Subscribe
Sign in
Sidemail — Quick & easy email for all your side projects
Sidemail is a simple way to manage email inboxes for your side projects
44
Replies
Best
I think we can add up to 20 alias domain on a Gsuite account. As it starts at 4€/month, it's cheaper than your solution. Am I missing something?
@samuelroy_ This is what I was wondering too. My domains are mostly self-hosted but I just setup my first one on GSuite a little while ago, and my understanding was I could add a bunch of other domains/aliases?
Plus, you know, once you have GSuite for business you've basically got unlimited cloud storage because of that whole not-enforcing-the-quota thing.
@samuelroy_ with GSuite you can add up to 600 domains, unlimited email groups and still pay just for a single account $5/month... plus you have an API, native mobile experience etc.
@samuelroy_ Thanks for letting me know about this! I’ve used G Suite for a long time but I had always thought it was one domain per account. It looks like with a domain alias, you maintain the same inboxes as your primary domain but can receive emails from another domain. I just went through the process for adding a domain and I found it a bit complicated/there’s no clear separation between domains.
I’m not trying to replace G Suite, and it definitely has it’s place (I’m using it for Sidemail). When working on my other projects I needed a quick way to get the domain and a couple inboxes setup and this isn’t G Suites main focus.
@ethosventures bought up some great points on pricing and I’ll be adding a cheaper starter plan as well ($2/month for the first domain with unlimited inboxes). With G Suite the cost is per account, and this could add up if you're working with different people on different ideas.
Hey everyone! I had this idea back in the summer when launching Hue Match. I wanted simple email forwarding (which you can usually get included with a domain purchase), but I also wanted to be able to reply/send emails from those inboxes without showing my personal email.
Over the weekends I’ve been working on Sidemail as a simple solution. I have some ideas for future functionality but I wanted to make this version available as soon as possible.
Thanks for checking it out!
@jonalexr In what way is this better than Google G Suite, which is for $5/month per account, with up to 600 domains and unlimited email groups (aka distribution lists)?
@dohnalbohuslav I just commented below in response to @samuelroy_, hopefully that answers some questions about it 🙂
I have literally been looking for something just like this. I used to be the guy with 6 Google Apps accounts and even have a bunch grandfathered in from when they were still free.
Currently with a new domain I use Name Cheap built in forwarding for very simple stuff but it breaks once you chance your DNS. Recently I found https://forwardemail.net which is free but not a great user experience.
I think your project has tremendous value, BUT I will tell you I am initially turned off by the cost of entry. IMO you need a pricing tier for 1 domain that is either free or cheaper than Google Apps. By starting at $10/m you are asking me to pay double the cost Google Apps for a single side project. That means you are only targeting people who already run multiple side projects. However, we all know the cost of switching and reconfiguring DNS and email clients is a huge pain. I am not going to switch 2 working domains from Google to this ($10 v $10). I probably wouldn't switch 3 domains ($15 v $10 but a lot of cognitive overhead). Instead try to capture all the new side hustlers! You want the majority of people who get inspired by Product Hunt and start their first side project to sign up with you, with plans of growing to multiple projects. Make it a no-brainer by making my first domain free or ~$3/m. Then upgrade plans once the number of domains increases (1 for $3, 2 for $5, unlimited for $10). Now switching costs are on your side, not Google's. This way I pick Sidemail and keep it for life! Hope this helps, good luck!
@ethosventures @jonalexr Agree with suggestions. This makes it much more competitive.
@ethosventures Thanks for taking the time to give this feedback!
I agree with adding a starter tier, I'll go ahead and add a 1 domain for $2/month plan with unlimited inboxes for people getting started. I wanted to stay away from a free plan to make sure I'm working on something people would pay for and to prevent possible spam issues.
@jonalexr Awesome! I fully think you should get paid for the product and I know lots of plans adds complexity but this sounds like a good sweet spot. A free plan could also have very low limits like 100 emails per month. Regardless, at $2/m I am sold and will happily be your customer for at least one domain!
Really enjoy the idea. You are basically helping people that don't know how to setup Mailgun to do it apparently Hassle-Free. Sidemail seems like it can be a life saver for anyone else!
Keep up the good work!
Just purchased gsuite last night for a side project of mine, this looks great but gsuite is cheaper. $10/month is a little pricy for email. $10/mo is a netflix subscription and this is hardly that.
This used to be free earlier with Zoho mail + Thunderbird. Now that Zoho has limited POP/IMAP, this is going to useful
I have a GSuite and I don’t have or have found the limit to their mail forwarding rules inbound. For the smtp server to send mail you can use the same of your gmail account or any other provider as long as you allow, and properly configure, your DNS server’s spf and dmarc record. (8-{}). 🤐
Looks cool and cheaper than GSuite.
With that said, and I'm not trying to de-value the product, you can setup up as many domains as you'd like on GSuite account ($5/mo) as aliases - send and receive emails from those as well.
setting up a firewall separate email with new settings for your desktop and mobile phone and iPad... are a huge barrier to trying something out with proper branding, signatures and identity. This solves that problem in a snap
Pros:lowers the initial setup barrier to starting a test project
Cons:None
This is awesome. It's one of those things you don't realise you need or forget you need until you get to your next side project. Definitely gonna try it out this month. Thanks @jonalexr
This is an easy way to get started on a side project without wasting too much time. For those of you who don't know how to setup Shogun (they have a shitty interface) this tool comes in handy!
Pros:Easy to use and great design interface
Cons:Haven't used it enough to see if there are any bugs/inconsistencies. So far none.
I canceled my account 8 months ago and they keep charging me. There is no way other than email to contact them and they dont respond. I have sent at least 10 emails to them thus far. Very very bad support!!! Do not purchase this product!!!!!!!
This is great idea! I work at BCG and I always have some side projects/hustle on the go, gonna give this a try and let you know ;)
Nice idea. Love your story behind it.
Just a small note: when setting up a mailbox it gives me an smtp password. Luckily, I know what to do with it (how to add it to gmail), but maybe you should put up a small "what to do next" or "how to use this" tutorial. Could be as simple as animated GIF showing how to configure your gmail.
Sam
Pros:easy to set up
Cons:none
Looking at the smtp settings, you're basically building a wrapper around Mailgun. This significally lowers the risks for your project/product. Great thinking! I hope you don't run into any trouble with Mailgun.
Nice! I like the fact you can send from your personal mailbox without exposing your personal email address. 🤟 If you're like me an work on multiple projects at the same time, check out https://cuestartup.com/dmail a low cost, full features email host for developers.
Invoice generator