How to Get a Free Custom Domain Email with Cloudflare and Gmail (Step-by-Step Guide)

Most people don't realize they're overpaying for something they could get for free. A professional custom domain email — the kind that reads hello@yourbrand.com instead of yourname123@gmail.com — doesn't have to cost $6 to $12 a month through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. With Cloudflare's free Email Routing feature and a standard Gmail account, you can set up a fully functional custom email address for the price of a domain name alone — roughly $10 to $15 a year.

This guide walks you through every step of the process — from registering a domain and setting up Cloudflare Email Routing, to configuring Gmail so you can both receive and send from your custom address. Whether you're a freelancer, side-project founder, content creator, or small business owner, this is the most cost-effective way to look professional online without paying for a dedicated email platform.

What You Get With This Setup

Before diving into the steps, here is a quick summary of what you will end up with once this guide is complete:

• A professional custom email address like hello@yourdomain.com that receives mail in your normal Gmail inbox
• The ability to send email from Gmail that shows your custom domain as the sender
• Unlimited custom email aliases at no extra cost (support@, info@, contact@, etc.)
• Full use of Gmail's interface, apps, spam filtering, and 15 GB of free storage
• Zero monthly email hosting fees — you only pay for the domain itself

What You Need Before You Start

The total cost of this setup is the price of a domain name and nothing else. Here is what you need:

• A domain name — anywhere from $2 to $15/year depending on the extension. Registrars like Namecheap, Porkbun, and GoDaddy all work. Budget extensions like .xyz, .site, or .online cost as little as $2–5/year. Premium extensions like .com, .io, or .ai run $10–15/year.
• A free Cloudflare account — sign up at cloudflare.com. The free plan includes Email Routing with no limitations.
• A free Gmail account — your existing personal Gmail works perfectly. You do not need Google Workspace.

Step 1: Get a Domain Name

If you already have a domain, skip to Step 2. If not, buying one is straightforward and inexpensive.

Go to a domain registrar — Namecheap, Porkbun, and GoDaddy are all popular choices. Search for a name that represents your brand or identity. Keep it short, easy to spell, and memorable. Avoid hyphens or numbers where possible.

Pricing guide:

• .xyz, .site, .online: as low as $2–5/year (great for side projects and experiments)
• .ca: ~$15–20/year (ideal for Canadians — you can now register .ca domains directly through Cloudflare Registrar at cost price)
• .com, .net: $10–15/year (most recognized and trusted globally)
• .io, .ai, .co: $30–60/year (popular with tech startups but pricier)

Once purchased, note your registrar login credentials — you will need them in Step 2 to update your nameservers.

Step 2: Add Your Domain to Cloudflare

Cloudflare is a free internet infrastructure company that handles DNS, security, and — importantly for us — email routing. Moving your domain DNS to Cloudflare unlocks all of these features at no charge.

1. Go to cloudflare.com and create a free account or sign in.
2. Click "Add a site" and enter your domain name (e.g., yourbrand.com).
3. Select the Free plan when prompted.
4. Cloudflare will automatically scan your existing DNS records and display them. Review the list and click Continue.
5. Cloudflare will give you two nameserver addresses that look like ns1.cloudflare.com and ns2.cloudflare.com. Copy these.
6. Log in to your domain registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Porkbun, etc.) and find the DNS or Nameserver settings for your domain.
7. Replace the existing nameservers with the two Cloudflare nameservers you copied.
8. Save the changes. DNS propagation typically takes 5 to 10 minutes but can occasionally take up to 24 hours.

Once Cloudflare shows your domain status as Active, you are ready to set up email routing.

Step 3: Enable Cloudflare Email Routing

Cloudflare Email Routing is the core feature that makes this whole setup possible. It acts as a free mail forwarder, taking any email sent to your custom domain and instantly forwarding it to your Gmail inbox.

1. In your Cloudflare dashboard, click on your domain name.
2. In the left sidebar, click Email, then Email Routing.
3. Click "Get Started" or "Enable Email Routing."
4. Cloudflare will prompt you to add the necessary DNS records (MX and TXT records). Click the option to add them automatically — this is the easiest path.
5. When asked for a destination address, enter your Gmail address (e.g., yourname@gmail.com).
6. Check your Gmail inbox for a verification email from Cloudflare. Click the verification link inside it.

Your Gmail is now a verified destination. Cloudflare knows it is allowed to forward mail to that inbox.

Step 4: Create Your Custom Email Addresses

Now comes the fun part. You can create as many custom email addresses as you want, completely free. Each one will forward to your Gmail.

1. In the Cloudflare dashboard, navigate to Email, then Email Routing.
2. Under "Custom addresses," click "Create address."
3. Enter the prefix you want — for example, hello, contact, support, hi, sales, or info.
4. Set the destination to your verified Gmail address.
5. Click Save.
6. Repeat for any additional addresses you want (support@, billing@, jobs@, etc.).

Popular address ideas:

• hello@ or hi@ — friendly and approahable, great for personal brands
• contact@ or info@ — standard professional addresses for websites
• support@ — ideal if you run a product or service and want a dedicated support channel
• sales@ or partnerships@ — useful for business development outreach
• yourname@ — a clean personal address for your own name

All forwarded emails land in your single Gmail inbox. You can then use Gmail labels and filters to automatically categorize incoming mail by which address it was sent to, keeping things organized.

Step 5: Send Email FROM Your Custom Address in Gmail

Receiving email is half the battle. This step configures Gmail so you can also send emails that appear to come from your custom domain address — not your @gmail.com address.

