MailPal vs Shroud.email

MailPal creates unique email aliases for sign-ups and forwards their messages to a real inbox. Aliases can be disabled manually or set to stop after an expiry date or a maximum number of forwards. Wildcard mode can create aliases automatically for new incoming addresses. One dashboard manages multiple domains, each with its own settings and default forwarding address; alias activity includes forwarded and blocked counts and a log. Notes, color tags, full-text search, and bulk actions help organize aliases. The app provides a REST API for alias, domain, tag, and destination operations, and its code is linked from a public GitHub repository. MailPal deploys its dashboard and email worker to Cloudflare using Pages, Workers, KV, and Email Routing. Setup requires a Cloudflare account, a domain added to Cloudflare, and Node.js 18+ or Bun with Wrangler CLI. The maker says email content is not stored, third parties do not access aliases or traffic, and the service uses no analytics or tracking. It is free forever with no monthly fees, running on the Cloudflare account’s free tier.

Shroud.email creates email aliases that forward incoming messages to your real inbox, keeping the real address private. It removes tracking pixels from forwarded mail and proxies email images through its servers. You can delete or disable aliases and block individual senders, and the service says it works with all email providers, including Gmail and Proton Mail. Paid users can attach custom domains, configure catch-all aliases, and recreate those addresses elsewhere if they leave. The API manages aliases and discovers custom domains with bearer-token authorization. The project is open source under AGPL v3 and includes a Docker Compose deployment for self-hosting. Self-hosting requires a public server with ports 25, 80, and 443 open, plus keys for S3-compatible storage. Detected spam remains viewable in the web portal for seven days. The hosted service is EU-hosted on renewable energy. The Free plan costs nothing and includes five aliases and tracker blocking; the paid plan has no listed price and renews annually.