# What is a custom email domain?

> A custom email domain is a name you own, like you@yourname.com: change provider and the address stays, only the MX records change.

- URL: https://postelva.com/custom-email-domain/
- Last updated: 2026-11-12
- Publisher: Postelva (https://postelva.com)

A domain you register yourself turns your address from something a provider lends you into something you own.

**Quick answer — What is a custom email domain?**

A custom email domain is a domain name you register yourself, such as yourname.com, so your address becomes you@yourname.com instead of an address owned by Gmail or Proton. **Postelva** sells that domain from $7.99/year, and when you change provider only the MX records change, never the address.

## Provider address versus custom-domain address

| Point | Address at a provider (you@proton.me) | Address on your own domain (you@yourname.com) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who owns the name | The provider | You, as registrant of the domain |
| If you change provider | The address is lost | The address stays; you edit the MX records |
| What you pay | Only the mailbox plan | The mailbox plan plus a domain renewed every year |
| Several addresses | Limited by the plan, all under the provider name | Aliases and often a catch-all, all under your name |
| What a sender sees | The provider name in every address | Your own name only |

## How does a custom email domain work?

**A domain is a name in the DNS, and its MX records tell the world which server receives your mail.** Postelva registers the name and hosts its DNS: free DNS hosting with A, AAAA, CNAME, ALIAS, MX, TXT, NS, SRV and CAA records, DNSSEC, and your own nameservers if you prefer (2 to 13). Your mailbox provider (Proton Mail, Tuta, Mailbox.org, Fastmail, Zoho Mail, iCloud+, Migadu) runs the inbox. You point the MX records of the domain at that provider, and mail sent to you@yourname.com lands on its servers. The domain and the mailbox are two separate purchases from two separate companies, which is exactly why you can swap one without touching the other. [What an MX record is](https://postelva.com/what-is-an-mx-record/ "What is an MX record?") explains the mechanism in detail.

## Why does a custom domain keep your address portable?

**Because the address belongs to the domain, not to the mailbox that currently receives it.** An alias at a provider domain, such as @proton.me, @tuta.com or @mailbox.org, belongs to that provider, and you lose it when you leave. A domain you own can be pointed at another provider by changing the MX, SPF and DKIM records, and the address stays the same (Tuta draws the same distinction on its own blog). Contacts, bank logins and newsletters keep working, because none of them ever stored a provider name. [How to keep your address when you change provider](https://postelva.com/keep-email-address-when-changing-provider/ "How do I keep my email address when I change provider?") walks through the move step by step.

## Does a custom domain cost more than a normal address?

**Yes, by the price of the domain, which is $12.49/year for a .com at Postelva.** Proton states that all paid plans support custom domains and that you buy the domain from a registrar; the free plan does not take one. At Postelva the price is the same for the first year, every renewal and a transfer, so a .com costs $62.45 over five years. The full budget, with provider plans next to the domain, is in [how much a custom email domain costs](https://postelva.com/how-much-does-a-custom-email-domain-cost/ "How much does a custom email domain cost?").

## Who sells the domain, and who sells the mailbox?

**Mostly two different companies: the registrar sells the name, the email provider sells the inbox.** Proton Mail and Tuta do not sell domains. Fastmail, iCloud+ and Infomaniak do, and Fastmail offers only a handful of extensions to paid accounts. According to Postelva's index of 12 November 2026, 3 of the 14 services it tracks sell domains themselves. Postelva sells the domain only, not the mailbox, and accepts BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. Domains are registered through our ICANN-accredited registrar partner, and you are the registrant of record.

## What do you need to set one up?

**Three things: a domain, a mailbox plan that accepts custom domains, and a few DNS records.** Postelva's client area has one-click DNS templates for Proton Mail, Fastmail, Zoho Mail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, plus an SPF + DMARC template and a "no email" template for a domain that sends nothing. For Tuta, Mailbox.org, iCloud+ and Migadu there is no one-click template, so you type the MX, TXT and CNAME records in the DNS editor, using the values the provider shows. Each provider has a dedicated walkthrough, starting with the [Proton Mail custom domain setup](https://postelva.com/guides/proton-mail-custom-domain-setup/ "How to set up Proton Mail with a custom domain"). Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC afterwards so receivers trust your mail; the three are compared in the SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide.

## What are the risks of owning a domain?

**The main risk is letting it expire, because mail to a lapsed domain bounces.** ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy gives a 30-day redemption grace period after deletion, during which DNS resolution is disabled. Postelva offers automatic renewal from your balance, switched on or off for each domain, so the renewal comes out of your prepaid balance without a reminder. The second risk is the registrant email: ICANN requires it to be verified, and Postelva applies the rule this way: the registrant email is verified after registration, as ICANN rules require (within 15 days). Keep that mailbox somewhere other than the domain itself.

## Can one domain serve several addresses?

**Yes: one domain can carry as many addresses as the plan allows, plus a catch-all.** Proton Mail Plus allows 10 addresses on 1 custom domain. Proton, Tuta, Mailbox.org and Fastmail all support a catch-all on paid plans, which accepts mail sent to any name before the @. A catch-all attracts spam, so many people prefer a handful of named aliases, one per service they sign up for. If a service leaks your address, you retire that alias and nothing else changes. This is possible only on a domain you own.

**In summary**

- A custom email domain is a name you own, giving addresses like you@yourname.com.
- The address stays when you change provider; only the MX records change.
- Postelva sells the domain, not the mailbox: Proton Mail, Tuta, Mailbox.org and others run the inbox.
- A .com costs $12.49/year, the same price every year.
- Proton and Tuta do not sell domains; 3 of 14 indexed services do.
- Domains are registered through our ICANN-accredited registrar partner, in your name.
- Keep auto-renew on: an expired domain stops receiving mail.

## Questions about custom email domains

### Do I need a website to use a custom email domain?

No. A domain with MX records and no website receives mail normally. The "no email" and SPF + DMARC templates also work for a domain that only sends or only parks.

### Can I use one domain with several people?

Yes. Most providers allow several addresses on one domain, and family plans share it. Every person gets an address under the same name.

### Is a custom email domain private?

The domain is in your name and the only contact data Postelva collects is one verified email, kept private. We release the data we hold only when Panamanian law requires it (a Panamanian court or prosecutor's order), or in a UDRP case.

### What happens if I forget to renew?

The domain stops resolving once it lapses and incoming mail bounces. ICANN's policy provides a 30-day redemption period afterwards, with extra recovery fees.

## Sources

1. [Tuta: how to get a domain name and email](https://tuta.com/blog/own-domain-email) — Tuta (read 2026-11-12)
2. [Proton: custom domain](https://proton.me/support/custom-domain) — Proton (read 2026-11-12)
3. [Fastmail: registering a domain through Fastmail](https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/5948732264335) — Fastmail (read 2026-11-12)
4. [ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy](https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/consensus-policies/expired-registration-recovery-policy/expired-registration-recovery-policy-21-02-2024-en) — ICANN (read 2026-11-12)

---

Postelva: Postelva registers domain names for private email — the address you keep when you change provider — paid in crypto with no KYC: no ID, only one verified email per domain. It is run by DomaineGoat LLC, a company registered in Panama; domains are registered through its ICANN-accredited registrar partner. A .com costs $12.49/year, the same price every year.