Is Bottled really free?

Yes. The Starter plan is free forever — 1 domain, 2 addresses, 25 sends/month. No credit card required. Upgrade only when you need more.

How long does setup take?

About 5 minutes. Add your domain, paste a few DNS records using our step-by-step wizard, and you're live. Most domains verify in under 15 minutes.

Will I still use Gmail?

Yes. Incoming emails forward straight to your Gmail inbox. You keep using Gmail for everything — Bottled adds the professional address on top.

How is Bottled different from Google Workspace?

Google Workspace starts at $6/user/month and requires a separate mailbox. Bottled starts free, uses your existing Gmail, and includes a built-in CRM and email campaigns — no extra tools needed.

Do I need technical skills to use Bottled?

No. The domain wizard gives you exact DNS records to copy-paste for your specific registrar. If you can manage your domain settings, you can set up Bottled.

What happens when I hit the free tier limit?

You'll see a clear notification. Your existing emails keep working — you just can't send more until next month, or you can upgrade to Essentials ($9/mo) for 300 sends.

Set Up Email on Your Cloudflare Domain

If your domain already uses Cloudflare for DNS, you are in the best position for a fast setup. This guide walks you through adding the DNS records needed to send and receive email from addresses like hello@yourdomain.com using Bottled. Since Cloudflare manages your DNS directly, changes propagate almost instantly — most setups are fully verified within 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

A domain with DNS managed by Cloudflare (active zone, orange or gray cloud does not matter for mail records)
Access to your Cloudflare account with DNS edit permissions
A Google account to sign in to Bottled (free)

Sign in to Bottled

Go to bottled.email and sign in with your Google account. No credit card required — the free tier gives you a custom domain, three email addresses, and 100 outbound emails per month.

Add your domain

From the Bottled dashboard, click Add Domain and enter your Cloudflare domain. Bottled generates the DNS records you need to add. Keep this tab open — you will copy values from here in the next steps.

Open Cloudflare DNS settings

Select your domain from the Websites list on the home page
Click DNS in the left sidebar
Click Records to see your current DNS entries
Use the Add Record button to create each record below

Add MX records

MX records tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain. These route incoming mail through Cloudflare Email Routing, which forwards messages to your Bottled inbox. Since Cloudflare Email Routing is native to the platform, this integration is especially seamless.

Select type MX, set the name to @ (or your domain name), and enter the mail server and priority from Bottled's setup wizard. Copy each value directly.

Add TXT record (SPF)

The SPF record is a TXT record that authorizes Bottled to send email on behalf of your domain. Without it, receiving mail servers may reject your messages or route them to spam.

Set the name to @ and paste the full TXT value from the Bottled wizard. If you already have an SPF record for another service, you will need to merge them into a single TXT record rather than creating a duplicate.

Add CNAME records (DKIM)

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) records are CNAME entries that authenticate your outgoing emails with a cryptographic signature. This lets receiving servers verify that each message genuinely came from your domain.

Bottled's wizard provides three CNAME records to add. For each one, make sure the Proxy status toggle is set to DNS only (gray cloud). Cloudflare's proxy does not work with mail-related CNAME records and will cause verification to fail if enabled.

Wait for verification

Because Cloudflare is both your DNS provider and the email routing layer, propagation is nearly instant. Most records verify within 1 to 5 minutes. Bottled checks automatically and shows a green checkmark next to each verified record.

Create your email address

Once all records are verified, click Add Email in your Bottled dashboard. Choose a local part (e.g. hello, contact, billing) and you are all set to send and receive email from your custom domain.

Cloudflare-Specific Tips

•Set DKIM CNAME records to “DNS only” (gray cloud). Cloudflare's HTTP proxy (orange cloud) is designed for web traffic and will interfere with DNS-based email authentication. Always use the gray cloud icon for MX, TXT, and CNAME records related to email.
•Email Routing makes setup faster. Bottled uses Cloudflare Email Routing under the hood. Since your DNS is already on Cloudflare, there is no cross-provider propagation delay. Records are live the moment you save them.
•Check for existing Email Routing rules. If you previously configured Cloudflare Email Routing with catch-all rules or destination addresses, review them under Email > Email Routing in the sidebar. Conflicting routing rules can cause some messages to bypass your Bottled inbox.

What You Get (Free Tier)

1 custom domain
3 email addresses
100 outbound emails per month
Unlimited inbound email
SPF + DKIM authentication
Web-based inbox and composer

Ready to use email on your Cloudflare domain?

Get Started Free