If you’re looking to get a free email domain, you’ve come to the right place. But first, a disclaimer: very few platforms provide a 100% free domain for email addresses with no strings attached. They’ll mostly come as freebies with your email host, website builder, or even your domain registrar, so there will likely still be an upfront cost—but nothing too outlandish. That said, is having a custom email domain worth it? Absolutely.
In fact, rather than being a drawback, a custom email domain coming as part of your other online fronts is actually a bonus, as you’ll get many valuable products for one price—like an email platform or even a website. Below, I’ve compiled the six best ways to get an email domain for free and how to get the most out of them.
- IONOS: Overall best way to get a free email domain
- Hostinger: Best for getting a free email domain with a new website
- InMotion Hosting: Best for secure email hosting with a free domain
- Scala Hosting: Best for unlimited email accounts with a free domain
- Bluehost: Best for a free email domain with a WordPress website
- Neo Mail: Best way to get a free email domain for beginners
- Best Ways to Get a Free Email Domain at a Glance
- IONOS: Overall Best Way to Get a Free Email Domain
- Hostinger: Best for Getting a Free Email Domain With a New Website
- InMotion Hosting: Best for Secure Email Hosting With a Free Domain
- Scala Hosting: Best for Unlimited Email Accounts With a Free Domain
- Bluehost: Best for a Free Email Domain With a WordPress Website
- Neo Mail: Best Way to Get a Free Email Domain for Beginners
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Bottom Line
Best Ways to Get a Free Email Domain at a Glance
| Starting Cost per Month | How to Get a Free Email Domain | Web-based Email Platform | Our Score out of 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $1 | Included in all email plans | ✓ | 4.92 |
| Visit IONOS | ||||
 | $2.49 | Included in Website Builder plans | ✓ | 4.62 |
| Visit Hostinger | ||||
 | $2.99 | Included in Shared Web Hosting plans | ✓ | 4.57 |
| Visit InMotion Hosting | ||||
 | $6.95 | Included in the Cloud Email Hosting plan | ✓ | 4.03 |
| Visit Scala Hosting | ||||
 | $2.95 | Included in Email Hosting plans after you get a Web Hosting plan | ✓ | 3.90 |
| Visit Bluehost | ||||
 | $1.86 | Included in all plans | ✓ | 3.74 |
| Visit Neo Mail | ||||
IONOS: Overall Best Way to Get a Free Email Domain
Overall Score: 4.92 / 5
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3.4 out of 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Features | 5.26 out of 5 | ||
| Niche Features | 5 out of 5 | ||
| Support | 5 out of 5 | ||
| Expert Score | 2.75 out of 5 |
Pros
- IONOS is one of the easiest ways to get a free email domain—it comes free with any email hosting plan.
- It’s also one of the most trusted email hosts by small businesses, especially in email security.
- While it isn’t technically free, email hosting plans start at just $1—one of the lowest in the industry.
Cons
- IONOS isn’t 100% free—you’ll need to purchase IONOS’s email hosting plans first to get an email domain as a freebie.
- You can only have up to 50GB of email storage on the highest plan (most platforms provide more).
- As an email host, it doesn’t provide many productivity tools (like documents and spreadsheets) compared with competitors like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
If you’re looking for the absolute best and most reliable way to get a free business email domain, my top recommendation is IONOS. IONOS is an email and website host that’s one of the most used by small businesses after Google and Microsoft, and it’s appeared in many of our best web host guides. IONOS offers a secure host for your business emails, with spam filters and no ads, all with a starting price of $1 a month—plus a custom domain as a freebie.
Meanwhile, for its higher plans worth $4 and $5 a month, you get bigger storage for your inboxes, spam filters, and even team collaboration tools on the highest plan like shared calendars and tasks.
You’ll be able to access your emails through any browser, as you would with any Gmail or Microsoft Outlook account. Unfortunately, IONOS still doesn’t have an email app, which is a minor drawback, although the interface is still very easy to use. Its team collaboration features on the highest plan are also a plus—just don’t expect anything like Google Workspace’s or Outlook’s.
IONOS has some of the most reliable email hosting services—and all plans come with a free domain. (Source: IONOS)
Our Expert Opinion
Overall, IONOS is the most straightforward way to get a free email domain name and a secure host for your emails. While it isn’t technically free, it’s definitely one of the most cost-efficient ways to get a free business email address at just $1 a month. If you don’t have any specific requirements and just need a secure place for your emails (and a custom email address), IONOS has always been a reliable and worthy platform.
Hostinger: Best for Getting a Free Email Domain With a New Website
Overall Score: 4.62 / 5
Pros
- Hostinger has one of the most value-packed plans. From $2.49/month, you can build 100 websites and get a custom email address.
