A temporary email address allows you to escape spam and ensures your personal data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. We assessed several providers to determine the best temporary email services, and these are our top picks: While using a burner email can help you stay safe online, it is not enough to protect your privacy. We recommend also using other security tools, like a VPN. Sharing your email address with several platforms may seem harmless, but it exposes you to unwanted spam, targeted adverts, and potential vulnerabilities. A temporary email address is just what you need for those times when you’re hesitant to use your email address, either because you don’t trust a platform, you only use it sparingly, or you want to access it anonymously. Using a disposable email address keeps your mailbox organized, spam-free and reduces your exposure to hackers and other online threats. Continue reading to learn about the best temporary email services available today.
What’s a Temporary Email Address?
A temporary email is a self-destructing address that can help you escape spam and stay anonymous online. Temp emails are best used for sending/receiving non-confidential messages. You can use a throwaway email to sign up for websites you don’t trust or rarely use.
The Seven Best Temporary Email Services of 2023
To come up with a shortlist of the best temporary email services on the internet, we assessed factors such as ease of use and security. We also considered whether these platforms are free and if they require any form of registration. With that said, let’s jump into the best burner email services of this moment!
1. Temp Mail: Professional-looking disposable email addresses
Website: Temp Mail
Temp Mail is one of the best temporary email services available today. It’s really easy to use — no password, registration, or payment required. All you have to do is visit the website and copy the randomly generated email address. When you scroll down, you’ll find an inbox where emails sent to the address appear. The inbox is constantly refreshing, so you won’t miss any important messages. Emails sent to the address are stored for two hours before being deleted, along with your IP address and other personal data. Temp Mail addresses are rarely blocked. Its disposable emails could easily pass for professional ones; they have an actual username and domain address instead of the random string of letters that form the username and domain name of most throwaway emails. Temp Mail addresses are perfect for websites that only accept email addresses from organizations. The premium version of Temp Mail, which costs $10 monthly or $60 annually, offers a variety of features. You get a completely private address that isn’t shared with others. You can also add a custom domain name and create up to ten addresses.
2. 10 Minute Mail: Short-term email addresses
Website: 10 Minute Mail
10 Minute Mail is a disposable email address available for 10 minutes. However, you can extend the time and get ten more minutes if necessary. Despite its time constraint, 10 Minute Mail is an excellent disposable email service; it’s pretty straightforward and completely free. 10 Minute Mail is supposed to indicate when you get a new message. But the message counter stood at zero when we received a new email the first time we tested this service. Thankfully, new messages appear on the same page, so you will probably see them. You can reply to and forward emails on the platform. There’s no premium version of this service.
3. Gmailnator: Free temporary Gmail addresses
Website: Gmailnator
Gmailnator (currently working from the platform ëmailnator.com) is not your typical temporary email service. It provides free Gmail email addresses. You can also create temp emails with other domains. Gmailnator is an excellent solution for websites that are known to block disposable emails. For instance, Steam has an effective filter for blocking disposable emails.
In our test, Gmailnator’s temporary Gmail address could bypass Steam’s email filter.
The temporary email addresses Gmailnator provides are open to the public. Therefore, using them to send or receive private information isn’t advisable. If you want a burner email that will self-destruct, you can opt for a ten-minute email on Gmailnator. And, if you need bulk email addresses, you can generate 100 to 1000 emails on this platform. Gmailnator allows you to send individual and bulk emails and receive messages at no cost. The biggest downside of Gmailnator is that it has many ads, and you have to switch off your adblocker to access the service.
4. Guerrilla Mail: Customizable temporary addresses
Website: Guerrilla Mail
Guerrilla Mail is a popular temp email service that allows you to customize your email username. You can choose from about 11 domains too. You don’t need to register or provide personal details to access this service. Guerrilla Mail allows you to send and receive messages for free, and its addresses never expire. Your emails are kept for an hour before being deleted automatically. You can access your inbox at any time by providing your address. Since anyone with your email ID can access your inbox, you have the option of using a scrambled address to send messages. This adds a layer of protection to your privacy. If you want to delete your address, click the Forget Me button. In addition to providing temporary emails, Guerrilla Mail also doubles as a password manager. Guerrilla Mail says it does not store or transmit the passwords users generate. You can access your passwords by providing your Master Key.
