Have you ever held a serious conversation while sitting in a coffee shop wondering if the people next to you were listening in on all that you had to say? The feeling that a complete stranger might be interested in chiming in on your conversation is certainly an unsettling thought, but it happens more than we would like to admit. In fact, thanks to our love of technology, our lives these days are more transparent than ever before.
Whether you are sitting back enjoying a nice, hot cup of coffee in your favourite cafe or you happen to be in the comfort of your own home, people can usually listen in on your ‘private’ conversations, whether you like it or not. There are many avenues that online snoops can use to dig into your private affairs, but emails are always an easy target. That is why we would like to share a short list of the best anonymous email services that we know of.
Despite the obvious potential for spying risks, there are other reasons to use an anonymous email service as well. One example would be signing up for a service that you are unsure about. It is often the case that you need to use an email address to create online accounts but you don’t always want to associate your personal account (and all the tracking that comes with it) with certain online services.
Another reason for using anonymous email accounts is to avoid spam. If a spammer cannot identify your real email address they stand zero chance at inundating your inbox with junk. Arguably, one of the most important reasons for using an anonymous email service is the encryption that comes with it. Many services provide end-to-end encryption that they themselves cannot even crack, which means your communications stay between the intended parties – always.
Of course, there is also the issue of internet freedom and the desire to stay away from a controlled (and highly scrutinized) internet that drives people to using encrypted and anonymous email services.
How to send anonymous emails
When it comes to learning how to send anonymous emails, there are several different angles that you can approach it from. There are Onion options that work through the famed TOR network; there are online services that allow you to send encrypted emails through their servers and there are also paid subscription-based services that allow anonymous emails like VPNs. Depending on your particular needs, some of these may be better than others.
ProtonMail
One of the first places that you should end up after asking how to send an anonymous email is ProtonMail. This Swiss email provider is well known for offering a sleek, modern email client design that comes with some pretty serious security features.
Among the various privacy measures that the company provides are end-to-end encryption, privacy policies and practices protected by Swiss law and, of course, anonymous emails.
All you need to do to sign up for an anonymous email account at Proton is follow a few simple online instructions where you input your preferred email address and complete a Captcha – and that’s all. It’s really that simple.
As a bit of icing on the privacy cake, ProtonMail has also made their service available on a variety of devices, via the Android app, the iOS app, and the web version.
TorGuard
TorGuard is well known for its VPN services and focus on online privacy. To access TorGuard’s anonymous email service users should either pay for a VPN service, which would allow for free anonymous emails or buy into one of the monthly paid subscriptions.
The prices for the standalone anonymous email service range from $7/month to $16/quarter to $50/year. All of the email packages come with 30GB of storage, too, which is pretty impressive for a mail service. TorGuard’s email service is completely encrypted to ensure inbox privacy.
Being a company centered on the idea that online privacy is a right that everyone should have, they also put a lot of focus on additional security features as well. Protecting their users from MITM attacks, blocking malicious emails and keeping spam far away from the inbox are just a few of the features you can look forward to with TorGuard mail service.
How good is a TorGuard? Well the best way to find out is to read a review that measures all aspects of security software.
Mailnesia
Mailnesia is another popular anonymous email service that has been around for a long time. This is a bit of a specialized option, however, meaning that if you are looking for a way to send and receive anonymous email this is not the best choice.
Mailnesia is an inbox-only anonymous mail service. Users create ‘mailboxes’ and can set them up in various ways, including creating RSS feeds from incoming mails and assigning secret forwarding aliases that help with security.
SCRYPTmail
Still on the hunt for anonymous email services? Scryptmail is yet another great option. All emails sent through the Scryptmail servers enjoy end-to-end encryption with the best available 256 bit AES key.
It isn’t just the messages that are encrypted, either. Everything from the attachments to the white space to the text is locked down. Another nice feature is that encrypted messages can be pin-locked for added security.
Guerrilla Mail
If you are looking for a completely untraceable email account, Guerrilla Mail is a fantastic option. There are no signups or connections to user data in any form whatsoever. Opening the service’s web page reveals an easy-to-use message box that makes sending discreet messages a breeze. Users create their email name and select from a list of domains to create an anonymous inbox.
Once created, the mailbox can be used forever. The thing that is especially interesting about Guerrilla Mail is that messages only last for one hour. This is a good service for anyone looking to create a mail address that can be used for temporary purposes where total anonymity is a priority.
One potential drawback is that the messages aren’t encrypted. For that, going with something like a VPN email is probably a better bet.
Sendanonymousemail
A similar email anonymity service to Guerrilla Mail is Sendanonymousemail. With this service there is no need to create an account, link another email, or validate in any other way with your real identity.
There is a simple form where you put the receiver’s email address, the sender’s address (optional), the message subject, and the body. Following a text-based Captcha, the message is sent through the remailer service, which masks the origin completely.
Hushmail
For anyone interested in getting an anonymous email service that comes with premium-level features and support, Hushmail is a great choice. This Canadian-based paid email service operates much like many of the mainstream email services but with the added privacy features that many crave. There are two packages available, each coming with a different set of features. There is a ‘For Personal Use’ package, as well as one ‘For Business Use’.
The personal service comes with one email address but they do allow for unlimited aliases which is a nice touch. It also comes with 10GB of storage, OpenPGP encryption as well as forced SSL connections to keep everything secure, and they also allow users to create their own web forms.
The Business plan is where Hushmail really shines, however. They provide a whole host of services aimed at enterprise-level needs, such as healthcare, law, nonprofits, and more.