If you've been around on the internet for any amount of time, you'll be familiar with the process of handing over your email address to sign-up for a new account, or to purchase something. However, that seemingly innocuous action can result in unwanted spam and targeted ads and open your personal account up to vulnerabilities.
This is where a disposable email address comes in handy. These services allow you to generate a temporary email address that you can use instead of your real one. This way, you avoid signing yourself up for years of spam emails, as well as skirt targeted ads and data leaks should a site itself be attacked. Keep reading and we'll take a look at some of the best temporary email services out there – they're all free!
What are the best secure disposable email clients?
In a hurry? Well, look no further than the table below to check out our top picks for a disposable email address. All these providers are free to use and pretty intuitive, meaning you'll be able to generate a temporary address in a few clicks and save yourself the hassle of sorting through spam. We'll take a closer look at each name later on – so keep reading!
- StartMail - The best disposable email service overall. Easy to migrate and has tons of excellent features at a fair price
- ProtonMail - The best multi-purpose disposable email service. Offers far more than disposable emails, especially if you upgrade to a premium account.
- 10 minute Mail - A quick, simple, and effective service ideal for use with sites that require verification.
- Temp-Mail - A secure disposable email service. Offers a premium option for folks wanting to banish ads and increase their storage time.
- GuerrillaMail - Highly customizable email service. Zaps pesky spam messages before they can bother you, and offers an impressive amount of features.
To claim a spot in our top five, a disposable email provider has to meet a few important criteria. These include:
- Security – The email address might be disposable, but you won't want to compromise your privacy by using one!
- Automation – If a service is routinely deleting emails and addresses after a set time, that's one less thing for you to worry about.
- Ease of use – A disposable email service shouldn't slow you down, and it shouldn't require a PhD to figure out how to create your temporary alias!
All the services we've highlighted exceed these expectations, and you'll find some additional handy features tacked on, too. All in all, regardless of the disposable email service you choose, you can trust that it'll generate a temporary address that'll divert spam and security threats away from your personal and work accounts.
Looking in-depth at secure disposable emails
Let's get into the details! Below, we'll take a scrutinizing look at each disposable service and lay out what they offer – as well as what they don't. You can count on each service to generate an address in an instant and obliterate emails after a set time. So, if you're looking for a temporary email that's going to offer you utility in addition to security, keep reading – we'll almost certainly be able to pair you up with a provider!
A highly reliable private emailing service that makes sending end-to-end encrypted email easy StartMail aims to take some of the burden out of email encryption with a service that's easy to set up, even for novices, and a web portal that's going to be immediately familiar to anyone who has used Outlook, Gmail, or other popular online email services. With StartMail you can set up as many aliases as you want, perfect for making burner emails that you can hand out to random services to protect your primary address. A StartMail account now provides you with 20 GB of storage, which means it has doubled its allowance! It also provides world-class encryption for emails stored on its servers. You can use PGP to encrypt your emails and send them securely. Personalized email domains are available, and you can easily access your emails on any device. StartMail also makes it easy to migrate from your current email provider, and it is IMAP and STMP compatible. Deleted emails can be completely scrubbed on demand, so they are gone forever. No waiting around. You can also pay for your account anonymously using Bitcoin for added privacy. StartMail is completely GDPR compliant, which gives you extra peace of mind. Plus, it has a strong privacy policy that promises not to track your data or serve you ads. This ensures that the contents of your emails are never scanned for profiling purposes. A robust, well-rounded service that allows you to manage emails, priority, and spam, and send encrypted emails to anyone. ProtonMail offers users the chance to create additional email addresses and aliases that can be accessed from the same account. As such, a user can craft a variety of different identities for different purposes, organize incoming and outgoing mail, and ensure that their inbox remains uncluttered. For folks with a premium ProtonMail account, additional email addresses can be created and managed in the same way. Premium users are also able to actually send emails via their short domain (@pm.me) address, whereas free users can only receive mail. ProtonMail is an open-source service supported on Android and iOS devices, as well as most web browsers. Being based in Switzerland means that ProtonMail is subject to Swiss privacy laws – which has seen ProtonMail hand over user information to Swiss authorities. However, ProtonMail employs end-to-end encryption, as well as full disk encryption, which makes it a secure email service (but not an anonymous one). 