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 Namecheap Domain

This guide shows you how to connect your Namecheap domain to Bottled so you can send and receive professional email from addresses like hello@yourdomain.com. You will add MX, TXT, and CNAME records in Namecheap's Advanced DNS panel. The setup takes about 10 minutes, with DNS propagation typically completing within 5 to 15 minutes after that.

Prerequisites

A domain registered on Namecheap (e.g. yourdomain.com)
DNS set to Namecheap BasicDNS or PremiumDNS (not a third-party nameserver)
A Google account to sign in to Bottled (free)

Sign in to Bottled

Go to bottled.email and sign in with your Google account. The free tier includes a custom domain, three email addresses, and 100 outbound emails per month — no credit card needed.

Add your domain

In the Bottled dashboard, click Add Domain and type your Namecheap domain name. Bottled will generate the DNS records you need. Keep this tab open so you can copy the values in the following steps.

Open Namecheap Advanced DNS

Go to Domain List from the left sidebar
Click Manage next to your domain
Select the Advanced DNS tab
Use Add New Record to create each record below

Add MX records

MX records tell mail servers where to deliver email for your domain. These route incoming mail through Cloudflare Email Routing, which forwards messages to your Bottled inbox.

In Namecheap's Advanced DNS panel, select record type MX Record, set the host to @, and enter the mail server and priority values exactly as shown in Bottled's setup wizard.

Add TXT record (SPF)

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a TXT record that authorizes Bottled to send email on behalf of your domain. Mail servers check this record to decide whether to trust messages claiming to come from your address.

Set the host to @ and paste the full TXT value from the Bottled wizard.

Add CNAME records (DKIM)

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) records are CNAME entries that authenticate your outgoing emails with a cryptographic signature. Receiving servers verify this signature to confirm the email is legitimate and unaltered.

Bottled's wizard provides three CNAME records. For each one, copy the host and target value directly into Namecheap's Advanced DNS form. Namecheap automatically appends your domain to the host, so enter only the subdomain portion.

Wait for verification

Namecheap DNS updates usually propagate within 5 to 15 minutes. In rare cases with BasicDNS it can take up to 30 minutes. Bottled checks your records automatically and shows a green checkmark next to each one once verified.

Create your email address

Once all records show as verified, click Add Email in your Bottled dashboard. Pick a local part (e.g. hello, info, sales) and start sending and receiving email on your custom domain.

Namecheap-Specific Tips

•Use “@” as the host for root domain records. Namecheap uses the @ symbol to represent your bare domain. When the Bottled wizard shows a host of yourdomain.com, enter @ in Namecheap instead.
•Make sure you are using Namecheap's nameservers. If your domain points to custom nameservers (e.g. from a hosting provider), the Advanced DNS tab won't control your live DNS. Switch to BasicDNS or PremiumDNS under the Domain tab first, or add the records at your actual DNS provider.
•Remove Namecheap's email forwarding parking records. If you previously used Namecheap's free email forwarding, there may be leftover MX and CNAME records. Delete those before adding Bottled's records to prevent conflicts.

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 Namecheap domain?

Get Started Free