How to Get a Free Email Domain (3 Legit Ways in 2022)
Elizabeth Kraus has more than a decade of first-hand experience building and growing a boutique digital marketing agency and double that in small and mid-size business marketing management. She provides expert answers to marketing questions related to branding, content marketing, web development, email, social media, and SEO.
Jocelyn Dimaculangan has spent 14+ years in the online publishing industry while studying digital marketing and SEO trends. As a staff writer for Fit Small Business, she shares her expertise by creating articles that tackle the latest trends in marketing.
This article is part of a larger series on Business Email.
Having an email address that ends with your business’ domain (i.e., name@business.com) is vital to maintaining a professional brand appearance. To avoid quickly racking up expenses for business email addresses, we show you how to get a free email domain legitimately through top email hosting services with providers you may already use or may consider using in the future.
Here are the three best ways to get a free custom email domain for your small business:
- IONOS: The cheapest way to get a free business email domain—ultra-low-cost email hosting plans with a free domain name from $1 per month
- Bluehost: Best for businesses also needing WordPress website hosting to get a free email domain
- DreamHost: Ideal for businesses needing a free domain email and unlimited email addresses
Best Free Email Domain Name Providers at a Glance
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Free Email Domain | With email hosting plans | With web hosting plans | With web hosting plans |
Cost per Month (Billed Annually) | $1 | $2.95 | $2.95 |
Secure Email Hosting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
# of Email Accounts | 1 (expandable) | 5 (or unlimited in higher tiers) | Unlimited |
Storage per Account | 2GB to 25GB | 100MB | 25GB |
Attachment Size Limit | 70MB | 50MB | 40MB |
Connect to Clients (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
1. IONOS: Best for Businesses Needing Just One Email Address
IONOS
What We Like
- Highest attachment size limit: 70MB
- Free email migration service (only provider on this list offering this free)
- Reliable and secure email hosting
- Best option for businesses that don’t need web hosting
- Intuitive webmail application to get emails via any web browser
- Use via webmail or easily connect to third-party apps/clients (e.g., Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, and others)
What's Missing
- More expensive than Bluehost or DreamHost if you need more than 3 email addresses
- Limited storage per account—2GB compared to DreamHost at 25GB
- No plan that includes unlimited email addresses, unlike DreamHost
Free Email Domain
With business email hosting plans from $1 per month
IONOS is a popular web hosting company that also offers ultra-low-cost email hosting plans that include a free email domain. This is a great deal for a small business that isn’t planning to build a WordPress website and only needs one or two email addresses since it only costs $1 per month to host one address with one free domain.
Another time to choose this option is when looking for email domain anonymity. This means you want a domain name different from the one you use for your website so that your company’s email accounts aren’t as easily discoverable by spammers and hackers. For example, a small business using the domain “DenverPCRepair.com” for their public website could grab an alternative domain for email use, such as “DPCRepair.com.”
You might also want to grab a unique email address for social media or email marketing. With IONOS, you can set up an email account and check it via webmail or mail clients (e.g., Outlook, Gmail, and so on) or have incoming messages automatically forward to you, someone else on your team, or to a shared email, such as a sales or customer support account.
How to Get a Free Email Domain With IONOS
IONOS lets you create a professional email address for your small business
It’s easy to get a free custom email domain through IONOS, as all of its email hosting plans automatically include a domain. Simply go to IONOS and complete the registration process to create a new email hosting account. During the new account setup process, you will be prompted to choose your desired domain name.
Here’s how to create your email domain for free with IONOS in four steps:
- Go to IONOS and register for an account (you will be prompted to choose your desired email domain name)
- Navigate to “Email & Office” and click “Create email address”
- Complete the inputs (e.g., email username, password, and security options)
- Click “Save”
Having trouble finding an available domain name? Get help with the top tips when choosing a domain name.
2. Bluehost: Best Free Domain + 5 Free Email Addresses
Bluehost
What We Like
- Create up to 5 free email addresses or get unlimited email accounts on your domain after the first tier
- Option to set up and use your business email through Gmail
- Bluehost webmail to access your emails via any web browser
- Includes web hosting for your WordPress website, one-click WordPress installation, free SSL certificate, and more
What's Missing
- Not the best value if you only need 1 or 2 email addresses and don’t need web hosting
Free Email Domain
With a web hosting plan starting at $2.95 per month
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting companies that include a free domain for email with web hosting plans. Plans start as low as $2.95 per month for WordPress website hosting plus a free domain name and up to five free business email accounts. It’s a great value if you need web hosting for your business website, want a free domain, and need email hosting for a handful of email accounts.
