Quick answer
Does Proton Mail Free support custom domains?
No. Proton Mail Free does not support custom domains; every paid plan does. Mail Plus allows 1 custom domain and 10 addresses at $2.49 a month on a 12-month term, and Proton Unlimited allows 3 domains. Proton sells no domains, so you register yours at a registrar such as Postelva, from $7.99/year.
Which Proton plan allows a custom domain?
| Plan | Custom domains | Addresses | Price (12-month term) | Catch-all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton Mail Free | None | proton.me address only | $0 | No |
| Mail Plus | 1 | 10 | $2.49/month, $29.88 for the first 12 months, then $47.88/year | Yes |
| Proton Unlimited | 3 | Page wording: 15 extra addresses; other sources say 15 in total, not verified | $6.49/month, $77.88 for the first 12 months, then $119.88/year | Yes |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
Why is the custom domain a paid feature at Proton?
Proton ties custom domains to paid plans, and its help page states that all paid plans support them. On the free plan your address sits on a Proton domain, which Proton owns, not you.
The practical consequence is portability. An address at proton.me can only live at Proton. An address on your own domain can be pointed at any provider by changing the MX records, as the page on what a custom email domain is explains. Proton's entry paid plan is therefore the entry point to a portable address at Proton, while the free plan is a good way to try the service first.
How much does a Proton custom domain cost in total?
The total is the Proton plan plus a domain: for a .com at Postelva, $29.88 plus $12.49 is the first-year spend on Mail Plus with a 12-month term. Proton's price for the second year is $47.88, so the mailbox part rises while the domain part does not.
At Postelva a .com is $12.49/year, a .page is $11.49/year and a .link is $7.99/year, each at the same price in year two and every year after. Over five years, a .com costs $62.45 and a .link costs $39.95. The page on cheap domains for email compares the extensions.
The $2.49 figure is a 12-month promotional rate: the list monthly price Proton shows is $4.99. Plan your budget on the renewal figure, $47.88 a year.
Can the free plan receive mail for my domain in another way?
Yes, but only as forwarding, not as a mailbox on your domain. Postelva offers free email forwarding and URL forwarding from the client area. A forward from [email protected] to a free Proton address delivers incoming mail, yet replies still leave from the proton.me address, so the recipient sees a different sender.
This is a stopgap, not a setup. If you want to send from your own domain, you need a paid plan and the full record set. According to Postelva's count of Proton's support pages on 12 November 2026, that is eight DNS records: one verification TXT, two MX, one SPF TXT, three DKIM CNAME and one DMARC TXT. The guide on how to set up Proton Mail with a custom domain lists them.
What do I do once I have a paid Proton plan?
You add the domain in Proton's settings, then create the records at the place that hosts your DNS. Proton's wizard sits under Settings, All settings, Organization, Domain names. It shows each record in turn: the verification TXT first, then the MX records, the SPF include, the three DKIM CNAME targets and the DMARC value.
Two habits save trouble. First, keep a single SPF record per domain: if one exists, add Proton's include to it instead of creating a second one. Second, remove the MX records of your previous provider, or give Proton's the lowest priority number, because mixed MX records deliver mail unpredictably. Proton says to allow up to a day for MX changes to take effect.
Postelva hosts DNS for free, with 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. The Proton template writes the fixed records in one click; you paste only the values that Proton generates for your domain. If something fails after the switch, write to support and give the domain name. email replies within 12 hours, 7 days a week, including help with MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
Which free alternatives allow a custom domain?
Zoho Mail Free is the one free plan with a custom domain in Postelva's index of 14 providers. According to Postelva's index of 12 November 2026, it allows 1 domain and up to 5 users with 5 GB each, without IMAP, POP or Exchange ActiveSync, and a sixth user forces everyone onto a paid plan. The plan is offered only in some data centers.
The other providers in the index with a custom domain charge. The full table is in the index of email providers with custom domains, and the comparison of Proton Mail and Tuta covers the other encrypted option.
Postelva has a one-click Zoho Mail DNS template for that route.
Proton Free and custom domains: questions
Can I add a custom domain to Proton Mail Free later?
Not on the free plan. Move to a paid plan such as Mail Plus first, then add the domain in the settings.
How many custom domains does Proton Mail Plus allow?
One custom domain, with 10 addresses. Proton Unlimited allows 3 domains.
Does Proton sell domains?
No. Its help page tells you to buy the domain from a domain registrar and to add it to your account.
Can I pay Proton in Bitcoin?
Yes, as account credit bought with Bitcoin on the Bitcoin network, after you create a free account. There is no autopay, so renew by hand and pay at least 24 hours before the bill is due.
What does a custom domain cost at Postelva?
A .com costs $12.49/year, and the price is the same at renewal and transfer. usually within minutes of the top-up being credited, the domain is registered after the top-up is credited.
In summary
- Proton Mail Free supports no custom domain.
- Mail Plus: 1 custom domain, 10 addresses, $2.49/month on a 12-month term, then $47.88 a year.
- Proton Unlimited: 3 custom domains, $6.49/month on a 12-month term.
- Proton sells no domains; buy one from a registrar.
- Postelva sells a .com at $12.49/year, the same every year; no ID, crypto only.
- Zoho Mail Free is the only free plan with a custom domain in Postelva's index of 14 providers.
Sources (4)
- Proton Mail pricing — Proton (read 2026-11-12)
- Proton - Custom domain — Proton (read 2026-11-12)
- Proton - Pay with Bitcoin — Proton (read 2026-11-12)
- Zoho Mail pricing — Zoho (read 2026-11-12)
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