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How to create a business email address with your domain

By Julien CoulaudPublished April 28, 2026Updated October 15, 20264 min read

These five steps assume your domain has no email yet. The DNS values below are Shipmail's. Other hosts use the same four record types with their own values. If the domain already gets email somewhere else, follow the order in the last section so you don't lose any messages. Prices are US dollars, checked on October 15, 2026.

Julien Coulaud

Founder of Shipmail. Building business email hosting for solo founders and small teams.

  • Business email setup
  • Custom domain email
  • DNS setup
  • Mailboxes and aliases
  • Email migration

Short answer

To create a business email, get a domain, sign up with an email host, add the host's four DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC) where your domain is managed, then create a mailbox such as you@yourcompany.com. On Shipmail that takes about 3 minutes of clicking, and most domains can send 5 to 10 minutes later. Plans start at $4 a month for 2 mailboxes.

Step 1: get a domain

If your website already has a domain, use it, and log in to the company where its DNS is managed, usually the registrar you bought it from. Nothing about the website changes.[2]

If you have no domain, register one. Shipmail sells domains when you add one in the dashboard, and then publishes the DNS records for you, so you skip step 3. Pick something short that people can spell after hearing it once, such as the business name in .com.[2]

Step 2: choose an email host

Choose the email host by what the team already uses. Google Workspace fits teams in Docs and Drive, Microsoft 365 fits teams in Word and Teams, Shipmail fits email, a calendar and a shared support@, and Zoho Mail Lite is the lowest price per person.Sources[10]Google Workspace pricing[11]Microsoft 365 Business pricing[1]Shipmail pricing[12]Zoho Mail pricing

  • The team works in Google Docs and Drive: Google Workspace, $7.00 per user a month on an annual plan.
  • The team needs Word, Excel and Teams: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, $7 per user a month on an annual plan.
  • You need email, a calendar and maybe a shared support@: Shipmail, $4 a month for 2 mailboxes, or $9 for 4 mailboxes and 5 people.
  • You want the lowest price per person: Zoho Mail Lite, $1 per user a month on annual billing.
Sources[10]Google Workspace pricing[11]Microsoft 365 Business pricing[1]Shipmail pricing[12]Zoho Mail pricing

Forwarding alone is rarely enough for a business. It receives mail, but your replies come from the inbox it forwards to, unless you also set up sending for the domain.

Choose your setup

SetupWhat you getThe catchChoose it when
Forwarding onlyMail to your domain is passed on to an inbox you already haveNo stored mailbox; replies come from the other address unless you set up sendingYou only receive mail at the address
Email-only host[1]Mailboxes on your domain, from $4 a month for 2 on ShipmailNo documents or spreadsheetsYou need email, a calendar and contacts, not an office suite
Full workspace suiteSources[10]Google Workspace pricing[11]Microsoft 365 Business pricingEmail plus documents, storage and meetings, from $7.00 per user a month on Google WorkspaceYou pay per person, for every personThe team works in Google Docs or Microsoft Office every day
Keep your current providerNothing movesIts prices and limits stayYour web host or registrar already gives you mail that works

Step 3: add the four DNS records

Business email needs four DNS records on the domain: MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC. In Shipmail, open Domains, click Add domain and type the domain. Shipmail detects your DNS provider. If the provider supports automatic setup, click Configure automatically and approve the change there. Otherwise, add these records by hand in the provider's DNS or Zone Editor page:[3]

  • MX, host @, value 10 mx1.shipmail.to. It routes incoming mail to your mailboxes.
  • TXT, host @, value v=spf1 include:spf.shipmail.to -all. This SPF record says which servers may send for the domain.
  • TXT, host shipmail._domainkey, value v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p= followed by the key shown in your dashboard. DKIM signs each message you send.
  • TXT, host _dmarc, value v=DMARC1; p=reject. DMARC tells receivers to refuse mail that fails SPF and DKIM.
[3]

A domain can have only one SPF record. If one already exists, for example v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com -all, add include:spf.shipmail.to to it instead of creating a second. Shipmail shows the merged value.[3]