Interested in learning how to create your own email domain for free and get free business email? Learn more about five legit ways to get free business email addresses.
How to Get a Free Email Domain With Bluehost
Business owners can connect their Bluehost email to their Gmail account
To get a free domain through Bluehost, you must sign up for a web hosting plan. Start by going to Bluehost.com and selecting a plan. Then follow the prompts to complete the registration process, which includes selecting your desired domain name.
With that done, you can set up your new email address using your business domain and access it from your favorite email client or online via Bluehost webmail. Navigate to “Email & Office” from your Bluehost dashboard and click the “+Create” button under “Email” to create up to five free email accounts.
Here’s how to set up your free custom email domain with Bluehost in three steps:
- Select a plan and register your domain
- From the Bluehost dashboard, choose “Email & Office”
- Click “+Create” and follow the prompts to set up a new email address
3. DreamHost: Best Free Email Domain With Unlimited Email Hosting
DreamHost
What We Like
- Unlimited number of email addresses
- 25GB of storage, the most on this list
- Short-term plans available
- Secure email and reliable web hosting
What's Missing
- Not the best value for those who only need 1 or 2 email addresses
- Does not include an email migration service like IONOS
Free Email Domain
With a web hosting plan priced as low as $2.59 per month
DreamHost is another web hosting provider that includes a free internet domain with purchase of its web hosting plans. Like Bluehost, it offers feature-rich plans at a low cost, including email hosting and a free domain name.
Another standout feature of DreamHost is that its low-cost plans include unlimited email hosting. This makes it our best choice for businesses that need more than five email addresses and hosting for a WordPress website.
How to Get a Free Email Domain With DreamHost
Take advantage of DreamHost’s unlimited email hosting and free email domain
To get your free domain for business email, you’ll first need to sign up for a web hosting plan. Start by going to DreamHost.com and selecting a web hosting plan. Then complete the sign-up process by following the prompts, which include choosing your domain name.
After choosing your business domain, you can then create a new email address using your domain name. Navigate to “Mail” from your user dashboard, then click “Manage Email” and “Add New Email Address.”
Here’s how to get a free domain email address and set up your business email address in DreamHost in three steps:
- Select a plan and register your domain
- From the DreamHost user dashboard, go to “Mail” and then select “Manage Email”
- Click the “Add New Email Address” button and input your email address information
How We Evaluated the Best Free Email Domain Providers
The best email domain providers include a lot more than just a free domain name for business emails. The best business email services include top-level domains (e.g., .com, .net, or .org) and secure, reliable, ad-free email hosting. We analyzed over a dozen leading email hosting services and found three top-notch providers for professional business email that are quick, affordable, and legitimate.
Here’s how we determined the three best small business options for creating a free custom email domain:
- Free top-level domain included
- Reliable and secure email hosting
- Ability to connect to third-party email providers (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail)
- Ad-free email hosting
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need to get a .com domain for business email?
The .com domain extension is the most popular choice among most businesses (along with the new .co variant). It’s the most memorable, making it ideal for building a strong online brand presence, but finding an available .com domain can be challenging. Luckily, there are several top-level domain extensions available that are well-suited for business use. Check out the full list in our article detailing how to choose a domain name.
Can I get a completely free domain?
There are legitimate ways to get a completely free domain for your business. For example, the web hosting companies showcased above include a free domain name in paid plans, as do top website builders like Wix and Squarespace. There are domain registrars offering free domain names as well, but keep in mind that these won’t be top level domains (.com, .net, .org, and so on) and so aren’t considered credible for business use.
Which email app is better for businesses, Gmail or Outlook?
Gmail and Outlook are the world’s top email apps for businesses, but which is better for your company depends on the features you’re looking for. If you’re using Google Workspace or want a more simple, intuitive interface, Gmail is better. But if you want advanced email features and automation, or you’re using the Microsoft 365 productivity suite, Outlook could be the way to go. Read our Gmail vs Outlook business email comparison to get all the details.
Bottom Line
Getting a domain is the first step in setting up a custom email address. If you need a free domain for email but plan to build a WordPress website in the future, kill two birds with one stone with domain, email, and web hosting from around $3 in plans from DreamHost or Bluehost. If you just need a single email address or want a domain to use for email that’s different than your website URL, choose IONOS.
You Might Also Like…
- Looking for a full-scale business email solution? See who made our list of the best business email providers and why.
- Not sure about the best way to format your new email? Learn how to best format a professional email address.
- Rev up your email with the best email apps for business.
