When you’re a solo builder, you naturally end up using multiple tools to handle email:
- A mailbox provider (like Hostinger, Zoho, or Google Workspace)
- A marketing platform (like MailerLite, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or Brevo)
- A transactional email service (like Postmark, SendGrid, or Amazon SES)
And every one of them tells you to add their own SPF record to your DNS.
But here’s the catch nobody warns you about: you can only have one SPF TXT record per domain.
If you naively add multiple separate SPF records, you break SPF entirely. Many solo builders trip over this exact problem.
TLDR: Merge Your SPF Records Into One
The SPF standard allows you to include multiple senders using include: statements inside a single TXT record.
Example merge for Hostinger + MailerLite:
v=spf1 include:_spf.mlsend.com include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com ~allmlsend.com= MailerLite’s sending infrastructuremail.hostinger.com= Hostinger’s email servers~all= soft fail for any unauthorized servers
You can add as many include: entries as you need for additional providers.
The Simple SPF Merge Recipe
1️⃣ Collect all providers’ recommended SPF includes.
For example:
| Provider | Include Value |
|---|---|
| Hostinger | include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com |
| MailerLite | include:_spf.mlsend.com |
| Mailchimp | include:servers.mcsv.net |
| Postmark | include:spf.mtasv.net |
| Google Workspace | include:_spf.google.com |
| Amazon SES | include:amazonses.com |
2️⃣ Combine them into one string:
v=spf1 include:PROVIDER1 include:PROVIDER2 include:PROVIDER3 ~all3️⃣ Replace your existing SPF TXT record with the merged one.
4️⃣ Use an SPF syntax validator (like MXToolbox) to verify correctness.
Important SPF Limitations to Watch
- SPF DNS lookup limit: You only get 10 DNS lookups total across all includes. Some providers’ includes call multiple sub-includes.
- Order doesn’t matter: SPF evaluates all includes equally.
- Only one TXT record: Multiple separate TXT records with
v=spf1will break SPF entirely.
The Human Reality: Why This Feels Tricky
No single vendor owns your full email stack anymore. As a solo builder, you’re stitching together best-of-breed tools. This naturally creates multi-SPF situations.
The good news? Once you know how to merge SPF records, it’s easy and fully within your control.
The Business Impact
- ✅ Your marketing emails avoid deliverability issues.
- ✅ Your business email avoids SPF failures.
- ✅ DMARC passes consistently.
- ✅ You can confidently scale your stack without breaking authentication.
Next Steps You Can Take Today
- Inventory every tool sending email for your domain.
- Collect all required SPF
include:values. - Merge them into one clean SPF record.
- Validate with mxtoolbox.com.
- Keep this cheat sheet for every new service you add.
SPF merging isn’t scary. It’s the unlock that lets solo builders stay nimble, professional, and fully authenticated.