Free business email in the Philippines: name@yourbusiness.ph or .com

Filipino businesses run on Facebook pages, Viber, GCash and a Gmail address. That is fine for a sari-sari-scale operation, but a VA agency pitching US clients, a Shopee seller going wholesale or a Cebu travel agency needs name@yourbusiness.ph or .com. Here is the setup, including how to do it with no credit card.

Quick answer

Register a .ph or .com.ph (or a .com) domain, create a free OquMail workspace, add the domain, paste four DNS records, create mailboxes. The email hosting is free with no card, which matters because many Filipino owners rely on GCash, Maya or a debit card that is not enabled for international subscriptions.

Domain choice in the Philippines

The .ph domain is run by dotPH and is open to anyone, local or foreign, with no documents. Businesses use .com.ph or the shorter .ph; both are sold by dotPH directly and by resellers, and local hosting companies often accept GCash or bank deposit. A .com is at least as common among Philippine businesses, particularly BPO, VA and freelance agencies whose clients are in the US and Australia.

• .ph: short, open to anyone; increasingly used by local brands
• .com.ph: the traditional business ending; still widely recognised
• .com: standard for agencies serving overseas clients; register through a local reseller if you need to pay in pesos
• Check the registrar lets you edit DNS yourself; a few resellers only change records by ticket

Why clients trust a domain address in the Philippines

Virtual assistant agencies and freelancers compete with thousands of others for US and Australian clients, and a proposal from maria@youragency.ph is read differently from one sent from a Gmail. Locally, corporate clients, banks opening a business account, and BIR-registered invoicing all favour a company address. Online sellers moving from Shopee and Lazada to wholesale or corporate orders find that procurement staff simply will not process a purchase order to a personal address.

Step by step

1. Register the domain with dotPH, a local reseller or an international registrar, depending on how you can pay.
2. Create a free OquMail workspace at oqumail.com. There is no card step.
3. Add the domain in the dashboard and copy the four DNS records.
4. In the registrar’s DNS panel add the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. If the reseller manages DNS, send all four values in one ticket.
5. Click Verify. The live DNS check shows which record is still missing.
6. Create mailboxes: info@, sales@, and one per VA or staff member, up to 15.
7. Send a test from webmail, then add the account to Outlook, Apple Mail or the Gmail app with the settings below.

The four DNS records OquMail needs

Local hosts usually run cPanel; these go in Zone Editor. Delete the placeholder MX and make sure only one TXT starts with v=spf1. On Cloudflare, keep MX and TXT unproxied.

• MX — host @, value mail.oqumail.com, priority 10
• SPF (TXT at @) — v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all
• DKIM (TXT at your selector ._domainkey) — v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… (the exact key is shown in your OquMail dashboard)
• DMARC (TXT at _dmarc) — v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com

OquMail connection settings

• Incoming (IMAP): mail.oqumail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS
• Outgoing (SMTP): mail.oqumail.com, port 587, STARTTLS
• Username: your full email address (you@yourdomain.com)
• Password: the same password you use for OquMail webmail

Paying for it

The domain is a yearly fee, payable in pesos through a local reseller if your card does not work abroad. The email is free and has no card step: OquMail's free plan includes 15 mailboxes, 3 domains, 5 GB per mailbox, webmail, IMAP/SMTP, delivery logs and a send API. That removes the monthly dollar charge that makes Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 awkward for many small Philippine businesses.

Pitfalls specific to the Philippines

• Bundled hosting email with no DKIM and a shared IP: proposals to US clients land in spam. Check OquMail’s delivery log after your first sends.
• PLDT, Globe and Smart connections often block outbound port 25. Use port 587 with STARTTLS everywhere.
• Choosing SSL on port 587 in Outlook. Pick STARTTLS.
• Keeping a Gmail on the Facebook page and OnlineJobs.ph profile after the domain is live. Update every profile so replies reach the business mailbox.
• Typhoon-season outages: keep the mailbox on your phone as well as your laptop, and use webmail from any connection.

Common questions

Is .ph better than .com for a VA agency?

For overseas clients, .com is the safer default; .ph is fine and signals where you are. Many agencies hold both on one OquMail workspace and send from .com.

Can several VAs share one inbox?

Yes. IMAP keeps a shared mailbox such as support@ in sync across devices, and each person can also have their own address.

Is the free plan limited?

15 mailboxes, 3 domains and 5 GB per mailbox, with no expiry and no card.