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IONOS custom domain email: plans, prices and how to set up DNS
Your domain is at IONOS and you want you@yourdomain to work. IONOS will happily sell you a mailbox, and its entry prices are low, but most of them depend on a long term. Here is what each IONOS email plan costs as ionos.com shows it today, how to change the MX and TXT records in the IONOS DNS panel, and what to enter if you pick Shipmail. Prices are US dollars from ionos.com, before state and local sales tax, checked on November 1, 2026.
Founder of Shipmail, the email platform for businesses and their AI agents. Every guide here draws on mail servers running in production.
- IONOS
- Custom domain email
- DNS setup
- MX records
Short answer
IONOS sells email for your own domain from $1.10 a month for one 2 GB mailbox (Mail Basic 1), but only on a 3-year term, after which it is $2 a month. Mail Business, with 50 GB per user, is $3 a month on the same 3-year term, and IONOS also resells Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365. To use another provider with an IONOS domain instead, replace the MX records and add the provider's TXT records under Domains & SSL, then DNS, in your IONOS account.
Email for an IONOS domain at a glance
| Option | Price per month | What you get | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| IONOS Mail Basic 1[1] | $1.10 with a 3-year term, then $2 | 1 email account with 2 GB | The low price needs a 3-year term |
| IONOS Mail Basic 25[1] | $2 with a 3-year term, then $4 | 25 email accounts with 2 GB each | 2 GB per account fills up fast |
| IONOS Mail Business[1] | $3 per user with a 3-year term ($6 listed) | 50 GB per user, team collaboration tools | Priced per user, on a 3-year term |
| Hosted Exchange by IONOS[1] | $4.50 for 6 months with a 1-year term ($10 listed) | 50 GB Exchange mailbox, Outlook 2019 | The intro price lasts 6 months |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic by IONOS[1] | $9, cancel anytime | Exchange mailbox, Teams, Office on the web, 1 TB OneDrive | Billed per user, like any Microsoft 365 plan |
| ShipmailSources[6]Shipmail pricing[7]Shipmail newsletter editor documentation[8]Shipmail booking pages documentation | $4 for 2 mailboxes; $12 for 5 | Email, calendar, aliases, newsletters, booking pages | Not the cheapest per inbox; no office suite |
IONOS email plans: Mail Basic and Mail Business
IONOS's own email comes in three plans on ionos.com. Each one includes a free custom domain, so you can buy the domain and the mailbox in one order. The prices below are the ones the page shows, with the term each one needs.[1]
- Mail Basic 1: one email account with 2 GB. $1.10 a month with a 3-year term, then $2 a month.
- Mail Basic 25: 25 email accounts with 2 GB each. $2 a month with a 3-year term, then $4 a month.
- Mail Business: a 50 GB account per user, with team collaboration tools and premium virus protection. $3 a month with a 3-year term, against a listed $6.
Read the term before you compare. The headline price is the 3-year price, and the page shows a higher price after it. State and local sales taxes may apply on top. Mail Basic 25 is a lot of addresses for the money, but 2 GB per account is small once attachments pile up.[1]
IONOS's mail servers use the IMAP and SMTP settings covered in a separate guide, IONOS email settings, so this page sticks to plans and DNS.
Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365 through IONOS
IONOS also resells Microsoft mail. Hosted Exchange gives a 50 GB Exchange mailbox and Outlook 2019, at $4.50 a month for the first 6 months with a 1-year term, against a listed $10. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $9 a month and can be cancelled anytime. Business Standard starts at $1 a month for 3 months with a 1-year term, with $17 shown as the regular price.[1]
Pick one of these when your team already works in Outlook, Word and Teams. If you only need mailboxes, you pay for an office suite you may never open.
Shipmail on an IONOS domain
You can keep the domain at IONOS and host the mail at Shipmail. Shipmail charges per plan, not per mailbox: Solo is $4 a month for 2 mailboxes with 15 GB each, and 5 mailboxes cost $12 a month on Pro plus one extra mailbox. There is no 3-year term behind that price.[6]
Shipmail is not the cheapest option per inbox. IONOS Mail Basic 25 gives more addresses for less on a 3-year term. What Shipmail adds is around the mailbox: newsletters, booking pages, aliases and a catch-all, and a team inbox on the larger plans. If you only want one cheap address and can commit for three years, IONOS's own plan is hard to beat.Sources[6]Shipmail pricing[1]IONOS business email plans (US)[7]Shipmail newsletter editor documentation[8]Shipmail booking pages documentation[9]Shipmail catch-all docs[10]Shipmail shared inbox documentation
How to edit MX and TXT records in IONOS
These steps work when the domain uses IONOS name servers, the ones whose names contain .ui-dns.. If the domain uses another provider's name servers, change the records there instead. Changing email only touches MX and TXT records, so a website on the domain keeps running.Sources[5]IONOS Help: MX records for receiving email via IONOS mail servers[2]IONOS Help: using a domain with another provider's mail servers
- Step 1
Add the domain in Shipmail
Add your domain in Shipmail. It lists the records to publish. Use Configure automatically if Shipmail offers it; otherwise copy the values by hand as below.
- Step 2
Open the DNS settings in IONOS
Log in to IONOS and go to Domains & SSL. Next to the domain, click the gear symbol under Actions and select DNS.
