How to Host Professional Email with Greatmail

As a RunCloud user, you already know how to manage high-performance websites and servers efficiently.

But if you’re still using a personal address like [email protected], you’re missing a key element of professionalism.

While services such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 offer robust email solutions, their per-user costs can be high for small teams or side projects.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to host professional, domain-branded email using Greatmail – an affordable alternative that integrates easily with your domain managed through RunCloud.

Why Use a Dedicated Email Host Like Greatmail

Using a dedicated email hosting provider like Greatmail offers several clear benefits:

• Cost efficiency: Greatmail is considerably more affordable than enterprise platforms such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, especially if you only need core email functionality.
  
• Professional image: An address that matches your domain instantly builds trust and brand credibility.
  
• Simplified management: You don’t need to install or maintain your own mail server, which avoids deliverability, security, and spam blacklisting problems.
  
• Improved reliability: Keeping your email separate from your website hosting ensures that email continues to function even if your web server experiences downtime.

How to Set Up a Professional Email with Greatmail

Let’s walk through the steps to configure your Greatmail instance.

Step 1: Sign Up and Add Your Domain to Greatmail

Before we touch anything in RunCloud or your DNS settings, you need to tell Greatmail that you want it to handle your email.

1. Navigate to the Greatmail website and sign up for an account.
2. Once you are logged into your new Greatmail admin dashboard, the first step is to add your domain name. For this, you will need to contact Greatmail support via their contact form or email. During normal business hours, they typically provision domains within 2 hours.
3. Once it is configured, Greatmail will provide you with a specific set of DNS records. These records tell the Internet where to send your domain’s email. You’ll need these records in the next step.

Step 2: Configure DNS Records

Next, you will need to edit the DNS records for your domain to connect it to Greatmail’s servers. You can do this at the company where you registered your domain (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains) or a service like Cloudflare if you use one.

You’ll need to add or update the following DNS records exactly as provided in your Greatmail dashboard.

1. MX (Mail Exchanger) Records: Direct incoming email for your domain to Greatmail’s mail servers. These records tell other mail servers where to deliver messages for addresses like [email protected].

2. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) Record: Add a TXT record authorizing Greatmail’s servers to send mail on your behalf. This helps prevent spoofing and improves deliverability.

3. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) Record: Add the unique TXT record string provided by Greatmail to authenticate outgoing mail. This confirms to recipient servers that messages sent from your domain are genuine.

Once these records are added, allow DNS propagation time (typically a few minutes to several hours) before proceeding.

Step 3: Manage Email from the Greatmail Admin Panel

Once your DNS is set up and verified by Greatmail, you can manage everything from their easy-to-use admin panel. Here’s a tour of the main features:

List Your Domains

This section provides an overview of all the domains you have added to your Greatmail account. From here, you can select a domain to manage, add new ones, or delete those you no longer need.

Create a New Email Forward

An email forward is an alias. This email address won’t have its own inbox but simply forwards all incoming mail to another address. This is perfect for roles like [email protected] or [email protected] that you want to direct to your personal inbox.

Create a New Mailbox

A mailbox is a full email account with its own username, password, and storage space. You can access it via webmail or connect it to an email client like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird.

When you select Create a new mailbox, fill in the following fields to create your professional address (for example, [email protected]):

• Username: Enter only the part before the @ symbol (e.g., john).
  
• Domain: Choose your domain (e.g., example.com).
  
• Password: Enter a strong, unique password. This will be used for both webmail and email client access.
  
• Name: The display name shown in recipients’ inboxes (e.g., John Doe).
  
• Quota: Specify mailbox storage in MB (1000 MB = 1 GB; maximum 10240 MB).
  
• Active: Keep checked to enable the account immediately.
  
• Send Welcome Mail: Recommended. Sends a setup guide and server details to your alternate email.
  
• Other Email: Add a recovery address for password resets (e.g., [email protected]).
  

Once complete, click Add Mailbox. Your new mailbox will be created instantly.

Step 4: Access and Use Your Email

Once you create your email mailbox, you can access your messages, send emails, and manage your account from virtually any device. Here’s a summary of what you can do with your new mailbox:

• Access Email Anywhere via Webmail: This is the quickest method and requires no setup. Simply use a web browser to log in and manage your email at https://webmail.greatmail.com/webmail/.

• Connect to Desktop & Mobile Apps: For a seamless, native experience, you can integrate your account directly into email clients like Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, and various mobile mail apps on iOS and Android.
• Integrate with Your Existing Gmail Account: If you love the Gmail interface, you can configure it to both send and receive emails from your new professional address, keeping everything in one place.

How to Connect Your Account

No matter which application you choose, the setup process follows the same basic principle. During a manual setup, you will simply need to enter the core server details for your account.

To connect your Greatmail account, open your email client’s Add Account settings:

• Outlook: File → Add Account
  
• Apple Mail: Mail → Add Account
  
• Gmail: Settings → Accounts and Import
  

Then follow these steps:

1. Choose Manual Setup, Advanced Setup, or Add Other Account instead of provider presets.
   
2. Enter your full email address and password.
   
3. Use the following server settings provided by Greatmail:

Choose IMAP to sync mail across multiple devices or POP3 to download messages to one device.

Save the configuration and allow your client to verify the connection. Your client will test the connection, and once verified, your mailbox will be ready to use.

Wrapping Up: Host Professional Email the Easy Way

You are now fully equipped to host your own email solution, sending and receiving messages from a credible address that builds trust with your customers and strengthens your brand. With this setup, you’re ready to grow your business without worrying about expensive per-user email fees.

This guide shows how the right tools can simplify even complex technical workflows.

RunCloud helps you do the same for your entire web infrastructure – from deploying applications to managing servers and securing your sites.

Start your free RunCloud trial today and manage your websites, servers, and email with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hosting Email with Greatmail