5. EmailOnDeck: Disposable addresses that work for several hours
Website: EmailOnDeck
EmailOnDeck is a straightforward temp email service designed to safeguard your privacy and stop the onslaught of spam. You don’t need to sign up to get a disposable email address. Complete a CAPTCHA, and you’ll receive a burner email address. EmailOnDeck addresses look legit: the username and domain name are actual words, not random letters. The biggest perk of EmailOnDeck is that its addresses are available for almost an entire day unless you close your browser or clear your cookies. The free version of EmailOnDeck is best suited for receiving emails from addresses you don’t trust. You can only use it to send emails to other EmailOnDeck accounts, which is a bummer. To send emails to non-EmailOnDeck addresses, you must sign up for EmailOnDeck Pro. The premium version of EmailOnDeck, which costs about 0.002796 BTC ($60), allows you to send bulk emails, create a custom address, save your favorite addresses, and do much more.
6. Maildrop: Temporary email with a good spam filter
Website: Maildrop
Maildrop allows you to create a custom address with the maildrop.cc domain. The process is effortless; type in your desired username, and the temp email address is created automatically. When you create a Maildrop address, you also get an alias address. Maildrop strongly advises against sending sensitive information using its service because anyone can access your inbox if they know your username. Maildrop allows you to have up to ten messages in your inbox. If your Maildrop address does not receive any messages within 24 hours, it is automatically deleted. Maildrop does a superb job of preventing spam emails from getting into your inbox. Its cloud-based antispam tool reportedly reduces spam by over 90 percent. Unfortunately, since Maildrop uses a single domain (maildrop.cc), its email addresses are blocked easily. Our Maildrop address was blocked on Steam and Discord while testing this service.
7. AnonAddy: A great email forwarding platform
Website: AnonAddy
AnonAddy is not like the other temporary email services above. It’s an email forwarding platform. You can use AnonAddy’s email addresses to sign up to platforms you don’t want to give your actual email address. And if they flood you with spam or you decide to cut ties with the service for any other reason, you can delete the alias address. To use AnonAddy, you must create a unique subdomain and register with your email address. Once that’s done, you can create an unlimited number of alias addresses under your subdomain. For instance, to register for Twitch, you could use an alias like twitch@yourusername.anonaddy.com. Every email sent to that address will be forwarded to your actual email. You can also forward emails to different recipients. AnonAddy helps you keep your actual email address hidden. This service is ideal for weeding out spammers and bothersome advertisers. You can track emails from various aliases and block spammers on the AnonAddy dashboard. AnonAddy has free and premium plans. The free plan will suffice if you need a burner email for a few sites. However, you need to subscribe to a premium plan for higher monthly bandwidth and custom domains.
Why Do You Need a Temporary Email Address?
Disposable email addresses have several benefits. We discuss some of them below.
1. Keep spam out of your regular inbox
Are you tired of spam emails invading your account? Remember the early days when you only received essential emails? Now, almost every notification is an email you don’t care about. A temp email address can keep spammers at bay!
2. No leaked email addresses in data breaches
Using a temporary email to sign up for platforms you deem potentially unsafe can protect your privacy in the event of a data breach. Websites generally do their best to safeguard your data. But, despite their efforts, cybercriminals often get their hands on this data. Even high-profile websites are not immune to this threat. In May 2016, 164 million email addresses and passwords got exposed after LinkedIn was hacked. In 2019, Canva was also hacked, and the data of 137 million subscribers was compromised.
3. Better email security
Virtually no one takes the time to read the terms and conditions of websites and learn how they handle your personal information. As a result, you may not know if a website shares your data with third parties — many of them do. These third parties may include advertisers. Using a disposable email address eliminates the chances that your privacy could be threatened if your email is shared with third parties.
4. Online shopping without promotional emails
Shopping online is convenient and fun. But it can be annoying to receive endless emails from stores telling you about the latest discounts. Promotional emails can quickly overload your inbox if you don’t keep track of them. A disposable email address allows you to skirt this nuisance. If you’re shopping at a random store or applying for loyalty cards, using a burner email address is recommended to avoid getting bombarded with emails about sales and deals.
