THOMAS EDGAR

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email identity field guide

BIMI:
FREE OR
PAID?

You can publish BIMI for free. That doesn't mean every inbox will show your logo. Here's the part most tutorials skip.

The short answer.

BIMI lets a sending domain publish a brand logo that participating mailbox providers can consider showing beside authenticated email. The free route is a self-asserted record: a compliant SVG plus a DNS record. The paid route adds a third-party mark certificate—a CMC or VMC—which unlocks support in mailbox clients that will not trust a standalone logo.

Neither route is a deliverability cheat code. BIMI comes after the unglamorous work: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Both paths start here.

  1. 01
    Authenticate every sender.

    Every service that sends as your domain needs valid SPF and/or DKIM alignment—not just your personal inbox.

  2. 02
    Move DMARC from monitoring to enforcement.

    For BIMI, DMARC must use p=quarantine or p=reject with pct=100. Start in monitoring mode first, then enforce only after your real senders pass.

  3. 03
    Prepare the right logo file.

    Use a square SVG Tiny Portable/Secure file: no scripts, external references, animation, or embedded raster image.

Then the road splits.

ROUTE A / FREE

SELF-ASSERTED
BIMI

Host your SVG over HTTPS and publish a BIMI record that points to it.

v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/bimi.svg; a=
  • No certificate purchase
  • Useful for learning and technical validation
  • Display support is limited

ROUTE B / PAID

CERTIFIED
BIMI

Get a mark certificate, host its PEM file, then reference that certificate in the BIMI record.

  • CMC: certificate path for an eligible non-trademarked mark
  • VMC: certificate path for a trademarked mark
  • Required for Gmail's BIMI experience

A certificate authority decides eligibility. Treat “free” and “paid” as two different outcomes—not merely two prices for the same thing.

Why Gmail makes this confusing.

It's easy to publish an SVG and DNS record, inspect it, and expect a Gmail logo. Gmail requires a CMC or VMC as well as enforced DMARC. A free, self-asserted BIMI record can still be valid—it simply is not the Gmail-display path.

That distinction makes an honest short-form hook: “You can set up BIMI for free. You probably can't get the Gmail logo for free.”

The setup order I'd use.

  1. List every sender: iCloud or Workspace, HighLevel, newsletters, receipts—everything.
  2. Set up SPF and DKIM for each sender; do not create duplicate SPF records.
  3. Publish DMARC in monitoring mode and review reports.
  4. Move DMARC to enforcement once legitimate mail is aligned.
  5. Validate a square SVG Tiny PS file and host it over HTTPS.
  6. Choose: self-asserted for experimentation, or CMC/VMC for broader logo display.
  7. Publish the BIMI TXT record, test with a small real send, and give mailbox caches time.

Quick answers.

Can BIMI be free?

Yes. You can publish a self-asserted BIMI record with a compliant SVG and no mark certificate. It is technically valid, but mailbox-provider support is limited and it does not make the logo appear in Gmail.

Does BIMI improve email deliverability?

Not by itself. BIMI sits on top of authenticated email; SPF, DKIM, and enforced DMARC do the important authentication work. A mailbox provider still decides whether and how to display a logo.

What is the difference between a CMC and a VMC?

Both are third-party mark certificates used with BIMI. A VMC is for a logo that meets trademark requirements. A CMC is the alternative path for an eligible non-trademarked logo, subject to the certificate authority’s current requirements.

Can I use a profile photo as my BIMI image?

No. BIMI uses a square SVG Tiny Portable/Secure logo, not a raster profile photo. The mark should remain recognizable at a very small size.

Read the primary docs.

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