What is an anonymous email?
An anonymous email lets you send messages without showing your real details. It encrypts the message so no one can see what you write unless they are meant to. The email address does not have your name or personal info. When you send an email, it does not tell the time, the name of your device, or your IP address. This keeps your information safe and private.
This kind of email is good for people who need to keep their identity hidden. Whether you know a lot about online privacy or just a little, using an anonymous email can protect you from being tracked or watched online. It's a simple way to stay safe and keep your conversations private.
Why do you use an anonymous email?
The internet is a place where privacy matters. An anonymous email helps you keep your personal information just that—personal. Here's when it can be a game-changer:
Job Searching: Applying for jobs without alerting your current employer.
Whistleblowing: Safely reporting illegal activities or misconduct.
Avoiding Spam: Signing up for newsletters or services without getting unwanted emails.
Safe Communication: Discussing sensitive personal matters without exposure.
Activism: Engaging in political or social issues privately.
Online Selling: Keeping transactions discreet when buying or selling items online.
Security: Protecting your identity from potential hackers or online threats.
Legal Matters: Communicating about legal situations where privacy is required.
Counselling: Seeking advice on personal issues without disclosing your identity.
Creative Work: Submitting writing or artwork anonymously for unbiased feedback.
In short, anonymous emails give you control over your online privacy. They allow you to engage and communicate without sacrificing your identity or safety. Whether for personal reasons or professional needs, they offer a layer of protection that's hard to beat in the digital age.
Best free anonymous email providers
AnonAddy
AnonAddy is a service that gives you an anonymous email address to protect your privacy. It's a free, open-source email-forwarding service that encrypts your emails and keeps you away from trackers and ad targeting. With AnonAddy, you can create multiple email aliases, which helps keep your real email address safe from spam and data breaches. If someone tries to cross-reference your details, AnonAddy's alias system hides your true identity. You can even reply to emails anonymously.
The service includes a browser extension, allowing you to make unlimited aliases for signing up to different sites without revealing your actual email. While the free version covers basic needs, it has limited bandwidth. If you want more features like custom domains, extra usernames, or unlimited bandwidth, you might consider upgrading to a premium plan. AnonAddy makes it easy to avoid spammers and unwanted ads, keeping your communications secure and private.
Guerilla Mail
Guerilla Mail is a reliable service that has been providing free, disposable email addresses for over a decade. It's perfect for sending and receiving emails anonymously without the need for any personal information. You have the option to create a custom email address or use a random one generated by their "scramble address" feature. For extra privacy, Guerilla Mail allows you to send emails anonymously without even creating an account. Plus, they have a unique feature where emails expire after one hour, giving you an additional layer of security.
In summary, Guerilla Mail offers a secure and private way to manage email communication. With no personal data needed to sign up and the ability to send messages that self-destruct, it's a great choice for protecting your identity online.
HushMail
Hushmail has been a trusted name in the world of encrypted email services for more than 20 years, serving a wide range of businesses and individual users. For personal use, Hushmail offers a plan at $49.98 per year, which includes 10GB of storage, email aliases for privacy, 2-factor authentication for enhanced security, and the unique feature of secure web forms.
What makes Hushmail stand out is its custom web form feature, ideal for website owners. This allows visitors and customers to securely submit sensitive information and files directly through your website. It's a valuable tool for maintaining confidentiality and ensuring secure communications.
Mailfence
Mailfence is a secure email provider that emphasizes privacy through OpenPGP end-to-end encryption. This service isn't just for email; it also includes features like a calendar, contacts, and documents. You can manage various identities with email aliases and set up filters to keep your inbox free from spam and safeguard your privacy.
One of the key aspects of Mailfence is its commitment to transparency and legal protection. With servers located in Belgium, Mailfence operates under European Union laws, which means it's not subject to US legislation such as gag orders or national security letters. This ensures a higher level of anonymity and data protection for users.
For those starting out, Mailfence offers a free plan that comes with 500MB of storage and email support, complete with end-to-end encryption. If your needs grow, you can opt for a premium plan, which includes additional features like more storage space (up to 50GB) and priority support, as well as the option to use a custom email domain.
ProtonMail
ProtonMail is a widely recognized secure email provider that offers end-to-end PGP encryption for your emails, ensuring they're encrypted before they leave your device and while at rest. With a strict zero-knowledge policy, ProtonMail ensures that nobody, not even their own staff, can access your messages. However, it's important to note that ProtonMail does not encrypt email metadata, such as headers and subject lines.
When signing up for ProtonMail, you don't need to provide any personal information, which enhances your privacy. There's an option to add a recovery email in case you forget your password, and you can send self-destructing messages, choosing how long they will last.
ProtonMail's free plan includes 500MB of storage and allows for up to 150 messages per day. If you need more features or storage, there are paid plans available. Although ProtonMail may request your phone number for account verification via SMS, this might not be ideal for users seeking maximum anonymity. For those concerned about privacy, choosing an email service that doesn’t require a phone number might be preferable.
