Email Alias Services Compared: 5 Ways to Hide Your Address

An email alias is an address that forwards to your real inbox, so the site you sign up for never sees the real one. When an alias starts getting spam, you switch it off and the spam stops, without changing your actual email.

That makes aliases the better answer to most “email without a phone number” searches. If the real goal is keeping your main address out of every signup form, you don’t need a new mailbox at all.

Here are the five services worth considering, with the limits and prices from their own pages as of October 28, 2026.

The five services side by side

Sources: SimpleLogin pricing, addy.io pricing, Firefox Relay Premium, DuckDuckGo Email Protection, Apple: Hide My Email, Apple: iCloud+ prices. Checked October 28, 2026.

What unlimited random aliases cost per year

Random aliases (the kind like k7x2q@… that you make one per site) are the feature most people want. Here’s the cheapest way to get an unlimited number from each service that publishes a price:

Which one to pick

1. 01
   You want it free and simple: DuckDuckGo Email Protection. It forwards to your existing Gmail, Outlook or Proton inbox, strips hidden email trackers, and lets you create unlimited private addresses at no cost. You give up custom domains and multiple inboxes.
2. 02
   You're on an iPhone and already pay for iCloud: Hide My Email. Every iCloud+ plan includes it, and you can create addresses from Safari, Mail, Settings or iCloud.com. Apple lets you create as many as you need, label them and deactivate them later. It needs two-factor authentication on your Apple Account.
3. 03
   You want your own domain or several inboxes: SimpleLogin or addy.io. SimpleLogin Premium ($36 a year) adds unlimited aliases, unlimited custom domains and unlimited mailboxes, and existing aliases keep working if you stop paying. addy.io Pro costs the same billed yearly and allows up to 20 domains and 30 recipient inboxes. addy.io Lite at $1 a month billed yearly is the cheapest way to use one domain you own.
4. 04
   You only need a handful: Firefox Relay free. Five masks and tracker removal, with a browser extension. Premium was waitlist-only when I checked.

Aliases vs. a second inbox vs. a throwaway inbox

These three get mixed up, and they solve different problems:

Don’t use a disposable inbox for anything you’ll need to log back into. If you lose access to the address, you lose the password reset with it. My guide to free email without a phone number covers the second-inbox options, and the email-without-phone-verification finder filters 20 providers by type. If you specifically want Gmail, see how to create a Gmail account without a phone number.

A setup that takes ten minutes

1. Pick one service from the list above and install its browser extension or app.
2. Point it at the inbox you already read.
3. The next time a form asks for your email, generate a new alias and label it with the site’s name.
4. When an alias starts getting spam, check its label to see who leaked or sold it, then disable it.

Step 4 is the part people underrate. A labelled alias tells you exactly which company shared your address.

Email alias FAQ

What is an email alias?

An email alias is an extra address that forwards mail to your real inbox. The sender only sees the alias, and you can disable it at any time without changing your main address.

Is DuckDuckGo Email Protection really free?

Yes. DuckDuckGo describes it as a free forwarding service that removes hidden email trackers, works with your existing inbox, and lets you create unlimited private addresses.

Do I need an iPhone for iCloud Hide My Email?

No, but you need an iCloud+ subscription and two-factor authentication on your Apple Account. Apple says you can create Hide My Email addresses on iCloud.com from any supported web browser, as well as on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

What happens to my SimpleLogin aliases if I cancel Premium?

SimpleLogin says existing aliases keep working after a subscription ends. You just can’t create new ones beyond the free limit of 10, or add new domains, directories or mailboxes.

Can websites block email aliases?

Some sites reject addresses from domains they recognise as alias or disposable services. An alias on a domain you own (SimpleLogin, addy.io) looks like an ordinary address, so it gets past that kind of filter.