- It’s an easy way to get a website and email with a matching custom domain.
- Hostinger is generally easy and reliable as a website builder, with an AI site builder and hundreds of templates.
- Your emails will also come with antispam and antivirus, plus 50 email aliases (different email addresses leading to the same inbox).
Cons
- Unfortunately, all Hostinger plans are on a two-year contract. There are no annual or month-to-month contracts.
- You can’t have a separate domain name for your email address and your website—they have to be the same (e.g., if your website is fitsmallbusiness.com, your email should also be jane@fitsmallbusiness.com).
- While you can create up to 100 email addresses, each mailbox will only have 1GB of storage.
If you’re looking specifically to create a new website and want free email domain hosting (along with a custom domain) to go along with it, consider Hostinger, which is my top recommendation for that particular use case. Hostinger has been one of our best website builders for small businesses for a while now, and one of its best features is its value-packed plans, which bundle websites with free business email with a custom domain.
Aside from its plans, Hostinger’s website builder platform is also one of my favorites thanks to its easy navigation—and the fact that you can build using a template or Hostinger’s AI site builder. I’ve detailed more about that process in my guide to building a Hostinger website.
Hostinger’s plans start at $2.49/month (on a two-year contract), although for $3.49/month you can also build an online store and access all of Hostinger’s AI tools, including its AI content writer and image generator.
On the email side, Hostinger also has antivirus and antispam built-in, so it’s not bad security-wise. Another plus is you can have an email domain that matches your website, which is convenient and a cost-saver rather than having your email and website on two separate platforms.
Starting at just $2.49 a month, Hostinger provides a single platform for your website and business email, complete with a custom domain.
Our Expert Opinion
There aren’t many platforms that offer the same value as Hostinger at similar price points, especially considering you can get an email host with a custom domain and up to 100 websites for just $2.49 a month. However, a caveat is that these prices are only applicable to a two-year contract—month-to-month contracts (or even yearly contracts) aren’t available, which can be a drawback.
But apart from that, I’ve used Hostinger many times before, and it’s always been very easy and reliable, with all the necessary functions. If you need an all-in-one place to build your business website and host your business emails, Hostinger is my top pick.
InMotion Hosting: Best for Secure Email Hosting With a Free Domain
Overall Score: 4.57 / 5
Pros
- InMotion Hosting is super secure: it provides automatic backups, hack and malware protection, and an SSL certificate.
- All plans provide free email addresses (even unlimited on higher plans) and a free domain.
- InMotion Hosting also has an in-house website builder and a customer management platform.
- InMotion Hosting also lets you manage multiple websites with multiple domains from one account.
Cons
- Compared with IONOS and Hostinger, InMotion Hosting is far less beginner-friendly (i.e., you’ll need to know basic coding for its website builder).
- You only get one free domain on all plans. If you need more, you’ll need to buy them.
- Automatic backups are only available as an add-on for the first two hosting plans.
- InMotion Hosting’s renewal prices are considerably higher than its initial plans (e.g. the Core plan costs $2.99/month but renews at $10.99/month).
One of the best ways to learn how to create your own email domain for free is to turn to hosting services. One particular service I recommend is InMotion Hosting, especially if you already have a website and don’t need a website builder—you just need a secure, reliable host. InMotion Hosting does just that, and I particularly recommend it because it includes advanced security and backups for your websites and emails.
And of course, InMotion Hosting also includes a free domain. This makes it a suitable option if you already have a website from a free website builder like Wix or GoDaddy. With this service, you can upgrade your site to have a custom domain and email address using that same domain.
InMotion Hosting can do that, with the added security of hacking and malware protection, DDoS protection, and automatic backups (although automatic backups are only available as an add-on for the first two plans).
While InMotion Hosting offers a website builder, it’s not as user-friendly as Hostinger’s or IONOS’s, so I don’t recommend it for beginners. However, because of its robust security measures, I highly recommend InMotion Hosting for website and email hosting. You won’t find comparable security at the same price point. Plus, you can also have unlimited email addresses on the higher plans.
With InMotion Hosting, you can manage your websites, emails, and domains from one central cPanel—although it’s not the most beginner-friendly. (Source: InMotion Hosting)
Our Expert Opinion
If you don’t need to build a website and just need a host that can provide you with a custom domain and emails, InMotion Hosting can do the job. And even if you need a website, it has the tools too (as long as you know your way around a website builder). While it’s not the most beginner-friendly platform, it offers a lot of value, providing websites, emails, domains—and some of the most advanced online security you can find.
Scala Hosting: Best for Unlimited Email Accounts With a Free Domain
Overall Score: 4.03 / 5
Pros
- Scala Hosting is the only service (so far) offering unlimited email accounts with a free domain via its Cloud plan.
