addy.io

addy.io is an email-alias service for people who want to use separate addresses without exposing their real inbox. It suits privacy-conscious individuals and domain owners who want control over incoming mail; its free plan is a useful starting point, but modest bandwidth and recipient caps make paid plans the more practical choice for sustained use.

Overview

Messages sent to an alias are forwarded to a real inbox. If an address starts receiving unwanted mail, users can deactivate it to silently discard new messages or delete it so senders receive a bounce. That gives users two distinct ways to retire an alias, rather than leaving a troublesome address active.

Users can also bring a domain they control and create aliases on it, with catch-all controls for each domain. This makes addy.io a stronger fit for people who want their aliases tied to a domain they own, though the number of custom domains and active shared-domain aliases depends on the plan.

For a broader comparison, see our Email Alias Services list.

Key features

Replies and alias management

Paid plans let users reply to forwarded messages or start messages from an alias without exposing their real email address. That closes an important gap in basic forwarding: users can keep the alias identity through a conversation, not just when receiving its first message. Lite allows 50 anonymous replies or sends per day, while Pro provides 200.

The API can automate aliases, recipients, domains, additional usernames, and other account resources. Bitwarden also supports creating addy.io aliases from its generator in the desktop application, browser extensions, and web vault, according to the maker’s announcement.

Encryption and account security

Users can add GPG/OpenPGP public keys for individual recipients to encrypt forwarded messages, and can choose to hide and encrypt the subject. The maker says sensitive database data, including recipient email addresses, is encrypted with OpenSSL and AES-256-CBC, with a message authentication code to detect modification. Two-factor authentication supports authenticator apps and hardware devices such as YubiKey.

For email transport, the maker says addy.io uses opportunistic DANE TLS, MTA-STS on shared domains, TLS reporting, DNSSEC, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Securitum performed an independent security audit in September 2023 and identified no significant vulnerabilities. These are meaningful protections, though they do not remove the need to choose recipients and account credentials carefully.

Apps and self-hosting

Free open-source apps are available for iOS and Android, alongside browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Chromium-based browsers such as Brave and Vivaldi. The API and these clients give users several ways to create aliases without making every change through the web interface. The maker also provides instructions for self-hosting, which may suit technically capable users who want to run their own instance.

Pricing

The free plan costs nothing and includes unlimited standard aliases, 10 active shared-domain aliases, one recipient, two available alias domains, and a 10MB monthly bandwidth limit. It can cover light personal use, but one recipient and 10MB of monthly bandwidth are tight constraints for anyone routing mail across multiple inboxes or receiving regular attachments.

Lite costs $1 a month, billed yearly. It raises the caps to 50 active shared-domain aliases, five recipients, six available alias domains, one custom domain, five additional usernames, five rules, and 100MB of monthly bandwidth; it also includes 50 anonymous replies or sends per day. This is the lowest-cost paid option and a sensible fit for an individual who needs alias replies, a custom domain, or more than one recipient. Its yearly billing and daily send cap are worth weighing before choosing it.

Pro costs $3 a month billed yearly, or $4 billed monthly. It includes unlimited active shared-domain aliases, 30 recipients, seven available alias domains, 20 custom domains, 20 additional usernames, 20 rules, 200 anonymous replies or sends per day, and unlimited monthly bandwidth. It is the better match for heavier personal use or a domain owner managing many aliases; the higher recipient and domain limits distinguish it from Lite.

Duo costs $4.50 a month billed yearly, or $6 billed monthly, for two members total. Each gets Pro, with independent accounts, optional shared custom domains, and one subscription. Family costs $7.50 a month billed yearly, or $10 billed monthly, for five members total with the same per-member Pro access and account setup. These tiers are for households that want separate accounts under one subscription, rather than one person needing more capacity.

Platforms

addy.io supports Android, iOS, web, browser extensions, an API, and self-hosting. The range suits users who want to manage aliases across mobile and desktop, automate account resources, or host the service themselves.

Who it's for

Choose addy.io if you want aliases that forward to a real inbox, the option to shut off individual addresses, or custom-domain aliases with catch-all controls. It is particularly compelling when replying from an alias matters, since paid plans support both replies and messages initiated from aliases. Free is best for low-volume use with one recipient; users needing more bandwidth, recipients, or custom domains should compare the paid caps before committing.

Pros and cons

Pros: Alias deactivation silently drops new messages, while deletion makes senders receive a bounce, giving users different ways to retire an address.

Pros: Paid anonymous replies and sends preserve the alias identity for outgoing mail, not just incoming forwarding.

Pros: Custom domains, per-domain catch-all controls, recipient-level encryption, and self-hosting support serve users who want more control than basic forwarding.

Cons: The free plan allows one recipient and only 10MB of monthly bandwidth, limiting its usefulness for sustained or multi-inbox use.

Cons: Lite is billed yearly and limits anonymous replies or sends to 50 per day; users with heavier needs must move to Pro.

Alternatives

SimpleLogin is another freemium option with a free plan, free trial, apps and extensions across Android, iOS, and web, an API, and self-hosting; it is worth comparing if those terms better suit your setup.

DuckDuckGo Email Protection is a free alternative offering email forwarding, tracker removal, and personal and private Duck Addresses across several platforms; choose it if those features matter more than addy.io’s paid alias replies and sending.

Firefox Relay is another freemium option with a free plan and apps or extensions across Android, iOS, web, and browsers.

GridInbox may suit users who want a web- and API-based service with a free tier that specifies inbound and outbound quotas, storage, and attachment limits; its Pro plan costs $19 a month.

MailPal is a free alternative with API, desktop, web, and self-hosted platforms; its project describes its code as fully auditable and links to its public GitHub repository.

AliasVault is free and combines email aliases with password management, a built-in 2FA authenticator, and full offline mode across mobile, web, extensions, and self-hosting.

anon.li is a freemium option with a free plan, API, extension, and web access; its maker says the platform code is open source on GitHub.

33Mail offers a free tier and a $1 a month Premium plan; consider it if its stated 20 anonymous replies and 50MB monthly bandwidth meet your needs.

Verdict

addy.io is a strong choice for people who want flexible alias controls, custom-domain support, and the ability to reply or send without revealing their real address. The main reason to choose it is the combination of domain control and outgoing alias use; the main reason to look elsewhere is the free plan’s low bandwidth and single-recipient cap, or a need for a different feature set or pricing structure.