Free @YourDomain Email in Gmail with Cloudflare & Resend

An email address like hello@yourbusiness.com looks far more professional than a Gmail or Yahoo address on a business card, an invoice, or a quote. Most people assume it means paying a monthly fee for Google Workspace, for every person. It doesn't have to.

Here's how to set up free custom domain email in the personal Gmail you already use, so you can send and receive from your own domain with three free services. It's the cheapest way to get a professional email address for a one-person business: the only cost is your domain name. Setup takes about 30 minutes, and once it's done, you won't have to think about it again.

Free @YourDomain Email in Gmail with Cloudflare & Resend: a Gmail inbox and @ symbol linked by a data pipeline through Cloudflare custom routing and DNS to Resend's sending API

How Cloudflare Email Routing, Resend, and Gmail work together

1
Cloudflare receives your email
Cloudflare Email Routing catches every message sent to hello@yourbusiness.com and forwards it to your Gmail inbox. It's free, but your domain has to use Cloudflare for its DNS (the settings that tell the internet where your website and email live).
2
Resend sends your email
Cloudflare only forwards mail in; it can't send. Resend handles sending, so your replies come from your own domain and are signed so other email providers can tell they're really from you.
3
Gmail is where you read and write
Everything comes together in Gmail. Messages to your domain arrive in your inbox, and your domain address can be set as the default “From” address, so every email you write or reply to goes out from your domain automatically.

What you'll need

A domain name using Cloudflare for its DNS. If your domain is registered somewhere else, you can usually switch its nameservers to Cloudflare for free and keep your registrar.
A Gmail account. A free @gmail.com account works fine.
A free Resend account from resend.com.

Step 1: Forward incoming email with Cloudflare

1
Log in to Cloudflare and select your domain.
2
Go to Email → Email Routing and click Get started.
3
Create your custom address, like hello@yourbusiness.com, and choose your Gmail address as the destination.
4
Cloudflare emails your Gmail a verification link. Open it and click Verify email address.
5
When Cloudflare offers to add the email DNS records it needs, click Add records and enable.
6
Send a test message to hello@yourbusiness.com from another email account. It should show up in Gmail within a minute or two.

Want info@, billing@, and anything else to reach you too? Turn on the catch-all address in Email Routing and point it at your Gmail.

Step 2: Set up sending with Resend

1
Sign up for a free account at resend.com.
2
Go to Domains → Add Domain and enter your domain.
3
Resend lists a few DNS records to add. If it offers to set them up automatically with Cloudflare, use that. Otherwise, in Cloudflare go to DNS → Records and add each one exactly as shown.
4
Back in Resend, click Verify. It's often verified within minutes, though DNS changes can take longer.
5
Go to API Keys → Create API Key. Give it Sending access, limit it to your domain, and copy the key (it starts with re_). Resend only shows it once, so keep it handy for the next step.

Resend's records go on a separate “send” subdomain, so they won't clash with the records Cloudflare added in Step 1.

Step 3: Set up Resend SMTP in Gmail's “Send mail as” settings

1
In Gmail on a computer, click the gear icon → See all settings → Accounts and Import.
2
Next to Send mail as, click Add another email address.
3
Enter your name and hello@yourbusiness.com, leave Treat as an alias checked, and click Next Step.
4
Fill in the server settings: SMTP Server smtp.resend.com, Port 587, Username resend, and your Resend API key as the password. Leave Secured connection using TLS selected and click Add Account.
5
Gmail sends a confirmation email to hello@yourbusiness.com, and thanks to Step 1, it lands right in your Gmail. Click the link or enter the code.
6
Back in Accounts and Import, click make default next to your domain address, so every new email and reply goes out from it automatically.

The default carries over to the Gmail app on your phone, so you can send professional business emails from your phone, for free. To send from a different address now and then, just tap the “From” line.

Step 4 (recommended): Add a DMARC record in Cloudflare

1
In Cloudflare, go to DNS → Records → Add record.
2
Choose type TXT, enter _dmarc as the name, and v=DMARC1; p=none; as the content. Save.

DMARC works alongside the records Resend added in Step 2 to authenticate your email. It tells Gmail, Yahoo, and other providers that your domain has an email policy, a small step that helps your messages reach the inbox instead of spam.

A free Google Workspace alternative for small businesses

It depends on what you need. Google Workspace is a paid plan, billed per person, that gives each person a separate mailbox plus shared calendars, Drive storage, and admin controls. For a growing team, it's worth it.

For freelancers, one-person businesses, and small teams that are happy reading email in a personal Gmail inbox, this free setup does the job without a monthly subscription: a professional address, sent and received in an inbox you already know.

Want it set up for you?

Custom domain email forwarding comes with every small business starter website I build, and I can set up sending from Gmail, too. Already have a site? I can do the whole setup on its own.

Website hosting & management

Common questions

Can I really get a custom business email address for free?

Yes, for typical small business use. With your domain on Cloudflare DNS and a free Resend account, you get a free business email address that works right in Gmail. Gmail and Cloudflare Email Routing are free, and Resend's free plan currently includes up to 3,000 emails a month (100 a day), which is plenty for everyday business email. You still pay for your domain name itself.

Will people see my Gmail address when I send from my domain?

No. When you send from your domain address, the recipient sees only that address, and their replies come back to it.

Why are my custom domain emails going to spam, and how do I fix it?

Usually it's missing authentication. Check that your domain shows as verified in Resend, that Gmail is sending through smtp.resend.com, and that you've added a DMARC record (Step 4). Together, those prove your messages really come from your domain, which is what email providers check. No one can promise every message reaches every inbox, but this is the same kind of authentication big senders use.

What are the Resend SMTP settings for Gmail?

SMTP server smtp.resend.com, port 587 with a TLS connection (or port 465 with SSL), username resend, and your Resend API key as the password. Enter them in Gmail under Settings → Accounts and Import → Send mail as.

Can I have more than one address, like info@ and billing@?

Yes. Add each address in Cloudflare Email Routing (or use the catch-all), and add each one under “Send mail as” in Gmail so you can reply from it.

Can I use this setup to send newsletters?

It isn't meant for that. Newsletters need an email marketing platform that handles sign-ups, unsubscribes, and bulk sending. See email marketing for that.

Does my domain have to be on Cloudflare?

For Cloudflare Email Routing, yes: Cloudflare has to manage your domain's DNS. Moving your DNS to Cloudflare is free, and you can usually keep your domain registered where it is. It's also how I host websites, so many of my clients are already set up.

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