Did you know you can just use Cloudflare email routing to get a custom email for free?
Most people pay $6-12/month for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 just to get a custom email. This setup costs you nothing except the domain itself.
Here’s what you need:
- A domain name ($10-15/year from Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc. – students: free via GitHub Student Pack)
- A Gmail account (free)
- Cloudflare account (free)
Step 1: Get a Domain
– Buy one from Namecheap, Porkbun, or any registrar
– Cheapest options: .xyz, .site, .online (~$2-5/year)
– Premium options: .com, .io, .ai (~$10-15/year)
– Students: Get free domains from GitHub Student Pack:
https://education.github.com/pack
– Pick something short and memorable for your brand
Step 2: Add Your Domain to Cloudflare
– Sign up at
(free plan works perfectly)
– Click “Add a site” and enter your domain
– Cloudflare will scan your DNS records
– Copy the two nameservers Cloudflare gives you
– Go back to your domain registrar and update the nameservers
– Wait about 5-10 minutes for DNS to propagate globally
Step 3: Enable Email Routing
– In Cloudflare dashboard, go to Email → Email Routing
– Click “Get Started” to enable the feature
– Enter your Gmail address as the destination email
– Check your Gmail for a confirmation link from Cloudflare
– Click it to verify you own that inbox
– You’re now ready to create custom addresses
Step 4: Create Custom Email Addresses
– Click “Create address” in the Email Routing section
– Type the address you want: hello@, contact@, support@, sales@, hi@
– Choose where it forwards to (your Gmail)
– Click Save
– Repeat for unlimited addresses – they’re all free
– Each one can go to the same Gmail or different inboxes
Step 5: Send FROM Your Custom Email (Optional)
– Open Gmail and go to Settings → See all settings
– Click the “Accounts and Import” tab
– Under “Send mail as”, click “Add another email address”
– Enter your name and custom email ([email protected])
– When it asks for SMTP password: DON’T use your regular Gmail password
– Go to Google Account → Security → 2-Step Verification (enable it first)
– Scroll to “App passwords” → Generate one for “Mail”
– Use that app password in the SMTP setup
– Verify via confirmation email
– Now you can send from your custom address in Gmail
Step 6: Set Up SPF to Avoid Spam (Recommended)
– Go back to Cloudflare → DNS → Records
– Add a TXT record:
– Name: @ (or your domain)
– Content: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
– This tells email servers Gmail is authorized to send from your domain
– Helps A LOT with deliverability
Note on DKIM: Regular Gmail doesn’t support DKIM signing for custom domains – only Google Workspace does. So some emails might
still hit spam without it. For personal use, SPF alone is usually fine though.
The Result:
You receive emails at [email protected] in your normal Gmail inbox. You can reply from that address. You look professional. You pay $0/month for email (just the annual domain cost). No storage limits because it’s using your free Gmail storage.
Important Limitations:
– Cloudflare only forwards emails – it doesn’t store them or provide a mailbox
– When sending via Gmail’s “Send mail as”, emails might go to spam initially (needs SPF/DKIM setup)
– Gmail limits: 500 emails sent per day from custom addresses
– Not ideal for high-volume business email or teams (stick with Google Workspace for that)
Perfect for: freelancers, side projects, personal brands, small businesses, portfolio sites
Not ideal for: large teams, high-volume sales email, enterprises
That’s it. Professional custom email for ~$10/year instead of $72+/year with Google Workspace.
Note: It’s not sponsored by Cloudflare. I just happened to know this method and wanted to share it. If you know any other free/cheap alternatives or hacks like this, let me know. Feel free to follow me for more little tips like this.