Relais
What it is
Relais connects custom-domain email with Gmail for sending and receiving messages. Incoming mail is delivered directly through the Gmail API, without forwarding or intermediary mailboxes. Outgoing messages use Gmail’s Send As feature with SMTP credentials for each domain. Setup involves adding a domain and updating DNS records; the homepage says this takes five minutes. The managed plan adds automatic DNS verification, delivery logs, and monitoring. Its 14-day trial provides all features without requiring a credit card. If the trial ends without a subscription, delivery pauses while the configuration remains preserved. Relais lists unlimited domains and email addresses, and lets customers connect as many Gmail accounts as needed. The managed plan costs $5 a year per Gmail account. A free self-hosted version offers the same features on your own infrastructure. Relais is available as self-hosted software and a web service, and its source code is available under the GPL license. Catch-all forwarding and outbound or reply mail are included capabilities.
For and against
For
- Direct Gmail API delivery for inbound mail
- Gmail Send As for outbound messages
- Unlimited domains and email addresses
- 14-day trial needs no credit card
- GPL-licensed source code available
Against
- Managed plan costs $5 a year per Gmail account
- Delivery pauses after trial without subscription
- Self-hosted version requires your own infrastructure
The verdict
Relais focuses on connecting custom-domain mail to Gmail while retaining Gmail’s sending and receiving workflow. The free self-hosted option, managed plan, trial, and unlimited domain details give prospective users clear deployment choices.
Who it suits
Relais suits people who want custom-domain email in an existing Gmail account without adding a Google account or migrating. It also fits users who want either managed hosting or a self-hosted deployment.
Plans and prices
Self-hosted
Bring your own infrastructure; same features as managed platform
Read 8 Oct 2026 · relais.sh
Managed
Unlimited domains · Unlimited email addresses · Each connected Gmail account costs $5/year
Read 8 Oct 2026 · relais.sh
On the record
- After trial
- If you do not subscribe after the trial, email delivery pauses while your configuration is preserved.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Delivery reliability
- The maker says Vercel Workflow handles delivery for durability and automatic retries.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Inbound email
- Inbound email is delivered directly to Gmail via the Gmail API, without forwarding or intermediary mailboxes.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Included features
- The managed plan includes automatic DNS verification, delivery logs, and monitoring.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Intended use
- Relais is presented for people who want custom domain email in their existing Gmail without adding a Google account or migrating.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Limits
- The pricing page says domains and email addresses are unlimited, and customers can connect as many Gmail accounts as needed.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Open source
- Relais says its full source code is available under the GPL license.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Outbound email
- Outbound mail uses Gmail’s Send As feature with per-domain SMTP credentials.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Relais connects custom domain email to Gmail for sending and receiving.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Self-hosting
- The maker says the self-hosted version has the same features as the managed platform and requires your own infrastructure.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Setup
- The homepage says setup takes 5 minutes and requires adding a domain and updating DNS records.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Technology
- Relais describes its application as a TypeScript Next.js app deployed on Vercel, with a self-hosted Stalwart mail server for SMTP.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
- Trial
- The 14-day free trial includes full access to all features and requires no credit card to start.relais.sh · read 8 Oct 2026
