Mail.cx vs Spamgourmet
Mail.cx
mail.cxSpamgourmet
spamgourmet.comSide by side
| Figure | Mail.cx | Spamgourmet |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.82/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Spec score · Temporary email services | 9.1 (#4) | 8.4 (#13) |
| Custom domains | Pro users can connect up to 100 custom domains using DNS verification. | A user can route a personal domain to Spamgourmet by pointing its MX record at gourmet.spamgourmet.com and asking the service to configure the domain. |
| Privacy | The privacy policy says inbox content, account email, and API tokens are not sold, rented, or shared with advertisers or other third parties. | The privacy policy says messages are forwarded immediately or erased from volatile memory and that its code does not store email. |
| Support | The contact page says support normally responds within two business days and prioritizes security and abuse reports. | The FAQ invites users to contact the team with questions or bug reports and says support is provided when needed. |
| What it does | Mail.cx provides short-lived email inboxes for receiving messages and testing email workflows. | Spamgourmet creates disposable email addresses automatically, forwards an address's allowed messages to a protected mailbox, and consumes later messages. |
Plans
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.
Spamgourmet
Spamgourmet is a free disposable-email service available on the web, with released code for self-hosting. It creates an alias automatically when the first message arrives, then forwards only a chosen number of messages to a protected address before discarding later mail. An address can allow up to 20 messages; the default is three when no number is supplied. Advanced mode provides trusted-sender controls, watchwords, prefixes, reply-address masking, and tools to view or edit addresses. Reply masking routes replies through Spamgourmet and keeps the protected return address hidden. The service filters only messages sent to disposable addresses, not mail sent directly to the protected address. Its privacy policy says messages are forwarded immediately or erased from volatile memory and that the code does not store email. Standard web and mail logs record IP addresses and may be reviewed for support or fraud investigations. The service is described as volunteer-run and non-commercial, with optional donations. Its Free plan costs nothing.