SimpleLogin

Overview

SimpleLogin is an email-alias service that forwards messages and lets you reply or send mail without revealing your main address. It is best for people who want separate addresses for signups and ongoing correspondence, with browser, mobile, API and self-hosted options. Its free plan is useful to start, but the ten-alias ceiling makes Premium the practical choice for anyone who needs more.

Key features

Create aliases on the fly with a subdomain or a catch-all domain, or use your own domain to keep aliases under an address you control. Forwarding is paired with the ability to reply and send from aliases, so SimpleLogin can preserve address separation beyond the initial signup. The Free plan allows ten aliases; once you reach that cap, you cannot create more. That is workable for a small set of accounts, but restrictive if you routinely create new addresses.

Premium removes the alias limit and includes unlimited custom domains, catch-all domains, five subdomains, 50 directories or usernames, unlimited mailboxes and PGP encryption. With PGP enabled, messages are encrypted with your PGP key before they are forwarded. The service says this works with Proton Mail and other PGP tools such as Thunderbird and GPGTools. PGP is a paid-plan feature, so users who want it need Premium.

Accounts support TOTP and/or WebAuthn (FIDO) two-factor authentication. SimpleLogin says its components are open source and can be self-hosted, a useful option for technically capable users who want to run the service themselves. Its security page says data is encrypted at rest in a PostgreSQL database and backups older than seven days are deleted.

Both plans include Proton Pass features: Premium gets Proton Pass premium features, while Free gets its free features. The service joined Proton in early 2022; Proton is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Pricing

SimpleLogin uses a freemium model. Free costs nothing and includes ten aliases, unlimited bandwidth, one mailbox, browser extensions, iOS and Android apps, TOTP and/or WebAuthn, and Sign in with SimpleLogin. It suits light use, but the alias cap and single mailbox limit leave less room for people managing many identities or inboxes.

Premium costs $36 a year, billed $36/year or $4 billed monthly. It adds unlimited aliases, unlimited custom domains and mailboxes, catch-all domains, five subdomains, 50 directories/usernames and PGP encryption. This is the fit for people who need more than ten aliases, use several mailboxes or want PGP. The service offers a trial period for Premium features, but the duration is unspecified; it does not offer refunds, so check the renewal terms before subscribing.

Platforms

SimpleLogin supports web, API, self-hosting, browser extensions, and iOS and Android apps. The site lists Chrome, Firefox and Safari extensions or apps, and Android is also available through F-Droid. That breadth suits users who want to create and manage aliases across desktop and mobile rather than relying on a single browser.

Who it's for

Choose SimpleLogin if you want to keep your primary email private while retaining the ability to answer messages from aliases. Free is a sensible starting point for up to ten aliases; Premium is better for extensive address separation, custom-domain use, multiple mailboxes or PGP. It is less compelling if ten aliases are enough and you do not need the paid features.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Replies and sending from aliases complement forwarding, making aliases usable for continuing correspondence.
• Pros: Premium combines unlimited aliases and custom domains with catch-all support, multiple mailboxes and PGP.
• Pros: Browser and mobile support, two-factor authentication, and a self-hosting option give users several ways to access and secure the service.
• Cons: Free users cannot create aliases beyond ten, which can make the free tier too small for frequent use.
• Cons: PGP and unlimited mailbox support require Premium, and the no-refunds policy makes the trial period worth using before committing.

Alternatives

Compare email alias services if you want to weigh a broader set of options. Choose addy.io if its free plan’s unlimited standard aliases matter more than SimpleLogin’s ten-alias free cap; it also includes ten active shared-domain aliases, one recipient and two available alias domains. Choose DuckDuckGo Email Protection for a free service centered on forwarding, tracker removal and personal, private Duck Addresses.

MailPal, AliasVault, Firefox Relay, 33Mail, Alias Email and anon.li are other options to compare.

Verdict

SimpleLogin is a strong choice for people who want alias forwarding plus replies and sending from those aliases, especially if custom domains, multiple mailboxes or PGP are part of the plan. The free tier makes it possible to start without paying, but its ten-alias cap is decisive: choose Premium at $36 a year or $4 billed monthly if you need room to grow, and look elsewhere if you need a larger free allowance.