Do I need email addresses on my own domain, or can I keep using @gmail.com?

A free @gmail.com address technically works - until it matters. Three problems compound as you grow. First, trust and deliverability: business mail systems and spam filters treat mail from personal free accounts more skeptically, and customers comparing quotes notice the difference between [email protected] and [email protected]. Second, control: with personal accounts there's no central administration - you can't enforce security, can't access mail when an employee leaves or is out sick, and if the person who owns the account departs on bad terms, the address (and every customer thread in it) departs with them. Third, continuity: your customer relationships live in that mailbox, and the business doesn't own it.

Business email on your own domain - typically Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace - fixes all three: every mailbox belongs to the company, security policies (like MFA) apply to everyone, departures are handled by resetting one account instead of losing history, and your addresses build your brand instead of Google's.

The migration worry is usually overblown: existing mail, contacts, and calendars move over, the old address can forward during transition, and a competent provider does this routinely with little or no downtime. If you're using free addresses today, this is one of the highest-return, lowest-risk upgrades a small business can make.