10 Minute Mail is a hustle-free disposable email service. It can truly be used by anybody, and packs a surprising amount of utility into ten short minutes. 10 Minute Mail can truly be used by anybody and packs a surprising amount of utility into ten short minutes. In addition to the address itself, any emails in the inbox will also be deleted after the timer runs its course. Simply by opening the page, you'll see your generated email. From there, you can input it wherever you like – so long as you don't close the initial 10 Minute Mail page! Sites that require you to click a verification link are no problem, seeing as 10 Minute Mail hangs on to emails, and users can also reply with their disposable address, and reset the 10-minute timer if they need a while longer with their address. It's possible to recover emails from 10 Minute Mail even if the timer has expired, too. The service doesn't ask for any personal information to use, and if you're interested, 10 Minute Mail has a sister service that claims to be able to remove metadata from photos and videos. Temp-mail doesn’t hang on to your identifying information, though it does offer disposable emails without built-in timers Temp-mail is a solid disposable email address service that doesn't ask for any personal details, doesn't need you to register an account, and doesn't automatically delete your generated email address until you delete it yourself or the domain list changes. This might be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your need, but it does mean that you don't have to request an extension of time. The Temp-mail inbox looks and functions just as any other – only you'll be unable to send any emails of your own. In terms of security, Temp-mail only stores emails for around 2 hours, and removes any and all personal details – like your IP address – once you're finished using the service. You'll be able to download Temp-mail from the App and Play stores, as well as use the service on Chrome, Safari, and Firefox browsers. Don't be put off by the no-frills site layout - GuerrillaMail is a powerful tool that allows for the composing of new emails, too. GuerrillaMail is an excellent candidate for generating disposable emails, as it allows users to click verification links and then delete the mail. GuerrillaMail handles the rest, removing spam before it can reach your inbox. The service holds onto incoming mail for an hour, though the generated addresses themselves do not expire. Perhaps the most impressive about GuerrillaMail is that the service allows you to create and send original mail from your disposable address, and users can also pick their own email address. However, the service recommends using the Scramble Address feature – implemented to boost security by making a person's Inbox ID that much harder to guess. To further bolster privacy, GuerrillaMail is only accessible with HTTPS encryption, and is an open-source service. 1. StartMail
Pricing
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3. 10 minute Mail
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4. Temp-Mail
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5. GuerrillaMail
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Want to check out more providers? The following services also offer disposable email addresses. Most of them are free, but we have marked the ones that require a subscription of some kind:
- GetNada
- LuxusMail
- MailCatch (Free - paid version available)
- MailDrop
- Mailinator (Paid service - Free trial available)
- MohMal
- MyTemp
- Startmail (Paid service - Free trial only)
- Tempail
- ThrowAwayMail.com
- TrashMail
What is a disposable email address?
In an ideal world, we'd all be able to use one personal email address for everything – and spam probably wouldn't even exist. Unfortunately, it does, and the sheer quantity can prompt folks to look for solutions to stop the influx. A disposable email address is one such solution, but what exactly are they?
First and foremost, they're temporary. Disposable. This makes them different from any email address you'd get from Gmail or Outlook. They're also different in that most disposable email services don't require you to register an account or hand over any personal details, like your name, number, or physical address.
So, you visit one of the sites listed in this guide, follow the steps to generate your temporary email address, and then copy and paste that address into a form on another website where your real email would usually go.
Sounds pretty handy, right? All those annoying junk emails will be diverted to the disposable address, which will usually self-destruct after a set time, too. Your personal inbox will stay clean, and the associated address won't be included on a database that might be involved in a leak someday.
It is worth noting that these disposable services come with some drawbacks. They don't have the utility of a Gmail or Outlook account – you won't be able to create folders or signatures, check if someone's read your mail, or BCC people. However, some disposable email services give you the option to send mail, recover recently deleted mail or addresses, and forward emails.
