You **can** get a **free** Google account **with** a custom domain **without** Google Apps.  
In order to do this, you must already be able to receive emails on your domain.

1. Set up mail forwarding for your existing email address / gmail address.
   - If you run an own SMTP server, this can usually be done by adding your main email address (e.g. `[email protected]`) to a `.forward` file in your home directory, `~/.forward`.
   - If you are not operating your own email server, look for any setting that looks like mail forwarding.
2. Create a new Google account for your custom domain. 
   1. **Google Homepage -> Sign In -> Create an Account -> "I prefer to use my current email address"** -> https://accounts.google.com/SignUpWithoutGmail?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

   2. Now, put your desired address in the box.
     [![][2]](https://accounts.google.com/SignUpWithoutGmail?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F)

   3. Click on "Next step".

   4. A verification email will be sent to your SMTP server. Paste the link from the email in your browser.

   5. You now have a (free) **Google account for a custom domain**.

  This Google account can be used to log in to any Google product, **except for Gmail**.  
  If you want to use Gmail for your custom d

3. Log in to your Gmail account (**different from the account you just created**). Take care to not "accidentally" create a new Gmail account for your current account, because otherwise your custom domain will become an alias, and the new Gmail account will be your primary address ([more info][3]). If you don't have an existing Gmail account, register a new Google account.

4. Go to Settings -> Accounts -> **Add another email address.** and follow the steps to register an account (see [**Sending** mail from a different address][4] at Gmail Help for more details).

5. From now on, at your primary Gmail account you will have the option to send mail from your custom domain:

  ![][6]

  If you wish, you can set this domain as your default at (Gmail) Settings -> Accounts. By doing that, you will effectively be using Gmail to send/receive email with your custom domain, even though your Gmail log in details are different.

  [1]: https://github.com/andris9/simplesmtp
  [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/YeoqB.png
  [3]: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/176347
  [4]: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22370
  [5]: https://support.google.com/a/answer/174125
  [6]: https://i.sstatic.net/xVSNh.png