Both give you custom domain email. The real choice is
a new inbox you migrate to vs custom domains inside your existing Gmail.
SendMailAs and Zoho Mail both let you send and receive email at you@yourdomain.com, but they solve it differently. Zoho Mail is a separate webmail and inbox you migrate to: you switch your MX records to Zoho and read mail in Zoho's own apps. Its free tier is limited to 1 domain, 5 users, and 5GB per user, and Mail Lite costs roughly $12/yr per user. SendMailAs is not an inbox - it keeps you in the free Gmail account you already use and adds custom-domain sending and receiving for a flat $29/yr covering unlimited domains, with DNS, SPF, and DKIM configured automatically through Cloudflare. The honest tradeoff: Zoho gives you a full Google-Workspace-like suite with documents, calendar, and chat and a hosted mailbox you control, while SendMailAs is deliberately email-only and lives entirely inside Gmail. Choose Zoho for a complete productivity suite; choose SendMailAs to keep Gmail and add custom domains cheaply.
Zoho Mail is a destination inbox - you point MX records at Zoho and read mail in Zoho's webmail and apps, away from Gmail. SendMailAs adds custom-domain send and receive to the free Gmail account you already use, so your inbox, filters, contacts, and history stay exactly where they are.
Zoho's free plan caps you at 1 domain, 5 users, and 5GB per user, and Mail Lite runs about $12/yr per user with cost scaling as you add mailboxes and domains. SendMailAs Pro is $29/yr flat with no domain or address limits - for the Gmail use case the gap widens the more domains you add.
Zoho Mail requires you to research and hand-craft MX, SPF, and DKIM records at your registrar for every domain, then verify ownership. SendMailAs gives you the exact pre-generated MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to paste at your existing DNS host - no nameserver change - and verifies them automatically for every domain.
Zoho gives you a complete office suite - documents, spreadsheets, presentations, calendar, and chat - plus your own hosted mailbox that doesn't depend on Gmail, and a more generous free mailbox allowance under one domain. SendMailAs is email-only and lives inside Gmail. If you want a Workspace-style productivity suite, Zoho is the better fit.
| Feature | SendMailAs$29/yr | Zoho Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Works inside existing Gmail | Yes - Works inside existing Gmail | - |
| Separate hosted inbox | - | Yes - Separate hosted inbox |
| Send from custom domain | Yes - Send from custom domain | Yes - Send from custom domain |
| Receive on custom domain | Yes - Receive on custom domain | Yes - Receive on custom domain |
| Requires email migration | No | Yes |
| DKIM signing | Auto (your domain) | Manual (your domain) |
| DNS setup | Automatic | Manual (MX, SPF, DKIM) |
| Domains (free) | 1 | 1 |
| Domains (paid) | Unlimited | Per-plan |
| Mailboxes (free) | 2 addresses | Up to 5 users |
| Storage (free) | Uses Gmail's | 5GB/user |
| Office / docs suite | - | Yes - Office / docs suite |
| Calendar & chat apps | - | Yes - Calendar & chat apps |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | 20-40 minutes |
Zoho charges per user and plan. SendMailAs charges once.
| Scenario | SendMailAs | Zoho Mail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 domain, light useZoho free: 1 domain, up to 5 users, 5GB/user, webmail only | Free | Free |
| Send + receive in Gmail, 1 domainZoho keeps you in its own webmail, not Gmail | Free | ~$12/yr/user |
| Send + receive, 5 domainsZoho is priced per user; cost scales with mailboxes | $29/yr | Per-domain/user |
| Send + receive, 20+ domainsSendMailAs stays flat; Zoho grows per user/domain | $29/yr | Scales up |
| Full office suite neededZoho bundles docs, sheets, chat; SendMailAs is email-only | Not offered | Workplace plans |
Zoho pricing is approximate: free tier limited to 1 domain / 5 users / 5GB per user, Mail Lite roughly $12/yr per user. SendMailAs Pro: $29/yr flat. Prices as of May 2026.
Zoho Mail is a mature, full-featured email and productivity platform. If you want a hosted inbox you control plus a complete office suite - documents, calendar, chat - and you don't want to depend on Gmail, it's a strong choice with a reasonably generous free tier.
But if you just want you@yourdomain.com working in the Gmail you already use - sending and receiving, with proper DKIM, without migrating mail or touching DNS records - SendMailAs does that for $29/yr with unlimited domains. Zoho means a new inbox, per-user pricing, and manual DNS for each domain.
For the Gmail-only use case, SendMailAs is simpler and cheaper. For a full hosted suite, Zoho Mail has things we don't.
Zoho Mail has a free Forever plan, but it's limited: 1 domain, up to 5 users, 5GB storage per user, and webmail/mobile access only (no IMAP/POP on the free tier). To get more users, more storage, or desktop client access you move to Mail Lite at roughly $1/user/month (~$12/yr/user) or higher. SendMailAs is $29/yr flat for unlimited domains and keeps you in your existing free Gmail.
Zoho Mail is a separate hosted inbox you migrate to - a new webmail account with its own apps, storage, and login. SendMailAs is not an inbox. It adds custom-domain send and receive to the free Gmail account you already use, so you@yourdomain.com works inside Gmail without switching email providers.
Yes. Paid Zoho Workplace plans bundle a full office suite - documents, spreadsheets, presentations, chat, calendar, and more - similar to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. SendMailAs is email-only. If you want an entire productivity suite, Zoho gives you that; SendMailAs deliberately does one thing.
Effectively yes. Zoho Mail is a destination inbox, so you change your MX records to Zoho and your mail lives in Zoho's webmail. SendMailAs leaves your mail flow in Gmail - you keep your Gmail inbox, contacts, filters, and history, and just add custom-domain addresses on top.
Zoho's free plan supports 1 domain with up to 5 users and email aliases per user, which is broader than SendMailAs free (1 domain, 2 addresses). If you need several free mailboxes under one domain, Zoho's free tier is more generous. SendMailAs Pro removes the cap entirely at $29/yr for unlimited domains and addresses.
No. With Zoho Mail you research and manually craft MX records and SPF and DKIM TXT records at your registrar for every domain, then verify ownership yourself. SendMailAs pre-generates the exact MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for you to copy-paste at your existing DNS host and then verifies them automatically - no figuring out the records per domain by hand.
If you already live in Gmail and just want you@yourdomain.com to send and receive there, SendMailAs avoids learning a new webmail, migrating mail, and managing Zoho's per-user limits. Zoho's free plan caps domains, users, storage, and protocol access; SendMailAs Pro is one $29/yr price with unlimited domains and no inbox migration.
Zoho Mail wins when you want a full hosted inbox you control, a complete office and collaboration suite, larger free mailbox allowance under one domain, or you don't want to depend on Gmail. SendMailAs only makes sense if Gmail is your email client and you want custom domains inside it for one flat price.
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