Do temporary email addresses have other names?
Temporary email addresses, also known as disposable, fake, anonymous, burner, masked email, or throwaway emails. They are designed for short-term use and are typically deleted after a certain period. They're often used to avoid spam, protect privacy, or for one-time sign-ups where users want to keep their primary email address private.
Why do you need a disposable email address?
The internet nowadays revolves around the concept of convenience, and it's certainly easier to input your main email address into a site or app rather than generate a temporary one. But as soon as you do, that data is out there, and could be used by sites to flood you with spam messages or worse. We're familiar with what disposable email addresses are as well as how they work – but why use one? There are dozens of reasons! We'll dip into some of the more prevalent ones below.
Spam central
Spam is public enemy number one for everyone with an email address. It feels as though you can spend hours unsubscribing from these lists only to be snowed under with more spam, later. Avoiding this influx is the main reason folks invest in a disposable email address. By doing so, you're preventing your primary account from being known, and targeted, by spam bots.
Guilt-free spending
Disposable emails come in handy when shopping, too. Maybe you're interested in making a purchase from a site you've never visited before, or a site that you'd rather not receive advertising spam from. Perhaps you want to skirt the similar "deal", "sale", and "new in-store" spam emails you receive after signing up for a loyalty card.
Ghosting sites
Don't worry, we all do it. There are times when you know you'll probably never use the site or app you're visiting ever again and, as a result, it can feel more reassuring to use a disposable email during registration. Similarly, if you're interested in a free trial and need to hand over an email to access it, use a temporary one! In either situation, you'll be able to use the service you're interested in and then forget it, with no follow-up emails to worry about.
Staying secure
Whilst disposable emails are invaluable when it comes to avoiding spam, they also have an important security function. How many times have we all signed up for a service without reading the terms and conditions? Well, it might be that the site is actually asking you for permission to use, share, or even sell your personal information, and sites can also hand over your email address to advertisers.
And there you have it! A whistle-stop tour of how a disposable email address can keep your inbox clean, tidy, and secure, all without costing you a penny.
One more thing...
There are times when it's better to avoid using a temporary address, though.
For example, it's not a good idea to use a disposable email address to sign up to any important services – like banking, medical, or educational sites. You might one day need to reset your password via email, and you won't be able to do so if you signed up with a disposable one that's long since expired. Similarly, if you ever need to request bank statements, a medical history, or troubleshoot issues with a customer service team, it'll be incredibly difficult without a valid email address.
Conclusion
Disposable emails can save you an enormous amount of stress. In a few clicks, you'll have generated a temporary address you can use to sign up to websites, enter competitions, make one-off purchases, and with the confidence of knowing you won't be inundated with spam for months to come. Furthermore, a good disposable email can be a quick and effective security measure. By handing over a disposable email, and not your real address, you protect yourself from potential data leaks, and can feel safe using sites that may have a shoddy security history. All in all, it's a good idea to have one or two of these handy sites bookmarked!
So, if you need a reminder of our top five secure disposable email services, here they are! They're all easy to use and won't cost you a penny, and some even allow you to reply and compose new emails, anonymously.
From $2.50/month
The best disposable email service overall. Easy to migrate and has tons of excellent features at a fair price
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 10 out of 10
- Calendar
- No
- Encrypted messages to non-users
- Yes
- 24/7 live chat
- No
From $0.00/month
The best multi-purpose disposable email service. Offers far more than disposable emails, especially if you upgrade to a premium account.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.9 out of 10
- Encrypted messages to non-users
- Yes
- Calendar
- No
- 24/7 live chat
- No
From $0.00/month
A quick, simple, and effective service ideal for use with sites that require verification.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.8 out of 10
From $0.00/month
A secure disposable email service. Offers a premium option for folks wanting to banish ads and increase their storage time.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.7 out of 10
From $0.00/month
Highly customizable email service. Zaps pesky spam messages before they can bother you, and offers an impressive amount of features.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.6 out of 10
The best disposable email services – FAQs