Email aliases and temp mail both keep your main address out of sign-up forms, but they work in opposite ways. An alias is a stand-in address that passes mail on to the inbox you already use. Temp mail is a separate inbox that you read for a few minutes and then forget. Which one fits depends on whether you will ever need to hear from that site again.
What each one is
An email alias is an extra address that forwards to a mailbox you already have. You give a site the alias instead of your real address, and its messages arrive in your normal inbox. Many alias services also let you reply through the alias, so the other side sees the alias and not your real address. If one alias starts receiving spam, you switch it off without touching the rest.
Temp mail is a temporary inbox with its own address. Nothing is forwarded anywhere: you open the temp mail page, read the message there, and leave. Public temp mail usually needs no account. On Free Domain Mail's public temp mail at @freedomainmail.info and @freedomainmail.link, anyone who knows the address can read the inbox, and each message is deleted 10 minutes after it arrives.
How they compare
Privacy. Both keep your real address away from the site. An alias inbox is private because the mail ends up in your own mailbox, but the alias service sees every message it forwards. A public temp mail inbox is not private at all: anyone with the address can open it. Neither one hides your IP address or anything else you type into the form.
Can reply. With many alias services you can reply from the alias. Public temp mail is usually receive-only, so you can read the message but not answer it.
Account recovery. An alias keeps working for as long as you keep it, so password resets and security alerts still reach you months later. A temp mail address is gone within minutes, which means account recovery through it is effectively impossible, and on a public inbox someone else could read the reset email.
Setup effort. Public temp mail takes no setup: open the page and copy the address. An alias needs an account with an alias service, or a mail host that supports aliases, and a little time to create and later manage each address.
Blocked by sites. Many sites check new addresses against public lists of disposable domains, so temp mail addresses are often refused. Alias addresses can be refused too, depending on the site and the domain the alias uses. The guide on why websites block temp mail explains how those checks work.
A middle ground: catch-all on your own domain
A catch-all domain gives you fresh addresses like temp mail, with an inbox only you can read. When a domain you own has catch-all enabled, mail to any name at it is accepted, so you can make up bookshop@yourdomain.com on the spot without creating it first. Because you own the domain, a password reset sent to that address later still arrives.
Free Domain Mail offers this as custom temp mail. You add one TXT record to prove you own the domain and point its MX record to mx.freedomainmail.com. After that, every address at the domain receives mail into a private inbox, and messages are kept for 30 days.
The trade-off is replies. Free Domain Mail is receive-only: it never sends or forwards mail, so you cannot answer from these addresses the way you can with many aliases. The catch-all email guide covers how catch-all works, the extra spam it can attract, and how to set it up.
Which to choose
Choose public temp mail for a one-time code or download from a site you will not use again, when nothing personal is in the message and you are fine losing the account; see temp mail for OTP codes.
Choose an email alias for accounts you want to keep, such as shops, newsletters and online services, especially if you may need to reply or receive password resets later.
Choose a catch-all on your own domain when you want a new address for every sign-up, a private inbox and later access to resets, and you do not need to reply from those addresses. It also suits developers who need many test addresses.
Use your real address for banking, government services, healthcare, work accounts, and anything you must be able to prove you own.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using public temp mail for an account you later come to depend on, then finding that the password reset can never reach you.
- Assuming an alias makes you anonymous. It hides your address, but the site still sees everything else you share with it.
- Expecting to reply from a receive-only address. If you need two-way mail, use an alias or a full mailbox.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an email alias and temp mail?
An alias forwards mail to your existing inbox and keeps working until you turn it off. Temp mail is a separate, short-lived inbox that you read on the temp mail site, and on public services anyone with the address can read it too.
Can I reply from a temp mail address?
Usually not. Public temp mail is generally receive-only. Free Domain Mail, including custom temp mail on your own domain, never sends or forwards mail.
Is an email alias better for account recovery?
Yes. An alias keeps forwarding to your inbox for as long as you keep it, so password resets still reach you. A public temp mail address is gone within minutes, so later recovery emails are lost.
Do websites block email aliases?
Some do. Each site decides which addresses it accepts. Temp mail domains are refused more often because they appear on public lists of disposable domains.
Is a catch-all domain the same as an alias?
Not quite. An alias is usually created one address at a time and forwards to another mailbox. A catch-all accepts mail to any name at the domain without creating it first, and with Free Domain Mail the mail stays in a private inbox instead of being forwarded.