MailDrop vs MailTub

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.

MailTub is a self-hosted disposable email service for creating temporary inboxes. New messages arrive through WebSocket updates rather than periodic polling, and each session can hold up to five inboxes with expiry choices of 1 hour, 6 hours, 24 hours, or 7 days. Users can export inboxes as an.eml ZIP or structured JSON, and the service parses MIME attachments with configurable size caps. MailTub runs as a single Go binary with SQLite and an embedded React interface, or through Docker. Its web interface supports dark, light, and system themes and can be installed as a progressive web app on mobile and desktop. It also provides a REST API, SMTP receiving, a scriptable CLI, and a Prometheus-compatible metrics endpoint. Mailbox creation is capped at 20 per IP per hour. Receiving real email requires a domain with an MX record pointing to the server, port 25 access or redirection, and a matching MAILTUB_DOMAIN setting. MailTub is free, open source, and Apache 2.0 licensed.