What are the main domain names used by large free email providers and ISPs?

11 Marketer opinions 5 Expert opinions 5 Technical articles 3 Resources

Summary

Identifying the main domain names used by large free email providers and ISPs involves recognizing major players and understanding their specific domains. Google uses gmail.com and googlemail.com, while Microsoft employs outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, and msn.com. Apple's primary domains are icloud.com, me.com, and mac.com. ISPs like Comcast (comcast.net) and Verizon (verizon.net) utilize their own domains. Resources like Spam Resource offer domain guides, and some older domains like rr.com remain active. It's crucial to note that Spectrum represents Charter, similar to Xfinity for Comcast. International domains like qq.com (China), mail.ru (Russia), and gmx.net (Germany) also play a role. However, it is important to note that scraping or parsing domain names is risky because they frequently change, and instead it is better to rely on Email validation services to assist in email domain identification.

Key findings

Major Providers: Google, Microsoft, and Apple have distinct email domains.
ISP Specifics: ISPs like Comcast and Verizon use their own domain names.
Domain Guides: Resources such as Spam Resource provide domain guides.
Legacy Domains: Some older domains, like rr.com, remain active.
Brand Relationships: Spectrum represents Charter, and Xfinity represents Comcast.
International Presence: Domains like qq.com, mail.ru, and gmx.net are significant internationally.
Dynamic Domains: Domain usage changes; scraping or parsing them is risky.
Commercial Validation: Commercial Email validation services are beneficial for domain identification.

Key considerations

Accuracy Challenges: Maintaining accurate domain lists requires continuous updates.
Domain Consolidation: Providers sometimes consolidate domains.
Risk in Scraping: Be careful when scraping or parsing domains.
Validation Services: Consider using an email validation service.

What email marketers say
11Marketer opinions

Identifying the main domain names used by large free email providers and ISPs is crucial for email marketing and deliverability. Major providers like Google (gmail.com, googlemail.com), Microsoft (hotmail.com, live.com, outlook.com), and Yahoo (yahoo.com, ymail.com) are widely used. Additionally, ISPs such as Comcast (comcast.net), Verizon (verizon.net), and AT&T (att.net) utilize their own domain names. International providers like qq.com (China), mail.ru (Russia), and gmx.net (Germany) also have significant presence. Spectrum is a brand name for Charter, and Xfinity is for Comcast. Domain usage can change, making monitoring necessary. Commercial validation services can help with domain identification. Be cautious when scraping domains because they can and do change without notice, leading to reliance on inaccurate data.

Key opinions

Major Providers: Google (gmail.com), Microsoft (hotmail.com, live.com, outlook.com), and Yahoo (yahoo.com, ymail.com) are key players.
ISP Domains: Comcast (comcast.net), Verizon (verizon.net), and AT&T (att.net) use their own domains.
International Domains: qq.com (China), mail.ru (Russia), and gmx.net (Germany) are significant internationally.
Brand Names: Spectrum is a brand name for Charter, and Xfinity is for Comcast.
Dynamic Nature: Domain usage can change, requiring continuous monitoring.
Validation Services: Email validation services can help identify email domains.

Key considerations

Domain Changes: Domain names and usage can change, requiring vigilance.
Comprehensive Lists: Maintaining a comprehensive list requires constant updates and validation.
Commercial Validation: Commercial validation services are useful for keeping domain lists updated.
Scraping domains: Be cautious when scraping domains because they can change without notice.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Tech Forum notes that many ISPs use their own domain names for email services, such as comcast.net (Comcast), verizon.net (Verizon), and att.net (AT&T).

June 2021 - Tech Forum

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Hippo states that there are many email domains and to see them all, you would need an email validation service.

January 2025 - Email Hippo

Marketer view

Email marketer from Github provides a comprehensive list of domain names used by various email providers, including Google (gmail.com, googlemail.com), Microsoft (hotmail.com, live.com, outlook.com), Yahoo (yahoo.com, ymail.com), and others.

September 2022 - GitHub

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares a code snippet to identify consumer email domains from Google, Microsoft, Oath, United Online, Cox, Earthlink, Comcast, Apple, Chinese providers, AT&T, CenturyLink, Zoho and Charter.