5. No signup confirmations in your regular inbox
Sometimes, you may only need to use a website once. Maybe you want to read an article, download a file, or access a service. However, many websites will require you to provide an email and sign up for an account before you can do this. A disposable email address comes in handy during times like this.
Types of Disposable Email Addresses
There are three main types of disposable email addresses, namely:
A throwaway email address: This is the most common type of temporary email address. They’re meant for one-time use and are only active for a limited time. Examples include Temp Mail and 10 Minute Mail. A forwarding address: This is an email address used to forward emails to your primary email address. Think of it as a middle-man but for emails. It has a longer lifespan than a throwaway email address. AnonAddy is a perfect example of this type of temp email service. An alias address: An alias email is an email address you connect with your primary account. Gmail and other email providers allow users to do this. All the messages sent to your alias account will pop up in your primary account. Unlike temporary email addresses, an alias address is permanent, so you can use it to sign up on multiple platforms. To protect your privacy and stay anonymous, we recommend you change your details when creating an alias email account.
How to Choose a Disposable Email
There are numerous disposable email services available today, and it can be hard to decide which one to choose. These are the key things to keep in mind when selecting the best temp email service.
Usually, websites that don’t require you to register or provide any personally identifiable information are the best. Opt for temp email services that are easy to use. You don’t want to get bogged down with an overly complicated platform. Check if the platform offers temporary storage for incoming emails. Ensure the temp email address is anonymous and can’t be traced back to you.
Disadvantages of Using a Disposable Email
Although temporary email addresses can come in handy in certain situations, it’s not advisable to use them to send or receive private messages or sensitive information like your bank statements. Most temporary emails are public, meaning multiple users may have access to the same account. Throwaway email addresses are temporary. They are usually deleted after a few hours or days. This can be problematic if you use a temp email to sign up for a service and need to reset your password.
Other Ways to Enhance Your Privacy Online
There are many other ways to protect your privacy online besides using a temporary email address. Using a disposable email address doesn’t shield you from certain threats, like spyware or hackers inspecting your traffic data. Below, we briefly highlight some valuable tools that can help you protect your data.
1. Use a reputable VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your traffic and redirects it through a different server. This makes it difficult for hackers and other snooping parties to see what you’re doing online. We recommend using a top-rated VPN provider like NordVPN. This Panama-based provider is known for its advanced security and vast network of servers.
2. Use antivirus
Cybercriminals continue to come up with innovative ways to spread malware and snare unsuspecting victims. A trusted antivirus, like Kaspersky, offers real-time protection from such threats. Kaspersky comes with a firewall, anti-fraud, anti-spyware, and anti-ransom tools to safeguard your privacy online and offline.
3. Use a password manager
Do you have a problem tracking your passwords on multiple websites? A password manager helps to create, store, and manage all your passwords. Not all password managers are secure, and using unsafe ones can inadvertently put your privacy at risk. We recommend using a highly secure password manager like 1Password. 1Password comes with two-factor authentication, AES 256-bit encryption, and other security tools. We strongly advise against using the same password across multiple websites, as this makes it easy for hackers to steal your data. Instead, use 1Password to create and store strong passwords.
4. Remove personal info from the internet
We all have that profile we wish we never made or that disused account we’ve tried to delete unsuccessfully. These scraps of data on the web can put your privacy at risk if they fall into the wrong hands. DeleteMe is a privacy solution that allows you to delete your personal information from the internet. DeleteMe searches for your personal information across hundreds of platforms, and you get a custom report highlighting where your data has been found. You can even request to have your data deleted from a particular platform.
Final Thoughts: The Best Temporary Email Service
As we increasingly depend on online services in our daily lives, the chances are that you’ll have to provide your email to many more platforms. Using a temporary email address saves you the headache of dealing with spam. We also recommend using a VPN and antivirus to protect your privacy. If you’re looking for other ways to keep your data away from prying eyes, check out our article on the top secure email providers.