- Step 3
Replace the MX records
Look for existing MX records. IONOS's own mail uses
mx00.ionos.comandmx01.ionos.com. IONOS says an MX record that belongs to a service must be deactivated before you can change it. Then use Edit Record on an MX record, or Add Record and choose MX: Host name@, Points tomx1.shipmail.to, Priority 10, and Save. Remove the old IONOS MX records so mail isn't split between providers. - Step 4
Add the TXT records
Click Add Record and choose TXT for each of SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Enter
@,shipmail._domainkeyor_dmarcin Host name and paste the value. IONOS turns on its own SPF record by default and adds its servers to an existing SPF record, so edit that record rather than adding a second one. Keep one SPF record. - Step 5
Wait for the check, then create mailboxes
IONOS applies changes at once and says they can take up to an hour to show worldwide. Once Shipmail verifies the domain, create a mailbox for each address and add aliases for the rest.
The Shipmail records to add at IONOS
Shipmail asks for four records. The DKIM value is unique to your domain, so copy it from the Domains page in Shipmail.[12]
- MX, host
@, valuemx1.shipmail.to, priority 10. It routes incoming mail to Shipmail. - TXT, host
@, valuev=spf1 include:spf.shipmail.to -all. This is SPF, the list of servers allowed to send for the domain. - TXT, host
shipmail._domainkey, value: the DKIM key shown for your domain in Shipmail. It signs every message you send. - TXT, host
_dmarc, valuev=DMARC1; p=reject. DMARC tells receivers to refuse mail that fails SPF and DKIM.
If you still send from IONOS for a while, keep a single SPF record and merge both senders' include: entries into it. Two SPF records on one domain make both fail.Sources[4]IONOS Help: using IONOS SPF to improve email delivery[11]Shipmail domain setup documentation
Sources13 sourcesVerified 2026-11-01
- [1]IONOS business email plans (US)
IONOS US email plans in US dollars, with 'State and local sales taxes may apply': Mail Basic 1 (1 email account with 2 GB) $1.10/month with a 3-year term, then $2/month, $4 shown struck through; Mail Basic 25 (25 accounts with 2 GB each) $2/month with a 3-year term, then $4/month; Mail Business (50 GB per user) $3/month with a 3-year term, $6 shown struck through; all three include a free custom domain. Hosted Exchange (Outlook 2019, 50 GB Exchange mailbox) $4.50/month for 6 months with a 1-year term, $10 struck through. Microsoft 365 Business Basic $9/month, cancel anytime; Business Standard $1/month for 3 months with a 1-year term, $17 struck through.
ionos.com · 2026-11-01
- [2]IONOS Help: using a domain with another provider's mail servers
In Domains & SSL, click the gear symbol under Actions next to the domain and select DNS. Check for an existing MX record; if it belongs to a service, it must be deactivated. Edit an MX record with Edit Record, or click Add Record and select MX; Host name @, Points to the provider's mail server, Priority (lowest is preferred), optional TTL, Save. Changes are effective at IONOS immediately and can take up to an hour worldwide.
ionos.com · 2026-11-01
- [3]IONOS Help: managing TXT records
Add a TXT record: gear symbol under Actions next to the domain, DNS, Add Record, type TXT, Host name such as @ or www, Value, optional TTL, Save. Effective at IONOS immediately, up to 1 hour externally.
ionos.com · 2026-11-01
- [4]IONOS Help: using IONOS SPF to improve email delivery
IONOS SPF is enabled by default for all IONOS-hosted domains and can be added with Add Record, IONOS SPF (TXT). If an SPF TXT record already exists for another email service, it is automatically supplemented with the IONOS mail servers. External DNS users add `v=spf1 include:_spf-us.ionos.com ~all`. Propagation up to 48 hours.
ionos.com · 2026-11-01
- [5]IONOS Help: MX records for receiving email via IONOS mail servers
For IONOS.com customers, IONOS mail is received only with the MX entries `mx00.ionos.com` and `mx01.ionos.com`. Name servers containing `.ui-dns.` mean the domain uses IONOS name servers and records are changed in the IONOS account; with other name servers, MX records are changed at that provider.
ionos.com · 2026-11-01
- [6]Shipmail pricing
Shipmail plan prices, mailbox limits, team access, and send limits.
shipmail.to · 2026-10-15
- [7]Shipmail newsletter editor documentation
Newsletters written in Shipmail with a rich text editor, design blocks, custom HTML or plain text, preview, test sends and pre-send review checks.
shipmail.to · 2026-10-15
- [8]Shipmail booking pages documentation
Public booking links that offer slots from a mailbox calendar's real availability, with buffers, minimum notice, and a Zoom or Google Meet link on each booking.
shipmail.to · 2026-10-15
- [9]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
- [10]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
- [11]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
- [12]Shipmail DNS setup docs: DMARC record
Shipmail's DNS setup steps for each registrar end with a TXT record named _dmarc with the value v=DMARC1; p=reject. The GoDaddy steps start from My Products, then DNS, and note that most records appear within 30 minutes.
shipmail.to · 2026-10-15
- [13]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
Questions worth answering
Common questions about ionos custom domain email.
Does an IONOS domain come with a free email address?
How much is IONOS business email?
Can I use another email provider with my IONOS domain?
Why can't I edit the MX record in IONOS?
How long do IONOS DNS changes take?
Related guides
More on Shipmail pricing, comparisons, and team workflows.
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