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How to Set Up Branded Support Emails for Your Side Projects (for Almost Free)


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Jarle Mathiesen

If you’re a bootstrapped founder, chances are you’ve hit this point: your app or browser extension is live, users are trickling in, and suddenly you need to answer emails like a grown-up. Enter: support@yourproject.com.

But how do you do that without signing up for Google Workspace or Help Scout for every domain you own?

This post shows you a dead-simple, cost-efficient setup to:

  • Receive emails at branded addresses like support@projectx.com
  • Reply from Gmail without the dreaded “sent on behalf of”
  • Keep costs close to zero using Cloudflare and Amazon SES

Let’s get into it.

Overview

Here’s what the stack looks like:

  • Cloudflare Email Routing — receives support@ and forwards to your Gmail
  • Gmail — one central inbox to manage replies
  • Amazon SES SMTP — lets Gmail send mail from your domain (authentic, no spoofing)

This setup works even if you manage multiple projects. All support email lands in your Gmail, but when you hit reply, it comes from the correct domain.

Step 1: Set Up Cloudflare Email Routing (Receive Mail)

Goal: All emails to support@yourdomain.com land in your personal Gmail inbox.

  1. Go to Cloudflare → your domain → Email > Email Routing
  2. Click Set up and:
    • Add destination: your Gmail (e.g. yourname@gmail.com)
    • Add address: support@yourdomain.com
  3. Follow the wizard to add MX, SPF, and DKIM records to your DNS
  4. Save and wait for it to verify (usually under 5 mins)
  5. Test it: send an email to support@yourdomain.com — it should appear in Gmail

Cloudflare Email Routing doing its thing

Step 2: Set Up Amazon SES SMTP (Send Mail)

Goal: Gmail can send authenticated messages from your domain, not just forwarders.

  1. Go to the AWS SES Console
  2. Create a new SMTP user (under SMTP settings)
    • Save the generated SMTP username and password
  3. Go to Verified Identities → Create Identity → Domain
    • Enter yourdomain.com
    • Enable DKIM (Amazon provides 3 DNS records to add in Cloudflare)
    • Optionally configure a custom MAIL FROM domain (improves deliverability)
  4. Wait for domain verification to complete

DKIM sounds scary, but is made easy by Cloudflare and SES!

Step 3: Configure Gmail to “Send Mail As”

Goal: You reply from support@yourdomain.com, not yourname@gmail.com

  1. Go to Gmail → Settings → See all settings → Accounts and Import
  2. Under Send mail as, click Add another email address
    • Name: e.g. Support – ProjectX
    • Email: support@yourdomain.com
    • Uncheck “Treat as an alias”
  3. Use these SMTP settings (from SES):
    • SMTP Server: email-smtp.<region>.amazonaws.com
    • Port: 587 (TLS)
    • Username/password: from step 2
  4. Gmail sends a verification code to support@yourdomain.com
    • You’ll receive it (thanks to Cloudflare routing)
    • Enter the code to complete setup

Step 4: Make Gmail Use the Right Sender (By Default)

  1. In Gmail settings → Accounts and Import
  2. Next to support@yourdomain.com, click Make default
  3. Click Edit info, then check: > “Reply from the same address the message was sent to”

Now every reply defaults to support@yourdomain.com

(Optional) Step 5: Organize Multiple Projects in One Inbox

Use Gmail filters:

  1. In the Gmail search bar, type: 
   to:(support@yourdomain.com)
  1. Click Show search options → Create filter
  2. Apply a label (e.g. 📬 ProjectX Support)

Repeat for each support alias (e.g. help@, contact@ for other projects)

Cost Breakdown

Tool Monthly Cost
Cloudflare Email Routing $0
Gmail $0
Amazon SES (2k emails) ~$0.20

Even at scale, this setup runs < $1/mo.

When You’re Ready to Scale Further

If you need a real shared inbox:

  • FreeScout: Free, open-source Help Scout clone you can self-host on your Hetzner VPS
  • Crisp Chat: Great free plan for 2 agents, integrates email and live chat

Both can still use Cloudflare routing + Amazon SES under the hood.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to pay $6/user/month just to get support@yourdomain.com. This setup is clean, cheap, and scales as you do. It’s perfect for bootstrapped founders with multiple projects.

Happy supporting!


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Jarle Mathiesen