PrivateMail
Private-Mail is a service that prioritizes your privacy and security, offering encrypted email accounts at a starting price of $8.95 per month. While it's not free, the features it provides could make it a worthwhile investment. Private-Mail uses the robust 256-bit AES encryption algorithm, the same one utilized by CyberGhost VPN, ensuring that only you can access your files. The encryption process is handled on the client side, which means not even Private-Mail staff can view your data.
With Private-Mail, you're not only getting secure email but also a convenient platform for file-sharing. The basic account comes with 10GB of local storage and an additional 10GB of cloud storage. If you need more space, you can upgrade to the Pro account for $15.95, which doubles your storage capacity. Furthermore, for enhanced email security, you can activate a self-destruct feature for your messages.
Secure Email
Secure Email is a provider that stands out for its commitment to anonymity and robust encryption. It secures your emails with a formidable 4096-bit key encryption, and safeguards them further with SSL encryption during transit, ensuring that your communications remain private and protected from prying eyes. When you create an account with Secure Email, you don't have to provide any personal details, which helps maintain your anonymity.
This provider also takes a firm stand on user privacy by not participating in the US PRISM surveillance program. They are transparent about their privacy policy and do not log your IP address. This means they have no record of your personal information and, as a result, they cannot share any details with government entities or third parties. It's a secure choice for anyone concerned about maintaining their privacy online.
Tutanota
Like ProtonMail, Tutanota is a strong contender in the secure email space. It keeps your inbox contents private, even from its own developers, and safeguards your location by hiding your IP address.
Creating an account with Tutanota doesn't require any personal information, and the free plan comes with a generous 1GB of storage. In addition, Tutanota ensures your anonymity by removing your IP address from emails, which prevents anyone from tracing your location. Moreover, Tutanota's software is open-source, allowing anyone to review its code for security assurance.
Best paid anonymous email providers
CounterMail
CounterMail is a secure email service that prioritizes your privacy. It uses four encryption methods to keep your communication safe: SSL, OpenPGP, session, and server-side disk encryption. This service ensures your anonymity with features like email headers that don't reveal your identity, a built-in password manager, an autoresponder, secure forms, and it doesn't track you with logs or cookies. Although CounterMail is easy to use, it's not free and you can only join by invitation.
For a fee, starting at $3.29 per month for a two-year plan, CounterMail offers 4GB of storage and up to 20 different email aliases. You can even pay anonymously. But there's a catch: getting an account requires an invite from a current premium member or by joining a waiting list for an invitation from CounterMail. If you're willing to wait, many users feel the service's privacy features are worth the delay and the cost.
StartMail
StartMail is a web-based email service that's all about keeping your information private. It offers PGP encryption to make sure your emails are secure, both while they're being sent and when they're stored on servers in the Netherlands. With StartMail, you can also use temporary, disposable email addresses, known as the burner function, to protect yourself from spam. This service takes extra steps to maintain your anonymity by removing headers and IP addresses from your emails, and it handles encryption on the server side.
Using StartMail means you can avoid unwanted spam and keep your inbox clean, thanks to its burner email feature. Plus, you can rest easy knowing your communication is encrypted and your privacy is safeguarded by a service that doesn't leave digital traces like headers and IP addresses.
ZohoMail
ZohoMail is a secure email service designed for business-to-business communication. It ensures the safety of your messages by using SSL, which encrypts the data as it travels from your device to their servers. Additionally, your emails are secured at their final destination, with endpoint encryption on servers whose locations are kept confidential.
Not only is ZohoMail secure, but it's also user-friendly with a clear interface. It comes with handy features to keep your inbox safe, such as malware detection and spam filtering. To further protect your account, ZohoMail includes two-factor authentication (2FA), adding an extra layer of security.
Posteo
Posteo is a German email service that's big on privacy and security. It provides strong PGP encryption for your emails, ensuring they stay private. However, unlike some other services, Posteo doesn't allow for custom domains, doesn't have a spam folder, and you can't try it out with a free trial.
Despite these limitations, Posteo is serious about keeping your communication secure. It removes IP addresses from emails and doesn't record logs, allowing you to send emails without leaving a digital footprint. Posteo also respects your privacy by not displaying ads. For added security, it supports two-factor authentication (2FA) and performs daily backups to keep your data safe.
Final Thoughts
In summary, the anonymous email accounts we've highlighted offer a range of options for those seeking to protect their online communication in 2024. From free services to more feature-rich paid options, there's a solution for every level of privacy need. These providers give you the power to keep your identity shielded and your messages confidential.
To enhance your online privacy further, consider using tools like BrowserScan. They can detect browser fingerprints, which are often overlooked yet critical aspects of your digital anonymity. Pairing a secure email account with diligent browser privacy practices ensures a more comprehensive approach to safeguarding your online activities.