Which Free Anonymous Email Provider Is Best for You?

An anonymous email address is a powerful tool for keeping communication truly private. Whether you’re a journalist covering sensitive issues, an activist, or just someone who values privacy, an anonymous email service offers plenty of privacy benefits. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss what anonymous emails are and why they can be useful. We’ll also review the best free anonymous emails available today. 

What Is an Anonymous Email?

An anonymous email hides the sender’s identity. This ensures no personally identifiable information is linked to the message. 

Unlike traditional email services like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, anonymous email services prioritize privacy and security. They make it almost impossible to trace the email back to its sender.

How Do Anonymous Emails Work?

Anonymous emails work by hiding your identity and removing personal details that could trace the message back to you. They use encryption to scramble the content of your message so no one can read it except the person you send it to. 

They also remove things like IP addresses (which show your location), timestamps, and device details from the email. This way, the email doesn’t leave a digital trail. 

Some services let you create temporary or fake email addresses, called burner emails or aliases. This means you can use it for a short time or specific purposes. Unlike popular email services which ask for personal information when you sign up, anonymous email providers don’t. Read our full guide on how to send an anonymous email.

Why Do You Need an Anonymous Email?

You may need to use an anonymous service for several reasons:

• • You’re a journalist or activist. If you’re a journalist who covers sensitive topics like corruption or civil rights need to keep your identity hidden. Similarly, activists protesting against powerful entities often face threats, surveillance, or harassment. An anonymous email lets you communicate safely without fear of becoming a target.
  • You’re a whistleblower. Blowing the whistle on unethical behavior in an organization can put you at risk of retaliation, job loss, or worse. Anonymous email services provide a way to share information securely while protecting your identity.
  • You’re living under oppression. When freedom of press and expression is restricted, anonymous emails provide a safe way to communicate and speak freely without fear of punishment.
  • You want to protect your privacy. Even if you’re not in a high-risk situation, valuing your privacy is reason enough to consider an anonymous email. Popular email services often track your activity, collect your data, and share it with third parties. Anonymous email providers shield you from this kind of monitoring. This helps you maintain better control over your personal information.
  • You want to combat spam and scams. When you use your email to sign up for services, your email address can sometimes fall into the hands of spammers or scammers. Using burner email addresses or email aliases protects your main email account from spam and phishing emails.

What to Consider When Choosing an Anonymous Email

When you’re choosing an anonymous email account, privacy and security are the key elements to watch out for. Every provider will have its own list of features. 

• • Trustworthiness. Does the provider have a good reputation for security and privacy? It’s always a good idea to read online forums and product reviews. You can also check if independent auditors have given the service the thumbs up.
  • Jurisdiction. You may want to choose a provider based in a country with strong privacy laws, where companies aren’t forced to hand over information to law enforcement.
  • Encryption. Make sure the service uses end-to-end encryption to protect your emails while they’re being sent and stored. The best providers also encrypt your emails on your device, so no one – including the service itself – can read them.
  • Extra features. Look for helpful extra features like email aliases, secure file sharing, or the option to use your own custom domain. Other useful tools include password managers or spam filtering to block unwanted emails.
  • Information requests for signing up. The whole point of an untraceable email account is to send secret emails without them being traced to you. If they ask you for private information to sign up, it’s not a good sign. Good providers give you the option to provide a recovery email or phone number, but it shouldn’t be mandatory.

5 Best Free Anonymous Email Providers

To save you time researching the top anonymous email services, we’ve put together a list of the most trusted providers who have both free and paid-for options. We also put together a table so you can scan through features for each anonymous email service on our list. 

1. ProtonMail

ProtonMail is one of the most popular choices for a secure email account. It uses PGP encryption to protect your emails from the moment they leave your device. ProtonMail doesn’t collect personally identifiable information. Even the staff can’t access your messages due to their zero-knowledge policy.

You can set up a free account with 1GB of storage and send up to 150 emails per day. For extra storage or features, you can upgrade to a paid plan. 

ProtonMail also lets you send self-destructing emails that automatically delete after a set period. Proton Mail is at the top of the anonymous email game – especially for free anonymous email services. 

2. Tuta (formerly Tutanota)

Tuta is another good option. They take privacy seriously and encrypt your emails, email subject lines, and contact lists. They also strip your IP address from emails, so your location stays private.