Shipmail checks the records every 30 seconds and marks each one as it appears. Most show up within minutes. A few DNS providers take up to 48 hours. You do not need to keep the page open.[3]

Step 4: create mailboxes and aliases

Once the domain is verified, create the addresses. A mailbox has its own storage, password and Sent folder. An alias is a second address that delivers into an existing mailbox. Forwarding copies mail to another address. A catch-all collects mail sent to addresses that do not exist.Sources[2]Shipmail setup documentation[4]Shipmail custom-domain setup guide

A two-person business usually needs two mailboxes, alex@ and sam@, plus aliases such as hello@ and billing@ pointing at whoever answers them. That fits Shipmail Solo for one person or Pro for two, with 2 aliases per mailbox. Give support@ its own mailbox once several people answer it, so they can assign conversations and leave notes.Sources[1]Shipmail pricing[5]Shipmail shared inbox documentation

Turn on catch-all only if you will check it. It also receives spam sent to made-up addresses.[6]

Step 5: connect your phone and computer, then test

Read mail in Shipmail's webmail, or add the mailbox to Apple Mail, Outlook or Thunderbird with IMAP and SMTP. Use the server settings from your host, never from another provider.[7]

  1. Step 1

    Send a message out

    Write from the new mailbox to a personal Gmail or Outlook.com account. Open the message details and check that SPF, DKIM and DMARC say pass.

  2. Step 2

    Reply back

    Answer from the personal account and check that the reply arrives, and that each alias receives too.

  3. Step 3

    Check the address people see

    Confirm the From name and address, and that a copy sits in the Sent folder.

[2]

Already have email on the domain? Switch without losing mail

For mail continuity, keep paying for the old service until the switch is done, then import the old mail into the new mailboxes. Do a short preflight first. List every address in use, including billing and login addresses, and note the current MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC values.[8]

  1. Step 1

    Publish and verify the records

    Replace the old MX record, merge SPF, add the new DKIM record and wait until every Shipmail check passes.

  2. Step 2

    Create the addresses

    After verification, create the matching mailboxes and aliases.

  3. Step 3

    Import old mail

    Import each mailbox over IMAP, through Sign in with Microsoft, or from a Google Takeout or MBOX file. Folders and dates come across.

  4. Step 4

    Run a catch-up import

    Some senders reach the old host while DNS caches expire. A second import copies those messages and skips duplicates.

Sources[8]Shipmail provider-switch guide[9]Shipmail mailbox import documentation
Sources13 sourcesVerified 2026-10-15
  1. [1]
    Shipmail pricing

    Shipmail plan prices, mailbox limits, team access, and send limits.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  2. [2]
    Shipmail setup documentation

    Set up email on your domain: add the domain, publish four DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) automatically or by hand, create a mailbox, and send. About 3 minutes of clicking; most domains can send 5 to 10 minutes after setup. A domain registered through Shipmail gets its DNS records published for you.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  3. [3]
    Shipmail domain setup documentation

    Adding a domain to Shipmail: four DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC), published automatically or by hand, suggested merging of an existing SPF record, and verification that rechecks the records every 30 seconds.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-11

  4. [4]
    Shipmail custom-domain setup guide

    Shipmail guide to DNS verification, mailbox creation, and domain cutover.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-05

  5. [5]
    Shipmail shared inbox documentation

    Shared mailboxes in Shipmail: conversation assignment, internal notes that are never included in replies to the customer, and @mentions in notes that alert a teammate by email and in the app.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  6. [6]
    Shipmail catch-all docs

    A catch-all mailbox receives email sent to any address on the domain that does not match a mailbox; one catch-all per domain, set from Mailboxes, then the mailbox's Catch-all option. Replies go out from the address the sender used. Without catch-all, mail to unknown addresses bounces. Catch-all mail counts toward the mailbox storage quota.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  7. [7]
    Shipmail email client connection settings

