Mailinator vs SMTP Labs
Mailinator
mailinator.comSMTP Labs
smtp.devSide by side
| Figure | Mailinator | SMTP Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $79/mo | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 13 | 3 |
| Spec score · Email Testing Software | 9.0 (#3) | 8.4 (#8) |
| API authentication | API requests authenticate with a team token supplied in an Authorization header or token query parameter. | API requests use an X-API-KEY header, and newly created token values are shown only once. |
| Integrations | Inbound webhooks can accept HTTP POST messages from sources such as alert systems, Zapier, or Twilio and apply configured rules. | The maker documents CI use with GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, and CircleCI, using standard SMTP and the REST API. |
| Licence | The official Python SDK repository is released under the MIT license; Mailinator itself is delivered as a hosted service. | The terms grant a limited, revocable, non-transferable license for personal or internal business use and prohibit copying, reverse engineering, hosting, or commercial exploitation. |
| Purpose | Mailinator provides temporary inboxes and email and SMS workflow testing for developers, QA teams, and businesses. | SMTP Labs is an email testing service that receives test email over SMTP and lets users inspect it through the web UI, IMAP, POP3, or API. |
| Security controls | Mailinator states that traffic is HTTPS-only, servers are firewalled and Cloudflare-proxied, and production is separated from development and testing environments. | The privacy policy says the service uses encryption, firewalls, SSL technology, and third-party authentication protections. |
| Support | Documentation is available 24/7/365; the support page says public issue emails are usually answered within 24–72 hours and subscribers receive priority support. | The terms state the company has no support or maintenance obligation except as may be included in a paid subscription plan. |
| What it does | Mailinator provides public and private inboxes for automated email and SMS workflow testing, including sign-ups, 2FA and password resets. | SMTP Labs is a hosted email-testing sandbox where inbound messages can be inspected through a web interface, IMAP, POP3, or REST API. |
Plans
Mailinator
- Public - FreeFree
- Public - FreeFree
- Verified ProFree
- Verified ProFree
- Business$79 a month
- Business (annual)$79 a month
- Business$99 a month
- Business Plus$159 a month
- Business Plus (annual)$159 a month
- Business Plus$199 a month
In their own words
Mailinator
Mailinator provides temporary inboxes and tools for testing email and SMS workflows. Developers, QA teams, and businesses can use it to check delivery for OTP, MFA, onboarding, password recovery, and other email processes at scale. Paid subscriptions include private testing domains, where messages can arrive at any address without creating an inbox first. The REST API retrieves inboxes, messages, and SMS, injects messages, and connects with CI/CD pipelines. Inbound webhooks can accept HTTP POST messages from sources such as alert systems, Zapier, or Twilio, then apply configured rules. SMS can be routed to an inbox or API for automated OTP and 2FA testing. The free public inboxes are readable by anyone, and messages typically auto-delete after several hours. Mailinator is receive-only: it cannot send email or fill out forms. The Public - Free plan is free to use without sign-up. Business costs $79 a month billed yearly; a two-week Business trial is listed. Other plans include Verified Pro at free, Business Plus at $159 a month billed yearly, and Enterprise at a price agreed with the maker with custom pricing.
SMTP Labs
SMTP Labs is an email testing service that receives test messages over SMTP and lets you inspect them on the web, through IMAP or POP3, or via an API. Messages remain in a sandbox and cannot reach external recipients. Inspection includes HTML and plain text, headers, MIME structure, raw source, and attachments. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks appear in the interface and API, while a deliverability audit reviews sender configuration, HTML, links, and content patterns associated with spam filters. The REST API covers domains, accounts, mailboxes, messages, and tokens; server-sent events can push new messages. SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 work without a vendor SDK. The Lite plan is free at free with one domain, 50 accounts, and seven-day retention. Pro costs $7 a month, and Max costs $20 a month, with longer retention and expanded domains or accounts. Email and account data are primarily processed in the United States.