TutaMail offers 1GB of storage for free and lets you send encrypted emails to non-users. This feature requires you to share a password with them to decrypt the message. The fact that it’s open source means anyone can check its security. This makes it a popular choice among privacy-conscious users.

3. Guerilla Mail

If you’re looking for something quick and easy, Guerilla Mail provides free, disposable email addresses for sending and receiving messages anonymously. No personal details are needed, and you can create a random address or choose your own.

Guerilla Mail also lets you send messages without creating an account, and emails disappear after one hour. This makes it harder for anyone to trace you.

4. Mailfence

Mailfence is a secure email service from Belgium that uses OpenPGP encryption to keep your emails private. This means only the person you email can read your messages. You can also add a digital signature to prove your emails are genuine.

To protect your privacy further, Mailfence removes your IP address from outgoing emails, making it harder for others to track your location. When signing up, you’ll need an email address to get an activation code and recover your account, but you can use a temporary or alternate email for this.

Mailfence offers strong security features like two-factor authentication (2FA), spam filtering to block unwanted emails, and malware protection for added safety. The free plan includes 1 GB of storage, split between 500 MB for emails and 500 MB for documents. You also get tools like calendars, contact management, and document storage.

If you need more, the paid plan starts at $2.50 per month, giving you 10 aliases and 11 GB of storage (5 GB for emails and 6 GB for documents). Paid users can also get email support, while free users rely on a help center. Payments can be made with cryptocurrency to keep your details private.

Mailfence works in your browser and has apps for iOS and Android.

5. Addy.io (AnonAddy)

AnonAddy is a secure email service that works by creating email aliases. These aliases protect your real identity. You can use them to forward emails to your inbox without revealing your actual address. You can even deactivate aliases to avoid spam and reply to messages without giving away your true email.

Here’s a table comparing the top anonymous email account providers, and their free features. 

Feature	ProtonMail	Tuta Mail	Guerrilla Mail	Mailfence	Addy.io
Storage	1 GB	1 GB	Temporary emails stored for 1 hour	1 GB (500 MB for emails, 500 MB for documents)	N/A (email forwarding service)
Encryption	End-to-end encryption using PGP; subject lines not encrypted	End-to-end encryption, including subject lines and contacts	No encryption; emails are temporary and deleted after 1 hour	End-to-end encryption based on OpenPGP	Supports encryption with user-provided GPG/OpenPGP keys; forwards encrypted emails to your address
No-knowledge policy	Cannot access user emails	Cannot access user emails	N/A (no account registration)	Cannot access user emails	Does not store emails, only forwards them to your address
Alias Support	Up to 10 aliases	Not specified in the free plan	Not applicable	Not specified in the free plan	Unlimited standard aliases in free plan; 10 shared domain aliases
Platform Availability	iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Web	iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Web	Web, Android app	iOS, Android, Web	Browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Vivaldi

Free vs. Paid Options

While free email services can be convenient, paid options often come with better security and more advanced features. Here’s why you might want to consider upgrading by paying for an anonymous email account:

• • More features. Paid accounts usually offer more storage, custom domains, and extra tools.
  • Better privacy. Paid services often have stricter privacy policies and are more transparent about how they protect your personal data.
  • Fewer risks. Some free services may log your data or show ads, so opting for a paid version is safer and more reliable.
  • Jurisdiction. It’s a good idea to choose a provider based in a country with strong privacy laws, where companies aren’t forced to hand over your information to law enforcement.
  • Encryption. Make sure the service uses end-to-end encryption to protect your emails while they’re being sent and stored. The best providers also encrypt your emails on your device, so no one—including the service—can read them.
  • Extra features. Look for helpful extra features like email aliases, secure file sharing, or the option to use your own custom domain. Other useful tools include a password manager or spam filtering to block unwanted emails.

Protect Your Privacy with an Anonymous Email

When it comes to sending untraceable emails, it’s key to use the right services and tools. Whether you’re a journalist covering sensitive topics, blowing the whistle on unethical behavior, or simply someone who cares about your digital privacy, anonymous email accounts keep your identity private.

Secure providers like ProtonMail, TutaMail, and Guerilla Mail encrypt your emails, and don’t ask for personal info when you sign up. Luckily, they offer plenty of privacy features on their free plans. Unless you plan to use it as your central email, the free plan features likely suffice for whatever you need.

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