What is Email Forwarding?
Email forwarding lets you receive emails at you@yourdomain.com and have them automatically forwarded to your personal email (like Gmail). It's free at many registrars and gives you a professional email address without paying for email hosting.
Registrars with Free Email Forwarding
| Registrar | Email Forwarding | Addresses | Catch-All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | ✓ Free | Unlimited | ✓ |
| Porkbun | ✓ Free | 20 | ✓ |
| Namecheap | ✓ Free | 100 | ✓ |
| Namesilo | ✓ Free | Unlimited | ✓ |
| Dynadot | ✓ Free | 10 | ✓ |
| Squarespace | ✓ Free | Unlimited | ✗ |
| Spaceship | ✗ No | — | — |
| GoDaddy | ✗ No* | — | — |
*GoDaddy offers email forwarding only with paid email plans
Best Options for Email Forwarding
Cloudflare Email Routing
Unlimited email addresses, catch-all support, and you can even send emails FROM your custom domain by configuring Gmail's "Send mail as" feature. Plus all the usual Cloudflare benefits.
Porkbun
Simple interface, 20 forwarding addresses included. Great support if you get stuck during setup. No nameserver requirements.
Namecheap
100 email forwards included. Also offers cheap paid email hosting ($1.74/mo) if you need to send from your domain.
Forwarding vs Full Email Hosting
Email Forwarding (Free)
- ✓ Receive emails at your domain
- ✓ Forward to Gmail, etc.
- ✓ Free at most registrars
- → Can't send FROM your domain easily
- → Replies come from your personal email
Full Email Hosting (Paid)
- ✓ Send AND receive from your domain
- ✓ Full inbox with your branding
- ✓ More professional appearance
- → Costs $1-7/month per user
- → Google Workspace, Zoho, etc.
How to Set Up Email Forwarding
General Steps (varies by registrar):
- 1. Log into your registrar's dashboard
- 2. Find "Email" or "Email Forwarding" in domain settings
- 3. Add a forwarding rule (e.g., info@yourdomain.com → you@gmail.com)
- 4. Save and wait for DNS propagation (usually instant to 30 minutes)
- 5. Send a test email to verify it works
Pro Tip: Send FROM Your Domain (Free)
With Cloudflare Email Routing + Gmail, you can both receive AND send emails as your custom domain—for free:
- 1. Set up Cloudflare email forwarding to your Gmail
- 2. In Gmail Settings → Accounts → "Send mail as" → Add your custom address
- 3. Use Gmail's SMTP with an app password
- 4. Now you can send from you@yourdomain.com via Gmail
Search "Cloudflare email routing Gmail send as" for detailed tutorials.
Recommendation
For most people: Cloudflare. Unlimited forwarding, advanced routing rules, and the ability to send from your domain with some Gmail configuration.
If you need to send professionally: Consider Google Workspace ($6/user/month) or Zoho Mail (free tier available).
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