- Signing up for the Cloud plan provides a web-based email platform with advanced spam and malware protection.
- Scala Hosting's Cloud Plan offers a dedicated IP address and a free custom domain, enhancing your inbox’s credibility and security.
Cons
- You can only get a free email domain when you sign up for the Cloud Plan—it’s not available on any other plans.
- Your email domain is only free for one year. You’ll need to pay for it when you renew for the following years.
- While Scala Hosting offers a web-based email platform, it’s not as easy to use as others like Google Workspace or IONOS.
Like Bluehost and InMotion Hosting, Scala Hosting is also an email host. However, while Scala Hosting’s Cloud plan offers unlimited email accounts and email domains, it’s important to note that only one domain is included for free. Unfortunately, this is only offered on its Cloud plan at $19.95/month (annual billing), not on any other plan. Therefore, it won’t help if you don’t need unlimited emails or domains to get just one free domain for a year.
On the flip side, if you need a large volume of email accounts, say for an organization, Scala Hosting offers plenty of value—more than most other email hosts. With unlimited email accounts, you’re set for life (it’s also why Scala Hosting’s a good option for domain reselling). Your email accounts will also come with a web-based email platform, spam and malware protection, and expandable storage starting at 50GB.
As mentioned, the primary drawback with Scala Hosting is that your custom domain is only free for the first year. For the following years, you’ll need to pay the standard rate, which costs anywhere from $12.95 to $69.95 a year depending on your chosen domain.
Scala Hosting gives you unlimited email accounts on the Cloud plan with an online email platform, plus a free domain for one year.
Our Expert Opinion
If you don’t need that many email accounts, Scala Hosting may not be your best choice for getting an email domain for free. But if you need many email addresses, it’s hard to beat its value, and you’ll even get email security and an email platform. And of course, you’ll also get to create your own email domain for free, which is completely yours for one year.
Bluehost: Best for a Free Email Domain With a WordPress Website
Overall Score: 3.90 / 5
Pros
- Bluehost is the easiest way to build a WordPress website (even with no experience) and have a business email with the same domain.
- Bluehost’s email hosting gives you 25GB of storage on the starting plan, and 80GB on the higher plan—higher than most.
- You’ll also get documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in the email hosting plans.
Cons
- Bluehost doesn’t have plans that combine websites and emails in one—you’ll need to purchase them separately (although your domains for both will match).
- Your custom domain is only free for one year. You’ll need to pay the standard price to renew it for the following years.
- Unfortunately, Bluehost’s email hosting plans are only available as yearly contracts. Month-to-month contracts are not available.
Bluehost, like InMotion Hosting, is a web hosting service with a built-in website builder. However, with Bluehost, you get a WordPress website builder—the best-in-industry platform for building websites (especially with a lot of content). However, WordPress can be tricky to navigate if you’re a beginner, and Bluehost’s drag-and-drop website builder and hundreds of templates make it much easier.
Bluehost even has an AI WordPress website generator that can build a full WordPress website from just a few prompts. However, Bluehost’s pathway to creating a free email domain is a little more complicated than the others on this list. After getting a website hosting plan with a custom domain, you’ll also have to purchase the email hosting plan after your email trial period ends, giving you an email address with the same domain as your website.
It’s a much higher upfront spend to get your free domain, and it’ll only be free for one year. In contrast, Hostinger gives you a free email domain with a new website starting at just $2.99 a month, although your website won’t be a WordPress one. While Bluehost can provide you with an email domain, it’s not my top recommendation unless your primary need is a WordPress website.
Bluehost is the easiest way to build a WordPress website without using WordPress. Purchasing an email hosting plan also gives you a business email with a domain matching your site.
Our Expert Opinion
Bluehost is better evaluated as a WordPress website builder than anything else, and it’s even my top recommendation for building a WordPress website outside of WordPress. It’s still possible to get a free email domain through it, although it’s not the most straightforward or cost-efficient.
However, if your primary need is a WordPress website—if you require an advanced content management system (CMS) for your blogs, for instance—then Bluehost may be a worthwhile option despite the extra steps to set up your custom website and email domain.
Neo Mail: Best Way to Get a Free Email Domain for Beginners
Overall Score: 3.74 / 5
Pros
- Neo Mail is by far the easiest platform to get a free domain. Simply check the availability of your desired domain, sign up for an account, and it's yours to use.
- Neo Mail also offers an AI email writer, templates, an email signature generator, and email tracking on its higher plans.
- You’ll also get email hosting and an online email platform that’s very easy to navigate.
