Mail.cx vs MailDrop
Mail.cx
mail.cx
MailDrop
maildrop.cxSide by side
| Figure | Mail.cx | MailDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.82/mo | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 10 |
| Spec score · Temporary email services | 9.1 (#4) | 9.0 (#5) |
| API | The REST API supports long-polling inboxes, retrieving parsed or raw email, downloading attachments, and server-sent event delivery. | The REST API can create temporary mailboxes and read incoming email. |
| Automatic deletion | Messages and inbox data are automatically deleted when the applicable retention period ends. | Messages are retained temporarily and then deleted automatically. |
| External classification | Check-Mail classifies mail.cx as a temporary-email provider and recommends blocking associated domains at signup to prevent abuse. | UserCheck identifies maildrop.cx as a disposable or temporary email domain and recommends blocking such domains for signup-quality control. |
| Product | Mail.cx provides short-lived inboxes, email receiving, API access, and real-time mailbox events for developer workflows. | MailDrop provides free temporary disposable email addresses without registration. |
| Retention | Mail is kept for 1 hour on Free and 72 hours on Pro, then automatically deleted. | Messages are kept temporarily and then deleted automatically. |
| Use cases | Mail.cx targets developers, QA teams and product teams testing verification, transactional email, notifications and application integrations. | The site promotes disposable addresses for sign-ups, verifications, downloads, trials, and forms. |
| What it does | Mail.cx provides short-lived email inboxes for receiving messages and testing email workflows. | MailDrop provides disposable email inboxes for receiving messages without registration. |
Plans
MailDrop
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Pay as you go$1, paid once
- Starter$5 a month
- Starter$5 a month
- Pro$15 a month
- Pro$15 a month
- Business$49 a month
- Business$49 a month
- Pay as you go$11,000, paid once
In their own words
Mail.cx
Mail.cx provides short-lived inboxes for developers, QA teams, and product teams checking account verification, transactional messages, notification pipelines, or application integrations. It only receives email; it does not send it. A web inbox can be opened without signup by choosing a username or generating one, and server-sent events can push arriving mail to the browser. Its REST API supports long-polling, retrieval of parsed or raw email, attachment downloads, and event delivery. API use is limited to 10 requests per second per token; long-polling allows one concurrent wait per token and 10 per address. Free messages are automatically deleted after one hour, while Pro messages are retained for 72 hours. The Free plan is free, and Pro is $9.90 a year. A separate pricing note lists paid plans from $4/mo. Mail.cx says connections use TLS and that passwords and API tokens are stored as hashes. Its terms caution that message retention and recovery are not guaranteed, and advise against relying on the service for critical, sensitive, or business-essential communications.
MailDrop
MailDrop provides temporary email inboxes for sign-ups, verification messages, downloads, trials, and forms. You can open an inbox without an account, phone number, or personal information, choose a domain, and set a custom email prefix. Inboxes refresh every 30 seconds and can receive HTML messages, verification codes, and attachments for browser preview or download. Messages are retained only temporarily and then deleted automatically, so the site advises against using the service for long-term accounts such as banking. A REST API can create temporary mailboxes and read incoming email. API keys authenticate requests, and a claimed mailbox can be read only with the key that created it. When a quota is used up, the API returns HTTP 429 and quota details in response headers. MailDrop is available on the web and through its API, and the site says it is available in seven languages. The Free plan costs nothing; paid plans include Starter at $5 a month, Pro at $15 a month, and Business at $49 a month.