If you’re reading this, you probably want to know how to send bulk emails from Gmail for free.
You’re in the right place. We’ll show you how to do it step by step, quickly and easily, so you can email your contacts without problems. We’ll also explain the limits you’ll run into and when it makes sense to switch to a dedicated tool.
First things first: sending bulk emails with Gmail.
What does sending bulk email with Gmail mean?
Basically, it means sending the same email to lots of people at once using Gmail.
Sounds good, right? And it is… up to a point.
A free Gmail account lets you send up to 500 emails a day, which may be fine if you have a small contact list. But if you want to do email marketing seriously, that’s where the problems start.
Gmail isn’t designed for professional bulk sending. It doesn’t give you statistics, you can’t automate sends and, worst of all, your emails are more likely to end up in the spam folder.
Google sets this limit to prevent mass spam, which is understandable. But if your business grows and you need to send more emails, you’ll hit that wall.
If you want to run proper email marketing campaigns, with open and click tracking and more attractive designs, you’re better off using a platform like Mailrelay.
Can you send bulk emails with Gmail?
As we’ve said, sending bulk emails with Gmail is possible, but only up to a point. Gmail is a general-purpose email service, not a professional sending tool like Mailrelay, which is designed for sending bulk emails, newsletters and campaigns at scale.
Using Gmail doesn’t make you any less professional: professionalism doesn’t depend on the platform you use. What matters is that whatever you use to send your emails fits your needs, is easy to use and doesn’t take up too much of your time.
How to send bulk emails with Gmail: step by step
If you still want to use Gmail, here’s how:
1. Sign in to your Gmail account
Or create one if you don’t have one yet.
2. Click “Compose”
It’s the button at the top left. This opens a new message where you can write your email, including the subject line and body.
3. Add your recipients in the “Bcc” field
Click “Bcc” and add the addresses you want to send to. You can also type the name of a contact group (label) you’ve created in Google Contacts to add all its members at once. Always use Bcc rather than “To” or “Cc”, so recipients can’t see each other’s addresses.
4. Review the list and remove anyone you don’t want to include
You’ll see every contact you’ve added. You don’t have to send to all of them: you can remove anyone who shouldn’t receive the email before clicking “Send”.
As you can see, the process is simple. What can complicate it is a badly organized contact list, so:
5. We strongly recommend keeping your contacts well organized
How many emails can I send with Gmail?
If your business is small or you don’t have many contacts, you shouldn’t have a problem. But if you regularly need to send newsletters or emails to more than 500 contacts, you could run into trouble. With Google Workspace the limit goes up to 2,000 messages a day.
So the question is: what should I do if I hit this limit?
The answer is simple: use an email platform built for marketing, such as free bulk email software.
Disadvantages of sending bulk emails with Gmail
Yes, it’s free and easy to use, but it has several limitations that can make life harder as your contact list grows.
🔴 You can only send 500 emails a day
If your database is bigger than that, you’ll have to split your sends over several days, which can be a headache. With Google Workspace the limit rises to 2,000, but if you need more, a dedicated platform is the better option.
🚫 High risk of your emails ending up in spam
Gmail isn’t built for mass campaigns, and if you send lots of emails at once, receiving servers may flag them as spam, increasing your spam rate.
Also, using an @gmail.com address for business doesn’t look very professional.
🤷♂️ Limited personalization
Personalizing each email in Gmail is cumbersome compared with email marketing tools, which let you automate and segment easily.
📩 No automation
Gmail only lets you schedule sends. You can’t create automated sequences, reply to customers automatically or send follow-ups without doing it manually.
🎨 Very basic design options
If you want to send professionally designed emails, you’ll need external tools or extensions, because Gmail’s editor is very limited.
Alternatives to sending bulk emails with Gmail
As you probably know, email marketing is simply sending emails to potential or existing customers. A newsletter showcasing new products or services, for example, is email marketing.
You’ve surely received emails from a store where you’ve bought before, announcing sales or offering discounts. That’s email marketing too.
With that in mind, you probably already have an idea of the type of platform you need. If you don’t exceed Gmail’s daily limit and prefer to keep sending for free, Gmail can be your best friend. Otherwise, here are some email marketing platforms you can use:
1. Mailrelay
2. Brevo
3. Mailchimp
4. Acumbamail
5. Mailjet
To find out which tool best suits your needs, we have a couple of comparisons here and here.
Email marketing is one of the best ways to win and keep customers, because you can share your news with them and build relationships that lead to future purchases or partnerships. We understand that budgets are tight, but a small investment often pays for itself in results.
With Gmail you can send emails for free, but if your business grows you’ll need to rethink which platform you use.
Something else to keep in mind: bulk emails sent from Gmail don’t have the domain authentication (SPF, DKIM) that email marketing platforms set up for your own domain. In other words, emails sent in bulk from Gmail are more likely to be flagged as spam.
We don’t want to put you off Gmail. To get started, it’s the simplest and cheapest option, and you’ll always have time to switch platforms later if your business grows.
Benefits of using a bulk email tool instead of Gmail
Specialized tools like Mailrelay don’t just make life easier: they help you improve the deliverability, personalization and automation of your campaigns.
Here are some reasons why it’s worth it:
📩 Your emails reach the inbox (not spam)
With Gmail, bulk sends are more likely to end up in spam. Mailrelay, on the other hand, uses authentication protocols such as SPF and DKIM to improve deliverability and make sure your emails reach their recipients.
📊 Real-time statistics
Want to know how many people open your emails or click your links?
With Gmail, that’s impossible. Mailrelay gives you detailed statistics so you can measure the impact of each campaign and improve your strategy.
✅ Compliance with data protection rules
Regulations such as the GDPR require subscribers to give consent and to be able to unsubscribe easily.
With Mailrelay, this process is automatic: it manages unsubscribes and removes invalid contacts, so you don’t have to do it by hand.
🎨 Professional designs without the hassle
If you want your emails to look great, Gmail falls short.
Mailrelay lets you create emails with customizable templates and an editor that requires no technical knowledge.
🎯 Smart segmentation for more impact
You can segment your contacts by interests, purchase history or previous interactions.
That way, everyone receives a relevant message, increasing open and conversion rates.
🧑🤝🧑 Advanced personalization
You can even include dynamic content based on each subscriber’s profile, strengthening the connection with your customers.
⏳ Automation that saves you time
With Gmail, everything is manual. With Mailrelay, you can schedule automatic welcome emails, reminders or promotions without lifting a finger.
🛠 A/B testing and continuous optimization
Mailrelay lets you run A/B tests to compare versions of an email and find out which one works best.
It also includes artificial intelligence features to improve the results of each campaign.
💰 It doesn’t have to cost you anything
Mailrelay offers a free account you can create and use for as long as you like, with a much higher free sending volume than Gmail.
If you want to see all the differences in detail, we have a full comparison between Gmail and Mailrelay.
If money isn’t the issue, why not use a more suitable tool?
