ImprovMX free is enough if you have one domain and you only need mail to arrive. It will not send.
That is the decision. Everything else on this page is setup, limits, and the errors that look like the product is broken. If you are still choosing between forwarding and a real mailbox, start with the ImprovMX vs Cloudflare vs Zoho comparison.
I have used ImprovMX on every side project for years. hello@ lands in Gmail. I do not run a second inbox.
What ImprovMX free includes in 2026
ImprovMX is email forwarding, not email hosting. Mail sent to an alias on your domain hits their MX servers, then they pass it to an inbox you already use.
The free plan, as of August 2026:
- 1 domain
- 25 aliases
- 500 emails forwarded per day
- 7 days of logs
- No SMTP. You cannot send through ImprovMX until you pay.
- API access and standard chat/email support
| Limit | Free | Light | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $50 / year | $9 / month |
| Domains | 1 | 5 | 30 |
| Aliases | 25 | 25 / domain | 100 / domain |
| Forwarded mail | 500 / day | 5,000 / day | 5,000 / day |
| SMTP sending | None | 25 / day | 6,000 / month |
| Rules | 0 | 5 / domain | 10 / domain |
| Log retention | 7 days | 7 days | Up to 180 days |
Figures from ImprovMX pricing as of August 2026. Pro ($24/mo) raises domains to 100, aliases to 200, forwarding to 15,000/day, and SMTP to 30,000/month.
Hit 500 forwards in a day and they pause that domain until 00:00 UTC. Senders get a bounce. They email you as you approach the cap, then again when you hit it.
Light is $50/year and is the upgrade I actually consider: 5 domains, 5,000 forwards/day, and 25 SMTP sends/day. Premium at $9/month is for people with a pile of domains, not for a first portfolio.
Forwarding is not a mailbox
There is no IMAP. There is no storage. ImprovMX does not keep a copy of mail after it forwards. If forwarding fails, they hold the message for seven days, then delete it.
Replies come from whatever inbox you forwarded to, unless you set up a separate sending path. On free, that path is usually Gmail's "Send mail as." It works until it does not. Yahoo and some other providers now reject mail that is missing proper SPF/DKIM/DMARC alignment. ImprovMX's own docs say the Gmail workaround is a legacy Google feature and they would rather you use their SMTP on a paid plan.
For inbound hello@, support@, and a catch-all on a parked domain, free is the right tool. For invoices, password resets, or anything that has to land in a customer's inbox, buy sending or use a mailbox.
Create the account and the first aliases
If you do not have an account, go to ImprovMX, enter the domain, and enter the inbox you want mail forwarded to.
The dashboard is where you add aliases. Free caps you at 25. I create hello, hi, support, and a catch-all. I do not create 25 "just in case" addresses. Unused aliases still have to be thought about when someone guesses them.
Click Email forwarding needs setup and you get the DNS list.
Point MX and SPF at ImprovMX
You need two MX records so ImprovMX can receive mail, and one SPF TXT so the world knows they are allowed to handle that domain.
Most registrars ship placeholder MX values. Delete those. Copy ImprovMX's. One domain can only have one sensible MX set. Mixing ImprovMX MX with Zoho or Google Workspace MX is how you lose mail in silence.
SPF is a TXT record. A domain can have one SPF record. If you also send through Google, merge the includes:
v=spf1 include:spf.improvmx.com include:_spf.google.com ~allTwo separate v=spf1 records is a PermError. Receivers treat that as a fail.
Use a TXT record. The old dedicated SPF record type is deprecated.
Once DNS is in, click Check again.
Use the Test button, or send from an account that is not the destination inbox. Gmail will drop a message that looks like a loop if you mail the alias from the same Gmail it forwards to. That test "fails" in Sent and nowhere else.
I usually do this right after Search Console on a new domain. Five minutes if the registrar UI is not fighting you.
When free is enough, and when I pay
Stay on free when:
- One domain
- You already live in Gmail or Fastmail
- Volume is a few dozen messages a day, not hundreds
- You can live with replies coming from Gmail, or you barely reply from the alias
Pay Light ($50/year) when:
- You have a second or third domain
- You want SMTP so "Send as" is actually signed by the domain
- 25 sends/day covers support replies (it covers mine)
Pay Premium when you are collecting domains the way I do and 5 is not enough. That is an operator problem, not a first-project problem.
Leave ImprovMX when you need a real mailbox for more than one person. That is Zoho's job, covered in the comparison.
Seven errors that look like ImprovMX is broken
1. Test mail from the same Gmail. Google detects a loop and swallows it. Send from a second account.
2. Leftover MX records. The registrar still has the parking MX or the old Google MX. ImprovMX's check may pass while some senders still hit the old host. One MX set. Delete the rest.
3. Two SPF records. You added ImprovMX's TXT and left Google's TXT. Merge them.
4. Mail in spam. Forwarded mail can fail DMARC alignment. Check the destination spam folder for a week after setup. If you are sending via Gmail "Send as," uncheck "Treat as an alias" in Gmail, and do not expect Yahoo to be kind. SMTP on Light is the fix.
5. Daily cap. 500 forwards is a lot for a portfolio and nothing if a form gets scraped. Over quota, the domain pauses until midnight UTC. Upgrade or wait.
6. DNS not propagated. "Check again" is not instant at every registrar. Wait 15 minutes, then an hour, before rewriting records.
7. Sending on free. There is no SMTP on free. If the dashboard has no SMTP credentials, that is the plan, not a bug.
ImprovMX does not read your mail. They document the receive path: forward, then delete. Failed forwards sit for seven days.
FAQ
How many aliases do I get on ImprovMX free?
25 aliases on 1 domain. Light keeps 25 per domain but raises you to 5 domains. Premium is 100 aliases per domain.
Does the ImprovMX free plan include SMTP?
No. Free is receive-only. SMTP starts on Light (25 sends/day) and Premium (6,000/month).
What happens if I hit 500 forwarded emails in a day?
ImprovMX emails you near the cap, then pauses forwarding for that domain until 00:00 UTC. Incoming mail after that bounces.
Can I send from my custom domain with Gmail for free?
Gmail's "Send mail as" plus an app password uses smtp.gmail.com. Deliverability is weaker than real SMTP. Some providers reject it. ImprovMX treats this as a legacy workaround. Point Send as at Brevo or SES instead. That setup is in the send stack.
Why is ImprovMX mail going to spam?
Check spam on the destination inbox first. Then check you have one merged SPF TXT, not two. If the problem is outbound "Send as," that is Gmail's reputation, not forwarding.
Should I use ImprovMX or Cloudflare Email Routing?
If the domain already uses Cloudflare DNS, Cloudflare Routing is a reasonable free forwarder. If the domain lives at a registrar you do not want to move, use ImprovMX. Details in the comparison.
What to do next
Add the domain, add hello and a catch-all, fix MX and SPF, test from a second account.
If you outgrow one domain or you want SMTP on ImprovMX itself, Light is the $50/year line. If you want to stay on free and still send as the domain, use the Brevo or SES send stack. If you need a mailbox instead of a forward, you want Zoho, not a higher ImprovMX tier.
Start with ImprovMX free
