Alternaive to Fastmail (using a custom email domain)

2 points by chiefalchemist ↗ HN
I've been wanting to ditch Gmail for too long now. In the context of privacy, I had seen FastMail mentioned a number of times on HN and by all accounts it looked good from the outside. One of the key must-haves for me is the ability to use a custom email domain. FM has that. Great!

Note: My needs are only for me. There are no other team members - at least not at this time.

Unfortunately, I've run into a couple of things with FM that for me make it a bad fit.

1) I've set up my custom domain and have an address, me@my-domain.com. Unfortunately, in the FM email client - web and mobile - the default send from is always me@fastmail.com, and I have to manually switch the send from to me@my-custom-domain.com.

Since I'm using this for professional purposes, this is annoying and a deal breaker. I don't want to sending from me@fastmail.com *at all*. At the very least, if I'm using my own custom domain why wouldn't that be the default? Bad product design?

2) Along the same lines, apparently there's no way to "decouple" me@fastmail.com from me@my-custom-domain.com. That is, to get to me@my-custom-domain.com I have to log into me@fastmail.com. But that means - on web and mobile. - my admin "stuff" is readily available.

I would prefer it if my me@my-custom-domain.com had its own password just for email, and that if I need to switch into me@fastmail.com to do something "admin-y" there's at least a "please re-enter your password" or "please enter your admin pin". Something to prevent mistake. Something to add a bit of sec in the case, say, I lose my mobile device and someone guesses my PIN (or whatever).

As far as I can tell, the only way to get the "decoupling" effect would be to have two @fastmail.com accounts both on the $50 tier. But even so, as far as I can tell, I'm still stuck w/ their email client defaulting to @fastmail.com instead of @my-custom-domain.com - which just boggle my mind that something THAT simple isn't possible.

I want privacy.

But I also want some sense of security.

And some sense of UX.

Thanks.

6 comments

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Have you reached out to FM support? I have one $50 account at my custom domain and neither of those problems are issues for me at all. It always defaults to my custom domain, and I log in with my custom domain as well. I have several other aliases and domains that I can use as well, but those are not the default (and I've never used the @fastmail domain).

Support has always been very responsive in my experience. I'd try them first.

I have some email into them, yes. I've been in the FM UI for the last X hours trying different settings, etc.

I don't see where / how I can make the @my-custom-domain.com email the default.

I don't see where I can set a different PW for that same email. Or do I use the same PW for the @fastmail.com address I used to "open" the account?

I also have registered 2 domains for the same account and I have no issues.

I also can't seem to find a fastmail.com domain registered for my account (I know it's probably a default one but I don't see it in my "Domains" settings page).

To change your default "From" address, go to: Settings -> Signatures & Compose -> Compose options and it's the very first setting at the top. (Direct link: https://app.fastmail.com/settings/sending/composing).

You always use your username for authentication. (But it's not special other than that; you can send from any of your addresses equally.) You can rename your user to your address at the custom domain in Settings -> Team & Sharing -> User management. (Direct link: https://app.fastmail.com/settings/team/users).

Thanks.

Ah. I didn't think to look there. I was looking for a setting in the UI for the particular address.

I'll check this now.

Tho' I still don't like the idea that the email I'm using is auth'ed with my FM admin address. Meaning I'm also logged in as admin even tho I only want to be limited to using my custom domian email - nothing more, nothing less.

You can make you your custom domain your account address and just delete the Fastmail address if you want.