SimpleLogin or addy.io: which email alias service?

An email alias is a front address you give out instead of the real one. The message still lands in your inbox, but the site never knows your main address. The day an alias drowns in spam, you cut it off, and your inbox goes quiet again. Two services dominate this niche: SimpleLogin, bought by Proton in 2022, and addy.io, the former AnonAddy that stayed independent. Neither asks you to change your address, even if you’re preparing your departure from Gmail.

The match in one table

Criterion	SimpleLogin	addy.io
Price	Free (10 aliases). Premium at $2.99/month (billed annually), Proton Pass Plus features included	Free (unlimited standard aliases, 10 on shared domains). Lite at $1/month, Pro at $3/month (billed annually)
Level	Beginner	Intermediate
Proton integration	Native (Proton Mail and Proton Pass)	None, independent service
Self-hosting	Not a focus	Yes
Source code	Open	Open
Notable features	Browser extension, one-click disabling, replying from the alias	Custom domains, advanced filtering, built-in PGP, full API

What SimpleLogin does better

Simplicity. The browser extension offers you an alias on every signup form, in one click. A compromised alias gets cut off just as fast, and you can reply to a message directly from the alias. It’s the service I recommend to someone discovering the concept.

The Proton integration is its other strength. Since the 2022 acquisition, SimpleLogin works natively with Proton Mail and Proton Pass. The $2.99/month Premium also unlocks the Proton Pass Plus features, which makes it a very cost-effective subscription if you already use the suite.

What addy.io does better

Independence. addy.io is open source, self-hostable, and it stayed its own master where SimpleLogin joined Proton. Its free plan is also more generous: unlimited standard aliases, ten aliases on shared domains, and more shared domains than its competitor.

Control, next. Custom domains, advanced filtering rules, built-in PGP, a full API: demanding users find a finer toolbox there. The trade-off is well known. The interface is less mainstream, and self-hosting requires real technical skills.

Verdict

Choose SimpleLogin if you’re discovering aliases, or if you’re building your digital independence around the Proton suite. It’s the simpler of the two, and my recommendation for most readers.

Choose addy.io if the service’s independence matters to you, or if you want fine-grained control over your aliases, all the way to self-hosting.

In both cases, your real address goes out of circulation, and spam loses your trail. The detailed profiles: SimpleLogin and addy.io, and all the alternatives for creating email aliases.