Cons
- Only .co.site domain extensions are available on Neo Mail. If you want other extensions (.com, .net, and so on), you’ll need to get them from a separate domain registrar.
- Your domain is only free for the first contract length you pay for (i.e., if you have an annual subscription, only your first year is free; for monthly contracts, only the first month is free).
- Being relatively new, Neo Mail’s security isn’t as advanced as others (it has no automatic backups or DDoS protection).
One of the best lesser-known email platforms offering free domains is Neo Mail. While not as established as the other platforms on this list (it’s relatively young, having launched in March 2023), Neo Mail offers some features worthy of note. First, it has a free email domain for one year on its annual plans—although it’ll only come with a .co.site extension. So for example, if your business is Dunder Mifflin, your domain will be dundermifflin.co.site.
Unfortunately, Neo Mail does not offer any other domains yet. However, what truly sets Neo Mail apart is its exceptional ease of navigation. It’s far more user-friendly than any other platform on this list. To get your email domain, you’ll only need to check if your desired domain is available, and if it is, then it’s yours to use, 100% free for your first contract length.
Neo Mail also offers some handy features that others don’t, like an AI email writer, email signature generator, email templates, and my personal favorite: the email tracker that lets you know when someone’s opened and interacted with your email. This is particularly helpful if you send a lot of sales emails. Its interface is also very user-friendly: there are no complicated cPanels or coding you’ll need to learn. You’ll simply sign up for an account and start emailing.
The flip side is that Neo Email doesn’t offer the same level of security as more established email hosts like Scala Hosting or Bluehost. While Neo Mail offers antispam and antivirus protection, it lacks automated backups and DDoS protection. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend it if security is a major concern or you handle large amounts of sensitive information.
Neo Email is one of the easiest ways to get a free domain. Search for your desired email domain, then if it’s available, it’s yours for your first contract length. 
It also has a clean, user-friendly webmail interface. (Source: Neo Mail)
Our Expert Opinion
There’s a lot to like about Neo Mail’s features. They can be helpful for any business owner wanting to get off the ground and start using a professional email address, as long as you’re fine using a .co.site domain extension. If you have absolutely zero experience with business email hosting and want a free and easy way to get a custom email domain, Neo Email is worth checking out.
How We Evaluated the Best Free Email Domain Providers
Evaluating free email domain providers is tricky because it’s not comparing apples to apples. As you might have noticed, the providers above are all different by nature. Some are web hosts, some are email hosts, and some are website builders. However, all provide a pathway to getting a custom email domain, which is the focal point of our evaluation criteria. Find out more about our criteria below.
Pricing varies with each provider, but we wanted to focus specifically on services that cost less than $6 per user, which is true for most of the services above. We also looked at the value offered in each plan, their renewal and costs, and whether or not they had a free trial or money-back guarantee.
The most important feature to evaluate from the providers above was their ability to provide a free domain. Other important features we looked at were their cloud storage size, security tools, whether they provided multiple email accounts in each plan, and whether they have an online mail platform and mobile app.
We also give extra credit where it’s due. 10% of our score is determined by whether or not each provider had more advanced features, like automatic backups, spam filters, domain privacy, and the ability to forward email addresses.
Getting an email domain isn’t always straightforward, so we also included customer support in our score. We awarded higher points to platforms with longer service hours and more support avenues like live chat, phone support, email ticketing, and an online help center.
Our team at Fit Small Business has looked at, and used, many website hosts, email hosts, and website builders. We researched all of the providers above extensively (and tested them where possible), and graded each based on their features, value for money, and ease of use.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The best way to get an email address with a free custom domain is through an email or website host, which often includes a domain as a freebie. Our top recommendation overall is IONOS, as all its email hosting plans include a free domain, including top-level domains like .com or .net (depending on availability).
Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to get a domain completely for free, as domains are like internet real estate that you need to pay to own. Some domain registrars offer free domains; however, you’ll only get limited choices for domain extensions (like .tk or .ml), which don’t look very professional and sometimes pose security risks. Instead, opt for an established domain registrar or get one through an email or website host.
First, you’ll need to decide on the domain you want. Then, choose where you’ll purchase your domain, whether from a domain registrar or a website or email hosting service. Next, search whether your desired email domain is available, then purchase your domain. You’ll usually be able to purchase your domain for a year. Then, set up your email domain on your chosen email host. It’ll usually involve connecting your domain to your host and updating your email records.
Bottom Line
Getting a free email domain can be tricky, but there are ways to go around it—and the services above are some of the best routes. While there is no way (so far) to get an email domain 100% free, investing in an email or website host that includes a custom email domain for free is more than worth it. Depending on the platform, you’ll also get an email platform, a website, and advanced security. It all comes down to what you need most for your business.
