Burner Email Services for Privacy (2026)
The best free disposable inboxes and email aliases to protect your primary address from spam when signing up for AI tools, newsletters, and one-off downloads.
Every new AI tool, newsletter, and “free eBook” wants your email — and half of them sell it to the next mailing list within a week. A burner email lets you sign up, receive the confirmation, and walk away without ever exposing your real inbox.
TL;DR: use Temp-Mail or Guerrilla Mail for throwaway signups, and an alias forwarder like SimpleLogin or AnonAddy when you want to keep the account but retain a kill switch.
Prefer a built-in option? The Vibe Code 0 ships its own free temp-mail inbox — no ads, no third-party redirects, works from any browser.
Top picks
1. Temp-Mail
Disposable inboxAuto-generates a random address the moment you land on the site — no signup, receives mail in seconds, works on any AI tool signup page.
- Free plan
- 100% free web + mobile. Ads on the free tier; Premium removes ads and adds custom domains.
- Best for
- Signing up for a one-off AI trial you'll never use again.
- Watch out
- Any address is public — anyone who guesses it can read the inbox. Never use for anything you need to recover later.
2. Guerrilla Mail
Disposable inbox + sendOne of the oldest burner services. Unique in that you can send outbound email too (up to 150/hour), not just receive.
- Free plan
- Free forever. Addresses expire after 1 hour of inactivity; scrambled aliases keep the base email hidden.
- Best for
- Replying to a one-time verification without ever exposing your real address.
- Watch out
- Some sites block Guerrilla's domains — keep a backup provider ready.
3. 10 Minute Mail
Ultra-short-lived inboxThe name says it — you get 10 minutes, then the mailbox self-destructs. Extend in 10-minute chunks if you need longer.
- Free plan
- Free, no ads on the core service, no account needed.
- Best for
- Quick email verifications on newsletter walls or 'free eBook' downloads.
- Watch out
- Truly ephemeral — miss the confirmation window and you'll have to start over.
4. AnonAddy (addy.io)
Email alias forwarderNot a burner inbox — a forwarder. Every signup gets a unique alias like `netflix@yourname.anonaddy.com` that lands in your real inbox. Disable when it starts leaking spam.
- Free plan
- Free tier: unlimited aliases on shared domains, 10 MB bandwidth/month. Paid plans add custom domains and larger quotas.
- Best for
- Long-term accounts where you want to keep the login but block sender if they sell your address.
- Watch out
- Open source and self-hostable, but the free bandwidth cap is tiny — heavy newsletters will hit it fast.
5. SimpleLogin (by Proton)
Email alias forwarderAlias forwarder owned by Proton. Deep Firefox and iOS integration, one-click alias generation from the browser.
- Free plan
- Free: 10 aliases, unlimited forwards, Proton Pass integration. Paid unlocks unlimited aliases + custom domains.
- Best for
- Privacy-conscious users who already trust the Proton ecosystem.
- Watch out
- The 10-alias limit fills up quickly if you sign up for a lot of AI tools — plan which accounts deserve a permanent alias.
6. Mailinator
Public shared inboxType any address `@mailinator.com` — no signup, no password. The inbox already exists and anyone can read it.
- Free plan
- Free for the public inboxes. Private domains are a paid feature aimed at QA teams.
- Best for
- QA-style testing where you don't care who else sees the mail.
- Watch out
- Public inboxes are readable by anyone. Never use for password resets, invites, or anything sensitive.
How to pick the right one
- One-time verification? Temp-Mail or 10 Minute Mail. Open, copy the address, confirm, close the tab.
- Need to reply, not just receive? Guerrilla Mail — the only free option with outbound send.
- Want the account to survive? SimpleLogin (Proton) or AnonAddy — a per-service alias lands in your real inbox, and you disable it the moment spam starts.
- Team QA? Mailinator public inboxes are perfect for automated tests you don't need to keep private.
FAQ
What is a burner email and when should I use one?
A burner email is a temporary or aliased address you hand out instead of your real inbox — perfect for AI tool trials, newsletter walls, 'free download' gates, and any site you don't fully trust. It protects your primary inbox from spam, phishing, and address-list resale.
Are burner email services legal?
Yes. Using a disposable or aliased address is legal in every major jurisdiction. Some sites' terms forbid disposable addresses, so you may lose access if they detect one — that's a policy issue, not a legal one.
Burner inbox vs. email alias — what's the difference?
A burner inbox (Temp-Mail, Guerrilla Mail, 10 Minute Mail) is a throwaway mailbox that anyone with the URL can read. An email alias (AnonAddy, SimpleLogin) forwards mail into your real inbox but hides your real address from the sender — you can disable a leaky alias without changing your main email.
Can I use a burner email to sign up for AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude?
You can, but major AI providers actively block known disposable-email domains and may lock or delete your account without warning. Aliases from AnonAddy or SimpleLogin usually pass because they forward to a real mailbox. Never sign up for a paid AI plan with a burner — you'll lose access to billing and support.
Is my burner email really private?
Disposable inboxes are public — anyone who guesses your address can read it, so never use them for anything sensitive. Alias forwarders like SimpleLogin and AnonAddy are private end-to-end; the forwarder can see message metadata but delivers content to your real inbox.
Which burner email is best for signing up for AI newsletters?
For one-off signups, Temp-Mail or Guerrilla Mail are fastest. For long-term newsletter subscriptions you might want to keep, use a SimpleLogin or AnonAddy alias so you can disable the sender the moment they start spamming.
Editorial & safety policy
None of the links above are affiliate links. Free-tier details reflect what each provider published at time of writing and can change — always check the official site before signing up. Public disposable inboxes are readable by anyone; never use them for password resets, banking, or anything you can't afford to lose.