Stop Paying for Email: Professional Custom Domains for $0
The solo founder's guide to looking like a Fortune 500 company on a $0 budget.
When you're launching a new project, every dollar counts. You've bought the domain (maybe for $12/year), you've set up your hosting (maybe on Deno Deploy for free), and now you need a professional email address.
You go to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and they want $6 to $12 per user, per month. For a project you're still validating, that's almost $100 a year just to look professional.
There's a better way. It's called Cloudflare Email Routing, and it's completely free.
What is Cloudflare Email Routing?
Launched in late 2021, Cloudflare Email Routing allows you to create as many custom email addresses as you want for your domain (e.g., hello@yourstartup.com, billing@yourstartup.com) and forward them all to your existing personal inbox—like your private Gmail or Outlook.
Why Solo Founders Love It:
- Zero Cost: It's included for free with any domain managed by Cloudflare.
- No New Inboxes: You don't have to log into 5 different accounts to check your mail.
- Instant Professionalism: `founders@company.com` sounds much better than `steve.smith.1992@gmail.com`.
How to Set It Up (In 2 Minutes)
Assuming your domain's DNS is already on Cloudflare (if not, it should be):
- Enable Email Routing: Go to the "Email" tab in your Cloudflare dashboard.
- Configure Destination: Add your personal email address as a destination and verify it.
- Create Routes: Add the addresses you want (e.g.,
info@yourdomain.com) and point them to your destination. - Automate DNS: Click the "Add records automatically" button. Cloudflare will handle the MX and SPF records for you.
The "Validated Demand" Philosophy
At IdeaLabs, we believe in the SLC (Simple, Lovable, Complete) philosophy. Part of that is keeping your operational complexity—and your expenses—as low as possible until you've proven people want what you're building.
Paying for Google Workspace for 5 different potential project ideas is a $360/year mistake. Using Cloudflare Email Routing costs you $0 and takes 5 minutes to set up.
Focus on Building, Not Bills
Find your next high-demand software idea on IdeaLabs today.
Can I also REPLY from this address?
Technically, Cloudflare Email Routing is primarily for receiving. However, if you use Gmail, you can set it up to "Send Mail As" using Gmail's SMTP servers—meaning you can send and receive from your custom domain entirely through your personal Gmail account, still for $0.
It’s the ultimate solo founder hack.