The EmbedMyReviews Free Email Service is the fastest way to start sending without creating any external provider account or adding API keys. It is built for agencies that want to get moving immediately.
It is convenient, but it is not the same as a full white-label sending setup. The sender address is fixed, the infrastructure is shared, and the delivery tooling is lighter than what you get with a serious BYOK provider.
What the free email service is
The platform includes a built-in email service that can handle both transactional email and agency-managed campaign email without requiring any external email account.
Behind the scenes the sending runs through managed infrastructure, which means the agency does not need to configure a third-party provider, webhooks, or credentials to get started.
Who it is for
- Agencies that want to start sending immediately with zero external setup
- Agencies testing the platform before committing to a provider strategy
- Lower-volume setups where a fixed sender address is acceptable
- Agencies that want a simple backup alongside a primary BYOK provider
It is not the best fit when the email needs to come from your own domain, when white-label presentation matters heavily, or when delivery analytics and bounce tooling are operational requirements.
Key details and caveats
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Sender address | Always [email protected] and cannot be changed |
| Sender name | Customisable |
| Reply-to address | Customisable |
| Custom domains | Not supported |
| Open and click tracking | Not available |
| Bounce and spam feedback | No automatic webhook-based feedback |
| Infrastructure | Shared across users of the service |
| White-label depth | Not full white-label because the sender domain stays reviews.email |
| Availability | Subject to provider availability |
How credits and plan limits work here
This is the part agencies often get wrong. The free email service does not create a separate provider billing charge, but normal agency-managed review request invite emails still follow the customer custom-plan email limit.
That means the lack of per-email provider cost is not the same thing as unlimited invite sending. If a customer plan runs out of email limit, invite emails can still fail even though the free email provider itself is configured properly.
- Transactional emails do not consume campaign invite credits
- Normal agency-managed review request invite emails still consume the customer plan email limit
- The main exception remains customer-owned Gmail or Outlook sending from inside the customer account
- The free service removes external provider billing, not the agency's own custom-plan guardrails
Requirements before setup
The built-in free provider requires an active paid subscription. It is not available during the free trial.
If the account is still on trial, the setup flow should show an upgrade gate before the provider can be activated.
How to set it up
Go to `Settings -> Email Providers`, click `Add Email Provider`, choose `EmbedMyReviews`, give it a provider name, and continue into the setup wizard.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Create the provider | Choose EmbedMyReviews from the provider list and name it |
| Configure sender details | Review the locked from address, set the from name and reply-to, and accept the confirmation checkbox |
| Review summary | Confirm the setup is marked ready to use |
What happens after setup
- The provider becomes available for campaign email sending
- If it is your first email provider, it can become the default
- You can edit the sender name and reply-to later
- It can also act as the Tier 3 agency default in the 3-tier email routing system
How it fits into the 3-tier email system
If the free email service is set as the agency default, it becomes the fallback sender when there is no customer-owned mailbox and no organization-specific provider assignment.
- Tier 1: customer-owned Gmail or Outlook
- Tier 2: organization-assigned provider
- Tier 3: agency default provider, which can be the free service
Free service vs BYOK providers
| Feature | Free email service | BYOK provider |
|---|---|---|
| Provider cost | No separate provider billing | You pay the provider directly |
| Sender address | Locked to [email protected] | Your own domain or sender |
| Sender name | Customisable | Customisable |
| Reply-to | Customisable | Customisable |
| Custom domains | Not supported | Supported on stronger API-based providers |
| White-label depth | No | Yes |
| Open and click tracking | Not available | Often available |
| Bounce and spam feedback | Not available | Usually automated through webhooks |
| Deliverability control | Shared infrastructure | Your own reputation and setup |
| Setup time | Very fast | Usually 10 to 30 minutes |