    Shipmail IMAP, SMTP, and JMAP settings: mx1.shipmail.to, IMAP on port 993 with SSL/TLS, SMTP on port 465 with SSL/TLS or 587 with STARTTLS, the full email address as username, and the mailbox password or an app password.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  8. [8]
    Shipmail provider-switch guide

    Shipmail guide to inventorying addresses, migrating mail, updating MX and authentication records, testing, and keeping a rollback path.

    shipmail.to · 2026-07-27

  9. [9]
    Shipmail mailbox import documentation

    Shipmail documentation for connected and file imports, selection options, storage checks, progress, skipped items, and repeat imports.

    shipmail.to · 2026-10-15

  10. [10]
    Google Workspace pricing

    Google Workspace pricing page; it shows the visitor's local currency (USD figures are in the payment-plans table). Business Starter: 30 GB pooled per user, Meet for 100 without recordings saved to Drive, no appointment booking pages, Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app at basic access. Business Standard: 2 TB pooled, Meet for 150 with recording, appointment booking pages, Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet, Chat and Vids. Business Plus: 5 TB, Meet for 500 with attendance tracking, Vault and eDiscovery. Business plans capped at 300 users. Enterprise: contact sales, no user minimum or maximum, Meet for 1,000 with in-domain live streaming, AI classification for Drive; AI Expanded Access sold as an add-on. Introductory discounts for new customers only, shown for October 28, 2026 to January 28, 2027, with amounts that varied between visits.

    workspace.google.com · 2026-10-15

  11. [11]
    Microsoft 365 Business pricing

    Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $7.00 per user per month paid yearly on an annual subscription, with Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and the web and mobile Office apps. Desktop Office apps start on Business Standard.

    microsoft.com · 2026-10-15

  12. [12]
    Zoho Mail pricing

    US prices from the page's price list: Mail Lite $1 per user per month with 5 GB ($1.25 with 10 GB) and Mail Premium $4 with 50 GB, both billed annually with no monthly plan; Workplace Standard $3 annually or $4 monthly. Mail Free covers up to 5 users on one domain with 5 GB each and no IMAP, POP or ActiveSync, in select data centers only. Zia is listed on Mail Lite and Premium; Mail plans list no newsletter or booking product.

    zoho.com · 2026-10-15

  13. [13]
    Zoho Mail Forever Free plan

    Zoho Mail's Forever Free plan: up to 5 users, 5 GB of mail storage per user, custom email for one domain, and IMAP, POP and ActiveSync not included; from the 6th user, all users move to a paid plan. Mail Lite, the entry paid plan, is billed annually with no monthly plan. The pricing page marks Forever Free as available only in select data centers and lists a mobile app for it.

    zoho.com · 2026-10-15

Questions worth answering

Common questions about how to create a business email.

How much does a business email address cost?
From $1 per person a month on Zoho Mail Lite with annual billing, $7 on Microsoft 365 Business Basic and $7.00 on Google Workspace Business Starter. Shipmail charges per plan: $4 a month for 2 mailboxes. The domain itself is a separate yearly fee.Sources[12]Zoho Mail pricing[11]Microsoft 365 Business pricing[10]Google Workspace pricing[1]Shipmail pricing
Can I create a business email for free?
Zoho Mail has a free plan for up to five users on one domain, in the browser only, with no IMAP or POP for phone and desktop apps. Forwarding services are free but do not store mail. Shipmail has no free plan. It starts with a 14-day trial.Sources[13]Zoho Mail Forever Free plan[1]Shipmail pricing
How long does it take to set up business email?
About 3 minutes of clicking on Shipmail, then 5 to 10 minutes before most domains can send, depending on your DNS provider. A few providers take up to 48 hours to publish records.Sources[2]Shipmail setup documentation[3]Shipmail domain setup documentation
Will changing my email DNS records affect my website?
No. MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are separate from the records that point to your website. You do not need to change nameservers or move the domain.[2]
Do I need a separate mailbox for every address?
No. Create a mailbox for each person, and for a shared address that several people answer. Use aliases for addresses one person handles, such as billing@ or hello@.[4]

Related guides

More on Shipmail pricing, comparisons, and team workflows.

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