You sign up for a newsletter, and three weeks later your inbox fills with pitches from companies you have never heard of. You cannot prove who sold your address, and you cannot stop it without abandoning the email everyone uses to reach you. An alias fixes both problems at once: a throwaway address that forwards to your real inbox, unique to that one sign-up, that you can trace and switch off the moment it starts attracting spam.
The good news is that the email alias providers 2026 gives you are more numerous and more capable than ever, built into email services, browsers, password managers, and dedicated tools alike. Give every site its own alias and a leak becomes obvious, and disabling one address kills the spam without touching your real one. Here are thirteen providers and services that offer alias addresses, and how they compare on the details that matter.
Quick Take
- A unique alias per sign-up lets you trace which company leaked your address and shut off spam by disabling that one alias.
- The big differences are how many aliases are free, whether you can reply from the alias, and whether it is built into your email or a separate tool.
- Apple, DuckDuckGo, and Firefox offer easy free options, while SimpleLogin and Addy.io give power users unlimited control.
Table of Contents
How Aliases Make Sign-Ups Safer
An alias is a stand-in address that forwards to your real inbox, and its power comes from using a different one for every service. Because each site sees a unique address, spam or a data-broker sale traces straight back to the source, and you can deactivate that single alias to stop the flow without changing the email your friends and bank use. The features to weigh are how many aliases you get free, whether you can reply so the recipient never sees your real address, whether you can bring a custom domain, and how easily you can turn an alias off.
1. iCloud+ Hide My Email
For Apple users, Hide My Email is the most frictionless option, generating unique random addresses that forward to your inbox and letting you reply from any Apple Mail client. It comes bundled with iCloud+, which starts around a dollar a month, and it appears right inside Safari and Sign in with Apple when you create an account. Apple’s guide to using Hide My Email covers the setup. The main limit is that it forwards to one address and lives inside Apple’s ecosystem.
2. DuckDuckGo Email Protection
DuckDuckGo’s Email Protection is completely free with no paid tier, giving you unlimited @duck.com aliases that forward to your inbox and strip hidden trackers out of the messages along the way. You can reply through the alias, and generating a fresh one takes a click in the browser extension. It is forwarding only rather than a full mailbox, so it pairs with your existing email rather than replacing it. For a free, unlimited, no-catch option, it is one of the easiest to recommend.
3. Firefox Relay
Mozilla’s Firefox Relay gives you five email masks free, which is enough to protect your most sensitive sign-ups, and its premium plan runs about a dollar a month for unlimited masks, a custom subdomain, and reply support. It integrates tightly with Firefox, offering to mask your address whenever you hit an email field. As a product from a nonprofit with a privacy track record, it is a trustworthy pick, and the free tier is a low-commitment way to start aliasing your logins.
4. SimpleLogin
Owned by Proton and fully open source, SimpleLogin is a favorite among privacy enthusiasts. The free plan includes ten aliases with unlimited forwarding, while the premium tier, around three dollars a month, unlocks unlimited aliases, custom domains, and PGP encryption. You can create, disable, and manage aliases from apps and browser extensions, and reply from any of them. If you want granular control and the reassurance of open-source code, SimpleLogin is a standout, and it slots neatly into the Proton ecosystem.
5. Addy.io
Addy.io, formerly AnonAddy, is the other open-source heavyweight, and its free plan offers unlimited aliases, with bandwidth and sending caps rather than an alias count limit. Paid tiers start around a dollar a month and raise those limits while adding features like custom domains. It is popular with people who want to alias aggressively without paying, and its integrations with password managers make generating a fresh address painless. For unlimited free aliases with a technical bent, it is a leading choice alongside SimpleLogin.
6. Fastmail
Fastmail takes a different route: masked email is a feature inside a complete, paid email provider rather than a standalone forwarder. That means you get calendars, contacts, generous storage, and alias creation in one place, and it integrates smoothly with password managers like 1Password and Bitwarden to generate a masked address as you sign up. It suits someone ready to move their whole email to a privacy-minded paid host and get aliasing as part of the package rather than bolting it on.
7. Proton Mail
Proton Mail combines end-to-end encrypted email with aliasing, offering a set of native addresses on paid plans plus deep integration with SimpleLogin, which it owns. That gives you a spectrum from a handful of built-in aliases to unlimited masked addresses, all under one privacy-focused account with encrypted storage. For someone who wants encryption and aliasing from a single trusted provider, Proton is a natural home, especially if you are already using its calendar, drive, or VPN.
8. Tuta
Tuta, formerly Tutanota, is an encrypted email provider that includes alias addresses, with a free account offering a limited set and paid plans expanding the number along with custom-domain support. Its focus is strong encryption of your mailbox, so aliases come as part of a security-first email service rather than a dedicated masking tool. If you want an encrypted inbox from a European provider and a modest number of aliases without a separate service, Tuta covers both in one account.
9. Microsoft Outlook
If you already have an Outlook or Microsoft account, you can add up to ten aliases to it for free, each a real address that lands in the same inbox and can be turned off later. These are full aliases you can send and receive from, rather than forwarding tricks, which makes Outlook a genuinely useful free option for someone who wants a few dedicated sign-up addresses without adopting a new tool. The ten-alias ceiling is the main constraint for heavy aliasing.
