Is it possible to use a custom domain with gmail, but without google apps?

Question

Is there any way to use a custom domain in gmail without having a google apps account?

I have configured my domain to use

MX 3600 1 ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
MX 3600 5 ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
MX 3600 5 ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
MX 3600 10 ASPMX2.GOOGLEMAIL.COM.
MX 3600 10 ASPMX3.GOOGLEMAIL.COM.

And when using nslookup -q=mx ** everything looks fine.

But when i go into gmail and add a additional "send as email" account, and try to send the verification mail i get a "Delivery Status Notification (Failure)"

Technical details of permanent failure:
 Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the server for the recipient domain ** by aspmx.l.google.com. **.

 The error that the other server returned was:
 550-5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try
 550-5.1.1 double-checking the recipient's email address for typos or
 550-5.1.1 unnecessary spaces. Learn more at
 550 5.1.1 http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?answer=6596 ww9si26275800igb.7 - gsmtp

Google apps is not free any more, so thats why i don't want to use it.

Answer 1

Well, no you can't do that.

Short answer: Either you find some other free mail service like outlook.com for your domain or you create a mailbox elsewhere and forward to your gmail inbox.

Long answer: If you want to use your own domain with standard gmail, you have to create the email address and mailbox elsewhere and then forward those emails to your Google inbox or access them through POP3.

Simply pointing your MX to Google does nothing because Google is not set up to receive mails directed at your domain. It takes both: Setting the MX records and letting google know that it is the recipient of your MX records. This is what you do in Google Apps Control Panel when you sign of with your domain.

Since google won't let you do that with a standard gmail account, it's not possible.

Answer 2

Alternatively, depending on what you are trying to achieve, you could do one of the following:

1. Create a Google Apps account, but disable all of the services you don't want. If you want to use the domain for other things (another web server, etc.), you can get full access to the DNS and set that stuff up yourself.

or...

1. Set up your own mail server, but have it bounce all your messages to your normal gmail account as they come in. It could do this via "bounce" functionality (like Pine), or by connecting via IMAP and inserting the messages, etc. It might take a little script magic, but it's certainly not impossible.