Price, trial and what to check before buying
Namecheap's Private Email site advertises the service as free for 30 days and lists webmail, IMAP, POP3 and SMTP access, a built-in calendar, spam filtering and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. [5] That page does not list plan names or prices, so this guide does not quote prices or mailbox and storage limits. Check the plan, mailbox count, storage and renewal price at checkout before you buy.
Mailbox capacity is set per subscription. In the Private Email panel, the Create Mailbox button changes to Buy Mailbox when you have no free slot, and storage is chosen per mailbox when you create it. [4] That means adding a teammate later can be an extra purchase rather than a setting.
Create the first mailbox
- Sign in to Namecheap and open Dashboard from the account menu. [4]
- In the Private Email section, open the management page for the domain with the subscription. [4]
- Click Create Mailbox; if it reads Buy Mailbox, you need an extra slot first. [4]
- Enter the mailbox name, a password and a storage amount, then save. [4]
- Use the Login button next to the new mailbox to open webmail and confirm you can sign in before touching any app. [4]
DNS records: automatic or manual
Who adds the records depends on which nameservers your domain uses. Namecheap's DKIM article says the DKIM record should be configured automatically on BasicDNS, but its copy-the-record section also tells BasicDNS and PremiumDNS users to add it manually in the Namecheap account; on Web Hosting DNS it goes in cPanel, and on third-party nameservers at your DNS provider. [3] Treat automatic setup as something to confirm, not assume. Its DNS settings article tells anyone on third-party DNS to have the full record set added at their DNS provider, and mentions an alternative TXT verification method available by contacting support. [1]
Whatever the setup, check the zone against the table below. The MX, SPF and DKIM rows carry mail delivery and authentication; the CNAME and SRV rows are optional conveniences that help apps configure themselves. [1]
| Type | Host | Value | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| MX | @ | mx1.privateemail.com, priority 10 [1] | Yes |
| MX | @ | mx2.privateemail.com, priority 10 [1] | Yes |
| TXT (SPF) | @ | v=spf1 include:spf.privateemail.com ~all [1] | Yes |
| TXT (DKIM) | privateemail._domainkey (default._domainkey before June 2, 2026) | Generated value starting v=DKIM1;k=rsa;p= [3] | Yes; Namecheap calls DKIM essential [3] |
| TXT (DMARC) | _dmarc | v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected] [1] | Recommended [1] [3] |
| CNAME | privateemail.com | Optional; webmail shortcut [1] | |
| CNAME | autodiscover and autoconfig | privateemail.com | Optional; app auto-setup [1] |
| SRV | _autodiscover._tcp | 0 0 443 privateemail.com | Optional [1] |
SPF, DKIM and DMARC done properly
SPF: if your domain already has an SPF record, for example from a newsletter platform, do not add a second one. RFC 7208 says a domain must not have multiple SPF records, a second one produces a permerror, and the include, a, mx, ptr and exists mechanisms plus the redirect modifier are together limited to 10 DNS lookups. [6] Merge instead: v=spf1 include:spf.privateemail.com include:yourplatform.example ~all.
DKIM: open Private Email, click Manage next to the domain, and click Generate under DKIM; for an existing key, use Show DKIM. Add it as a TXT record with the value entered without brackets or quotes. [3] Namecheap says changes take up to 60 minutes, and suggests checking with Google's Dig tool for a TXT lookup on privateemail._domainkey.yourdomain.com or sending a test to a mail-testing service. [3]
DMARC: Namecheap's suggested starting record is p=none with aggregate reports to a postmaster address. [1] Leave it at p=none until reports show all your legitimate senders passing, then tighten it.
App settings for phone and desktop
Namecheap says the server name is mail.privateemail.com and should not be changed, that only encrypted connections are accepted, and that outgoing server authentication must be turned on while SPA (secure password authentication) must be off. [2] The password is the mailbox's master password or an application password. [2]
| Setting | Value per Namecheap [2] |
|---|---|
| Incoming server | mail.privateemail.com |
| IMAP | Port 993 SSL, or 143 TLS/STARTTLS |
| POP3 | Port 995 SSL |
| Outgoing server (SMTP) | mail.privateemail.com, port 465 SSL, or 587 TLS/STARTTLS |
| Username | Full email address |
| Password | Mailbox password or application password |
| Outgoing authentication | On, same as incoming |
| SPA | Off |
Phone and desktop setup checklist
- Choose IMAP, not POP3, if you read mail on more than one device; IMAP keeps folders in sync on the server.
- On iPhone or Android, pick Other or manual setup rather than a named provider, and type both server names as mail.privateemail.com. [2]
- If the app asks for SSL, use 993 incoming and 465 outgoing; if it offers STARTTLS, use 143 and 587. [2]
- Enter the full address as username on both incoming and outgoing screens. [2]
- In Outlook or Apple Mail on desktop, confirm outgoing authentication is on and SPA is off. [2]
- Send a message to a Gmail address, open it, and use Show original to confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC say PASS.
- Reply from Gmail and confirm the reply arrives in all your devices.
Common problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Mail not arriving at the new mailbox | Old MX records still present or not yet expired | Remove old MX rows so only the two privateemail.com MX listed by Namecheap remain |
| Outgoing mail lands in spam | DKIM missing or SPF not including spf.privateemail.com | Generate DKIM, merge SPF [3] [6] |
| DKIM check finds nothing | Wrong selector host for your subscription age | Use Show DKIM for the exact host [3] |
| App cannot send | Outgoing authentication off or SPA on | Turn authentication on, SPA off [2] |
| Connection refused in app | Unencrypted port or wrong server name | Use mail.privateemail.com with 993/465 or 143/587 [2] |
| Create Mailbox button reads Buy Mailbox | No free mailbox slot on the subscription | Order an extra mailbox [4] |
Questions before you decide
What are the Namecheap Private Email IMAP and SMTP settings?
Server mail.privateemail.com for both. IMAP port 993 with SSL or 143 with STARTTLS; POP3 port 995 with SSL; SMTP port 465 with SSL or 587 with STARTTLS. Username is the full email address, outgoing authentication on, SPA off.
Is the DKIM host default._domainkey or privateemail._domainkey?
Namecheap says new subscriptions use privateemail._domainkey. Subscriptions purchased before June 2, 2026 use default._domainkey. Copy the host shown under Show DKIM in your Private Email panel.
I already have an SPF record. Do I add a second one?
No. RFC 7208 says a domain must not have multiple SPF records, and a second record produces a permanent error. Add include:spf.privateemail.com to your existing record instead.
How much does Private Email cost?
Namecheap's Private Email site says the service is free for 30 days but does not list plan names or prices. Check the plan, mailbox count, storage and renewal price at checkout before you commit.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Namecheap Knowledgebase: DNS settings for Private Email service Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Namecheap Knowledgebase: General Private Email configuration for mail clients and mobile devices Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Namecheap Knowledgebase: How to set up a DKIM record for Private Email Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Namecheap Knowledgebase: How to create a Namecheap Private Email mailbox Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Namecheap Private Email Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.