SimpleLogin is an open-source email alias service now owned by Proton (the company behind ProtonMail). It creates permanent forwarding aliases that...
Aspect
Temporary Email Services
SimpleLogin
Ownership and Trust
Varies by provider. Some temp email services are run by unknown operators with unclear privacy practices. Choosing a reputable one matters. Services like NukeMail are transparent about their data handling, but the industry as a whole has uneven standards.
Open source and owned by Proton AG, a Swiss privacy company. The code is auditable, and Proton has a strong reputation in the privacy community. Being based in Switzerland means strong data protection laws apply. This is one of SimpleLogin's biggest strengths and a meaningful differentiator from most privacy tools.
Account Required
No account needed. Generate an address and use it immediately with zero personal information. This is the purest form of anonymous email access available.
Requires an account with a real email address for forwarding. SimpleLogin knows your real email and can see which aliases forward where. This is a necessary tradeoff for the forwarding functionality to work, but it does mean your anonymity depends on trusting Proton.
Free Tier
Unlimited throwaway addresses. No caps on how many you create. NukeMail lets you generate as many addresses as you need with no registration or payment.
10 aliases on the free tier. Enough for essential accounts but you will run out if you use it for everything. Premium is $4/month or $30/year for unlimited. Proton Unlimited subscribers get SimpleLogin premium included, which adds value if you already use ProtonMail.
Alias Longevity
Temporary by design. Addresses disappear after minutes or hours. You lose access permanently. This is a feature for privacy-conscious users who want no lingering trail.
Aliases are permanent. Use them for years. Disable individual aliases if they start receiving spam without affecting others. You can reactivate disabled aliases later if needed.
Two-Way Communication
Receive-only. You cannot respond to emails received at a temp address. This limits use cases to situations where you only need to receive a verification code or read incoming mail.
Full two-way email. Reply through any alias and the recipient sees the alias address, not your real one. This makes SimpleLogin viable as a daily email tool for both personal and professional correspondence.
Custom Domains
Not available. You use whatever domain the temp email service provides. The domains may be blocked by some websites.
Premium users can use their own domain for aliases. This means your aliases look completely legitimate and are impossible to distinguish from real addresses. No website blocklist can catch a custom domain alias.
PGP Encryption
Not available on temp email services. Emails are stored in plain text on the service's servers during their brief lifespan.
SimpleLogin supports PGP encryption of forwarded emails. If you provide your PGP key, emails are encrypted before being forwarded to your inbox. This means even if SimpleLogin's servers were compromised, your email content would remain unreadable.
Speed of Use
Instant. Open a temp email site, copy the address, paste it. Total time: 10 seconds. No login, no extension, no configuration.
Slightly slower. Log into SimpleLogin, generate an alias (or use the browser extension for one-click creation), then use it. The extension speeds things up considerably and brings the experience close to instant.
Want to test this yourself? Create a free NukeMail inbox in 5 seconds.Try It Free →
Verdict
SimpleLogin is the better tool for ongoing email privacy. If you want to protect your real address across dozens of services, manage everything from one dashboard, reply through aliases, and use custom domains — SimpleLogin does all of that. The Proton ownership and open-source codebase add genuine trust.
Temporary email is better when you need something disposable right now with zero friction. Signing up for a sketchy free trial, grabbing a one-time download link, or testing a signup flow — these do not warrant creating a permanent alias. Temp email is faster, more anonymous, and costs nothing.
Many privacy-focused users run both: SimpleLogin for their real accounts and subscriptions, temp email for the throwaway junk they will never revisit. This combination covers the full spectrum of email privacy needs without overspending on either tool.
If you can only choose one, consider how many of your signups are truly one-time versus ongoing. If most are throwaway, start with temp email. If you find yourself repeatedly wishing your temp addresses lasted longer, that is the signal to add SimpleLogin to your toolkit.
SimpleLogin's PGP encryption and custom domain support put it in a different league from temp email for security-conscious users. However, these advanced features require technical knowledge to set up and maintain, which may not be worth the effort for casual users who just want to keep their inbox clean. Temp email requires zero technical skill and delivers immediate value.
