I want to try an AI notetaking service so I can learn from it and potentially build something similar myself, but the signup process only accepts addresses on a custom domain. I don't want to use my actual work email because it belongs to my company and is tied to other services. What are the cheapest or free ways to get an address that qualifies, and are there any alternatives to buying a domain and setting up email hosting?
4 Answers
If your goal is only to experiment with AI transcription or notetaking, you could skip the hosted service and run a local alternative instead. Tools that work with self-hosted models can avoid subscriptions and custom-domain signup requirements, although setup and hardware requirements vary.
The most straightforward option is to buy an inexpensive personal domain and connect it to an email provider. You can then create an address or alias specifically for app signups without mixing it with your work inbox. iCloud Custom Email Domain works if you already subscribe to a suitable Apple storage plan, and inexpensive domain registrars often provide forwarding as well.
Disposable inboxes such as Mailinator can be useful for temporary verification, but they probably won’t work when a service specifically requires a custom domain. They also aren’t a good choice for anything containing private meeting notes or other sensitive information.
A low-cost domain with basic hosted email is probably the most reliable route. Some domains cost around a dollar per year during promotions, and providers such as Zoho offer inexpensive plans for using your own domain. Just check renewal prices, since the first-year discount may not last.
Email forwarding is usually enough if the service only verifies that the domain exists and can receive mail. I keep separate aliases for newsletters and random signups so my main inbox stays clean.