August 2021 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks refers to Al Iverson's helpful list regarding Microsoft, AOL, and Gmail domains: <https://www.spamresource.com/2021/09/reference-magy-microsoft-aol-gmail.html>

August 2023 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Kickbox states that there are so many domains and more constantly being created and suggests they maintain a list of temporary domains to help their customers in their documentation.

June 2022 - Kickbox

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks Forum mentions that in addition to major providers, some popular international domains include qq.com (China), mail.ru (Russia), and gmx.net (Germany).

January 2022 - Email Geeks Forum

Marketer view

Email marketer from Spam Resource shares that Microsoft uses hotmail.com, live.com and outlook.com; AOL uses aol.com, and Verizon.net and Yahoo uses yahoo.com

January 2022 - Spam Resource

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks states that Spectrum is the brand name for Charter, similar to how Xfinity is the brand name for Comcast.

January 2024 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit points out that AOL still uses aol.com, and Yahoo uses yahoo.com and ymail.com, though their popularity has decreased over time.

February 2024 - Reddit

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that popular domains include gmail.com, yahoo.com, outlook.com, and for ISPs, comcast.net and verizon.net are common.

June 2024 - Reddit

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Identifying domain names used by large providers and ISPs requires ongoing attention to detail and awareness of potential changes. Resources like Spam Resource offer domain guides. Several rr.com domains remain active. Spectrum webmail consolidates various older ISP domains (roadrunner.com, rr.com, twc.com, brighthouse.com). Comcast differentiates between comcast.net (customer emails) and comcast.com (corporate). Scraping or parsing these domains is cautioned against due to their dynamic nature and potential for inaccuracy.

Key opinions

Domain Guides: Spam Resource offers domain guides.
Active rr.com Domains: Several rr.com domains remain active.
Spectrum Webmail: Spectrum webmail encompasses roadrunner.com, rr.com, twc.com, and brighthouse.com.
Comcast Domains: comcast.net is for customer emails; comcast.com is for corporate use.
Dynamic Domains: Domain names and usage can change frequently.

Key considerations

Accuracy: Scraped or parsed domain lists may quickly become inaccurate.
Domain Monitoring: Regular monitoring is crucial to ensure domain lists remain up-to-date.
Domain Consolidation: Major providers sometimes consolidate domains, requiring understanding of these changes.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks references Spectrum webmail, stating that it's for former Time Warner Cable and BrightHouse customers, allowing access to roadrunner.com, rr.com, twc.com and brighthouse.com email.

November 2023 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks confirms that many rr.com domains are still active and answering.

December 2024 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise recommends to be very careful in scraping or parsing domains from email providers because their usage can change without notice and cause problems for systems relying on those results.

May 2022 - Word to the Wise

Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource details the difference between Comcast's domains, clarifying that comcast.net is for customer emails, while comcast.com is primarily for corporate use.

July 2022 - Spam Resource

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks provides a link to a series of domain guides, tagged as ispdomains: <https://www.spamresource.com/search/label/ispdomains>

July 2024 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Major free email providers and ISPs utilize specific domain names for their services. Google's Gmail employs gmail.com and googlemail.com. Microsoft uses outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, and msn.com. Apple's iCloud operates primarily on icloud.com, me.com, and mac.com. For ISPs, Comcast subscribers use comcast.net, and Verizon customers use verizon.net.

Key findings

Gmail Domains: Gmail uses gmail.com and googlemail.com.
Microsoft Domains: Microsoft uses outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, and msn.com.
Apple Domains: Apple uses icloud.com, me.com, and mac.com.
Comcast Domain: Comcast subscribers use comcast.net.
Verizon Domain: Verizon customers use verizon.net.

Key considerations

Provider Specific: Domain names are provider-specific, reflecting their brand and infrastructure.
Official Sources: Official documentation provides reliable information on domain usage.
User Base: These domains represent a substantial user base, crucial for broad email campaigns.

Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that Gmail uses domains such as gmail.com and googlemail.com.

July 2021 - Google Workspace Admin Help

Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Support shares that Microsoft uses outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, and msn.com as their main free email domains.

March 2021 - Microsoft Support

Technical article

Documentation from Apple Support details that Apple primarily uses icloud.com, me.com, and mac.com for its email services.

February 2025 - Apple Support

Technical article

Documentation from Comcast Help confirms that comcast.net is the primary email domain used for Comcast subscribers.

July 2021 - Comcast Help