I Built a Free Custom Domain Email Setup with Gmail — No Google Workspace Needed

Want a professional email like hello@yourdomain.com without paying for Google Workspace? You can build it for $0 using Cloudflare Email Routing (inbound), Resend SMTP (outbound), and Gmail as your daily interface.

How It Works

You’re building a simple email relay stack:

• Inbound (Receiving): Cloudflare receives mail sent to your domain and forwards it to your personal Gmail.
• Outbound (Sending): Resend acts as your SMTP provider so emails sent from Gmail have proper domain authentication and better deliverability.
• Interface: You keep using your regular Gmail inbox and compose window.

Step 1: Set Up Inbound Email (Cloudflare)

Cloudflare handles the receiving side.

1. Open your Cloudflare dashboard and select your domain.
2. Go to Email → Email Routing.
3. Click Enable Email Routing. Cloudflare will prompt you to add required DNS records (MX/TXT). Click Add records and enable.
4. Open Destination addresses → Add destination address, then enter your Gmail address.
5. Verify the destination from the confirmation email sent to Gmail.
6. Go to Routing rules and create an address rule:

• Address: your alias (for example yo for yo@yourdomain.com)
• Action: Forward to
• Destination: your verified Gmail address

Step 2: Set Up Outbound Sending (Resend)

To send from Gmail as your custom domain, you need an SMTP provider. Use Resend.

1. Create an account at Resend.com.
2. Go to Domains → Add Domain.
3. Enter your domain and select your preferred region.
4. Add the DNS records provided by Resend (typically DKIM and SPF) in Cloudflare DNS.
5. Return to Resend and click Verify until domain status is Verified.
6. Go to API Keys, create a key (use the minimum required scope), and store it securely.

Step 3: Connect It to Gmail

Now authorize Gmail to send as your custom domain.

1. In Gmail, click Settings → See all settings.
2. Open Accounts and Import.
3. In Send mail as, click Add another email address.
4. Enter your name and custom email address.
5. Set Treat as an alias to unchecked.
6. Use these SMTP settings:

• SMTP Server: smtp.resend.com
• Port: 587
• Username: resend
• Password: your Resend API key

7. Select Secured connection using TLS.
8. Click Add Account.
9. Gmail sends a confirmation code to your custom address. Since Cloudflare forwards inbound mail, the code should appear in your Gmail inbox.
10. Enter the code to complete setup.

Conclusion

You now have a professional custom-domain email setup in Gmail without paying for Google Workspace: Cloudflare for inbound routing, Resend for outbound SMTP, and Gmail as the interface.

For best deliverability, periodically re-check your DNS/auth records:

• SPF valid
• DKIM valid
• DMARC policy present

If those stay healthy, your emails are more likely to land in inboxes instead of spam.