GhostRelay vs SimpleLogin vs AnonAddy: 2026 Comparison
Email alias services have matured significantly. Here's an honest comparison of three popular options: GhostRelay, SimpleLogin, and AnonAddy (now addy.io). Each has different strengths depending on your needs.
Pricing: GhostRelay offers a generous personal plan with up to 20 aliases and unlimited forwarding at no cost. SimpleLogin provides 10 aliases on their starter plan, with premium at $4/month for unlimited. Addy.io offers unlimited standard aliases on their basic plan, with premium features at $1/month.
Ease of use: GhostRelay prioritizes simplicity — one-click alias creation from a clean dashboard or browser extension. SimpleLogin has a mature interface with browser extensions for all major browsers. Addy.io is more technical, offering API-first features that appeal to developers.
Custom domains: All three support custom domains on paid plans. If you own 'yourdomain.com', you can create aliases like 'anything@yourdomain.com'. This means if you switch services, your aliases still work.
Reply capability: All three services support replying from your alias address. When you reply to a forwarded email, the response goes through the service so the recipient never sees your real address.
Open source: SimpleLogin and Addy.io are both open source, meaning anyone can audit the code. GhostRelay's worker code is based on Cloudflare Workers with transparent architecture. All three take privacy seriously.
Infrastructure: GhostRelay runs on Cloudflare's edge network (250+ cities worldwide), providing fast delivery and built-in DDoS protection. SimpleLogin uses standard hosting. Addy.io uses dedicated servers in the Netherlands.
Who should use what? Choose GhostRelay if you want the simplest possible setup with strong privacy defaults and edge-network speed. Choose SimpleLogin if you want a proven, open-source solution with mature PGP encryption support. Choose Addy.io if you're technical and want maximum flexibility with regex-based aliases and API automation.
The most important thing isn't which service you pick — it's that you start using email aliases at all. Any of these three is vastly better than giving out your real email address everywhere.