First, generate a Gmail app password:

1. Go to myaccount.google.com and click on Security.
2. Under "How you sign in to Google," make sure 2-Step Verification is turned on. If not, enable it first.
3. In the Security section, search for "App passwords" (you can use the search bar at the top of the page).
4. Under App name, type something like "Gmail Custom Domain" and click Create.
5. Google will generate a 16-character password. Copy it immediately — you will not see it again.

Now add your custom address to Gmail:

1. Open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top right. Select "See all settings."
2. Click the "Accounts and Import" tab.
3. Under "Send mail as," click "Add another email address."
4. In the popup, enter your name (as you want it to appear) and your custom email address (e.g., hello@yourdomain.com). Click Next.
5. On the SMTP settings screen, enter the following:
6. SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
7. Port: 587 (TLS)
8. Username: your full Gmail address (e.g., yourname@gmail.com)
9. Password: the 16-character app password you just generated
10. Click "Add Account."
11. Gmail will send a verification email to your custom address. Since Cloudflare is already forwarding that address to Gmail, the verification email will land in your inbox. Click the confirmation link or enter the code.

Your custom domain address now appears in the "Send mail as" list. When you compose a new email in Gmail, click the From dropdown to select it. To make it your default sending address, click "make default" next to it in Settings.

Step 6: Set Up SPF to Improve Email Deliverability

This step is technically optional but strongly recommended. Without an SPF record, emails you send from your custom domain via Gmail may occasionally land in recipients' spam folders.

SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. It is a DNS record that tells the internet which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Adding Google's servers to this record dramatically improves deliverability.

1. Go back to your Cloudflare dashboar and click DNS.
2. Look for an existing TXT record that starts with v=spf1. Cloudflare Email Routing may have already added one.
3. If one exists, edit it to include Google. The updated value should be:
4. v=spf1 include:_spf.mx.cloudflare.net include:_spf.google.com ~all
5. If no SPF record exists, add a new TXT record with:
6. Name: @ (which represents your root domain)
7. Content: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
8. Save the record.

Note on DKIM: Standard free Gmail accounts do not support DKIM signing for custom domains — that feature is exclusive to Google Workspace. For personal use and small projects, SPF alone provides solid deliverability. If you eventually need enterprise-grade authentication, consider upgrading to Google Workspace at that point.

Important Limitations to Know

This setup is genuinely excellent for most individuals and small operations, but it has a few limitations worth knowing upfront:

• Cloudflare only forwards email — it does not store messages or provide a mailbox. All storage happens in your Gmail account.
• Gmail limits sending to 500 emails per day from custom addresses. For newsletters or high-volume outreach, you will need a dedicated email sending tool.
• No DKIM signing on free Gmail means some emails might still reach spam without it. SPF helps significantly but is not a complete solution.
• This is not a good fit for teams or businesses with multiple users. For that, Google Workspace ($6/user/month) or Microsoft 365 is a better choice.
• Replies in Gmail will automatically use your custom domain address as long as the email was originally received at that address, but you must stay aware of which From address is selected when composing new emails.

Who Is This Setup Perfect For?

This Cloudflare + Gmail combination hit a sweet spot for a specific type of user. You will get the most value from this if you are:

• A freelancer or independent contractor who wants a professional email to put on proposals and invoices without paying for a full email suite
• A content creator, blogger, or YouTuber who has a personal brand domain and wants a cleaner contact address
• A side project or startup founder testing an idea and not ready to pay for Workspace yet
• A small business owner who handles all email solo and just wants to look polished
• A developer or designer building a portfolio site and adding a professional contact email
• Anyone who already has a domain and is leaving $0/month on the table

This is not ideal for:

• Teams of two or more people who each need their own inbox
• High-volume cold email senders or sales automation
• Businesses that need strict DKIM and DMARC compliance for enterprise deliverability

The Real Cost Comparison

Here is what this setup actually costs versus the alternatives:

• Cloudflare Email Routing: Free
• Gmail account: Free
• Domain name (.com): ~$12–15/year
• Total annual cost: ~$12–15/year

Compare that to:

• Google Workspace Starter: $72/year per user
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $72/year per user
• Zoho Mail Lite: $12/year per user (cheapest paid option)

The Cloudflare + Gmail method gives you 80% of the functionality of Google Workspace for less than 20% of the cost. For solo operators, that is a no-brainer.

Quick-Start Checklist

Use this checklist to make sure you have completed every step:

• Buy a domain from Namecheap, Porkbun,, or GoDaddy
• Create a free Cloudflare account
• Add your domain to Cloudflare and update nameservers at your registrar
• Enable Cloudflare Email Routing and verify your Gmail as a destination
• Create at least one custom email address (e.g., hello@yourdomain.com)
• Enable 2-Step Verification on your Google account
• Generate a Gmail app password
• Add your custom address to Gmail via Settings > Accounts and Import > Send mail as
• Configure SMTP with smtp.gmail.com, port 587, and your app password
• Verify the custom address via the confirmation email
• Add or update your SPF TXT record in Cloudflare DNS
• Send a test email to confirm everything works

Final Thoughts

Custom domain email used to be a feature reserved for businesses willing to pay for Google Workspace or similar platforms. With Cloudflare Email Routing, that barrier is gone. For the cost of registering a domain — which you likely need anyway for your website or portfolio — you can have a polished, professional email address that runs entirely through Gmail.

The setup takes about 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish, and once it is running you never have to think about it again. Your domain email identity belongs to you and travels with you even if you change providers in the future.