10. Gmail Plus-Addressing
Gmail does not offer true aliases, but it supports plus-addressing, where anything after a plus sign, like yourname+shopping@gmail.com, still reaches your inbox and can be filtered. It is free and instant, with nothing to set up, which makes it handy for sorting mail and spotting who shared your address. The catch is that it is easy for spammers to strip the plus tag back to your real address, so it helps you trace leaks but does not truly hide or disable your real email the way a proper alias does.
11. StartMail
StartMail is a paid privacy email provider from the Netherlands that builds disposable aliases into its service. You can spin up throwaway addresses for sign-ups and delete them when they outlive their use, all within an encrypted mailbox. It is aimed at people who want a privacy-first primary email with aliasing included, rather than a free forwarder layered on top of an existing account. For a paid, privacy-focused inbox with built-in disposable addresses, it is a solid European option.
12. Mailfence
Mailfence, based in Belgium, is another privacy-oriented email suite that supports alias addresses across its paid tiers, alongside encryption, a calendar, and document storage. Aliases let you separate sign-ups and correspondence within one secure account, and the provider emphasizes independence from big-tech data practices. It fits someone who wants a full, security-minded email platform with aliasing as one feature among several, rather than a single-purpose masking service.
13. Forward Email
Forward Email is an open-source service centered on custom domains, letting you create unlimited aliases on a domain you own and forward them wherever you like, with a free tier and inexpensive paid plans. Because it is built around your own domain, it gives you long-term control that does not depend on any one provider staying in business. For the technically inclined who own a domain and want unlimited, portable aliases, it is a flexible and transparent choice.
At a Glance: Alias Providers Compared
| Provider | Free aliases | Reply from alias | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| iCloud+ Hide My Email | Unlimited (paid iCloud+) | Yes | Apple users |
| DuckDuckGo | Unlimited (free) | Yes | Free, no catch |
| Firefox Relay | 5 free | Premium | Firefox users |
| SimpleLogin | 10 free | Yes | Power users, open source |
| Addy.io | Unlimited (bandwidth cap) | Yes | Unlimited free aliasing |
| Fastmail | Paid provider | Yes | All-in-one email |
| Proton Mail | Paid + SimpleLogin | Yes | Encryption plus aliasing |
| Tuta | Limited free | Yes | Encrypted inbox |
| Outlook | Up to 10 | Yes | Existing Microsoft users |
| Gmail plus-addressing | Unlimited (weak) | N/A | Filtering, not hiding |
| StartMail | Paid provider | Yes | Privacy-first primary email |
| Mailfence | Paid tiers | Yes | Secure email suite |
| Forward Email | Custom domain | Yes | Own-domain control |
Which Should You Use?
Start with what fits your life. Apple users get the easiest path with Hide My Email, and anyone wanting a free, unlimited option with no strings should try DuckDuckGo. For serious per-site aliasing with full control, SimpleLogin or Addy.io lead the pack. If you are ready to move your whole inbox, Fastmail, Proton, or Tuta bundle aliasing into a privacy-minded provider, and domain owners get lasting control from Forward Email. Gmail’s plus trick is fine for filtering but is not real protection. Whatever you pick, the habit matters more than the brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an email alias and a separate email account?
An alias is a forwarding address that delivers to your existing inbox, so you read and manage everything in one place without logging into another mailbox. A separate account is a whole new inbox with its own login. Aliases are far more convenient for sign-ups, since you can generate dozens, each unique to a service, and still see all the mail in your main inbox. Many alias services also let you reply so the recipient sees only the alias, keeping your real address hidden while you stay in one inbox.
Can I reply to emails from an alias without revealing my real address?
With most dedicated alias services, yes. Tools like DuckDuckGo, SimpleLogin, Addy.io, and iCloud Hide My Email let you send replies that appear to come from the alias, so the recipient never sees your real address. Some providers include this on free plans while others reserve it for paid tiers, so check the reply feature before committing. Plain Gmail plus-addressing is the exception; it does not hide your address, since the real one is visible in the plus-tagged alias itself.
Are free email alias services safe to use?
The reputable ones are, and several free options come from established, privacy-focused organizations. DuckDuckGo, Mozilla’s Firefox Relay, Apple, and the open-source SimpleLogin and Addy.io all have strong track records and, in the open-source cases, publicly auditable code. As with any forwarder, your mail passes through their servers, so choose a provider you trust and read its privacy policy. Avoid obscure, unvetted “disposable email” sites, which can be less trustworthy with the mail flowing through them.
Will using aliases cause me to miss important emails?
Not if you keep track of them. Because aliases forward to your normal inbox, the mail still arrives; the risk is losing access if you disable an alias a real service still needs, or forgetting which alias you used for an account. Using a password manager to store the alias alongside each login solves both problems. It is also wise to keep a stable alias, rather than a disposable one, for important accounts like banking, so you never accidentally cut off critical messages.
One Alias per Sign-Up, and Move On
Aliases turn your email address from a permanent liability into something disposable and traceable. The strongest habit is simple: give every new sign-up its own alias, store it with the login in your password manager, and disable any alias that starts drawing spam. Whether you use Apple’s built-in option, a free unlimited service like DuckDuckGo, a power tool like SimpleLogin, or a full privacy provider, the protection comes from using a fresh address each time rather than from any single brand. Pick the one that fits how you already work, and start with your most sensitive accounts. For more on locking down your digital life, browse Wayodd’s Software section.