed here support SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. The key difference is setup: SendMailAs configures these automatically, while Forward Email, ImprovMX, and Purelymail require manual DNS configuration. Properly configured, deliverability is comparable across all options.
For teams needing shared calendars, admin controls, and compliance tools, Google Workspace is still the right choice. For 1-5 person teams who only need email, SendMailAs or Forward Email work well. Purelymail supports multiple users but lacks admin features.
With Gmail-based services (SendMailAs, Forward Email, ImprovMX), your emails live in Gmail and stay there regardless. With Purelymail, you'd need to export or migrate your mailbox. With Workspace, downgrading means losing custom domain email unless you switch to another service.
SendMailAs routes through Cloudflare infrastructure. Forward Email is open-source with public uptime data. ImprovMX offers a 99% uptime SLA on Premium. Purelymail is run by a solo developer and is best suited for personal or low-stakes business use. For enterprise needs, Workspace remains the safest bet.
Yes, all five options (Workspace, SendMailAs, Forward Email, ImprovMX, Purelymail) support custom domains. The differences are in how DNS is configured, what's included on free plans, and whether you need Gmail or can use a separate email client.
First domain free. Auto DNS. No Workspace needed.