addy.io (formerly AnonAddy) is an open-source email forwarding service that lets you create unlimited aliases even on its free tier. It can be...
Aspect
Temporary Email Services
addy.io
Pricing
Free for basic use. Some services charge for premium features like longer inbox duration. NukeMail's premium starts at $3/week for extended access and additional addresses.
Generous free tier with unlimited standard aliases. Paid plans start at $1/month (Lite) for additional features like custom domains and increased bandwidth. One of the cheapest alias services available. The Pro plan at $4/month unlocks all features including unlimited bandwidth.
Self-Hosting
Not applicable. Temp email is a hosted service you visit in your browser. You rely on the service provider for uptime and data handling.
Fully open-source and self-hostable. If you have a server, you can run your own addy.io instance with complete control over your data. This is rare among email alias services and is a significant advantage for users who want zero trust in third parties.
Account Requirement
No account needed. Completely anonymous, instant access. The service never collects any identifying information about you.
Requires an account with a real email address for forwarding. The service knows your forwarding destination. This is inherent to how email aliasing works — the service needs to know where to deliver your mail.
Alias Types
One address type — a random or chosen address at the temp email domain. Simple and straightforward for one-time use.
Multiple alias types: UUID aliases, random word aliases, custom aliases, and catch-all aliases on custom domains. Significant flexibility in how you generate and manage addresses. UUID aliases are particularly useful for high-security contexts where even the alias should not be guessable.
Bandwidth Limits
Limited by inbox duration, not bandwidth. During the active period, no message size restrictions beyond the SMTP standard. NukeMail accepts emails up to 25MB.
Free tier has a 10MB monthly bandwidth limit for forwarded emails. This can be a real constraint if you receive image-heavy emails or newsletters with embedded media. Paid tiers increase bandwidth to 100MB (Lite) or unlimited (Pro).
Address Longevity
Temporary. Addresses expire and are gone forever. Data is deleted. This is by design — the purpose is to leave no trace after the address has served its purpose.
Permanent aliases that persist until you delete them. Ideal for long-term use across services you actually care about. You can deactivate aliases without deleting them, preserving the option to reactivate later.
Reply and Send
Receive-only. Cannot send or reply. Works for verification codes and confirmation links, but not for ongoing conversations.
Supports replies through aliases and sending from aliases. Full email functionality without exposing your real address. You can initiate conversations from an alias address, making aliases indistinguishable from real email accounts.
API Access
Most temp email services do not offer APIs. Some developer-focused ones like NukeMail provide API access for automated testing and CI/CD integration.
Full REST API available for creating, managing, and deleting aliases programmatically. Useful for developers building privacy-focused applications or automating alias management across teams.
Want to test this yourself? Create a free NukeMail inbox in 5 seconds.Try It Free →
Verdict
addy.io is an excellent choice for privacy-conscious users who want a long-term alias solution without spending much. The free tier is genuinely usable with unlimited standard aliases, the $1/month Lite plan unlocks meaningful features, and self-hosting is a real option for those who want full control. It is arguably the best value in the email alias space.
Temporary email is still the right tool when you need a quick, anonymous, disposable address with no strings attached. Creating an addy.io alias for a one-time free trial signup is overkill — temp email handles that in seconds with zero setup.
If you are technically inclined and care deeply about email privacy, addy.io is worth setting up as your daily driver for alias management. Keep temp email bookmarked for the situations where you need maximum anonymity and zero commitment.
The self-hosting option makes addy.io unique in the alias space. If you run your own instance, you eliminate the trust requirement entirely — your alias data never touches a third-party server. Combined with temp email for anonymous one-off signups, this gives you the most complete email privacy setup available.
For developers, addy.io's REST API opens up possibilities like automatically generating aliases in scripts, integrating alias creation into web applications, or building custom privacy tools. Temp email APIs like NukeMail's developer API serve a different purpose — automated testing rather than ongoing privacy management. The two APIs complement different parts of a development workflow.
One practical advantage of addy.io over temp email is the ability to receive emails indefinitely without any action on your part. With temp email, you need to actively check the inbox within the time window. With addy.io aliases, emails quietly forward to your real inbox whether you check them immediately or weeks later. For newsletters and services that send irregular but important updates, this passive forwarding is significantly more convenient.
