Cleanbox vs addy.io - Which Email Alias Service Fits Your Needs

Cleanbox and addy.io both create email aliases that forward to your real inbox. Beyond that, they take very different approaches. addy.io focuses on open-source alias management with generous free limits. Cleanbox combines aliases with spam filtering, contact intelligence, and inbox protection features.

This is an honest comparison. We will tell you where addy.io is the better choice.

Quick comparison

	Cleanbox	addy.io
Core focus	Alias + inbox protection	Privacy-first alias management
Open source	No	Yes (self-hostable)
Reply from alias	No (receive-only)	Yes
Free aliases	3	Unlimited (shared domain)
Custom domains	Premium+ (from $15/mo)	Lite+ (from $1/mo)
Spam filtering	Yes (Rspamd + AI + reputation)	No
Contact management	Yes (20 categories, 5 states)	No
Shield (rate limit/schedule)	Yes	No
Relay (MX gateway)	Yes	No
PGP/GPG encryption	No	Yes
Browser extension	No	Yes (Chrome, Firefox)
API	Yes	Yes
Self-hostable	No	Yes

Where addy.io wins

Unlimited free aliases on shared domains

addy.io’s free tier is the most generous in the industry. You can create unlimited aliases on shared domains like @anonaddy.me. Cleanbox’s free tier gives you 3 aliases. If you need a large number of aliases and do not want to pay, addy.io is hard to beat.

Cheapest custom domain option

addy.io’s Lite plan starts at just $1/month and includes custom domain support. Cleanbox requires the Premium plan ($15/month) for custom domains. If custom domain aliases are your primary need and you do not need spam filtering, addy.io costs a fraction of the price.

Reply from aliases

addy.io lets you reply from your alias address. When someone emails your alias, you can respond and they see the alias as the sender — your real address stays hidden in both directions. Cleanbox aliases are receive-only. For two-way anonymous communication, addy.io is the better choice.

Open source and self-hostable

addy.io’s entire codebase is open source. You can audit every line of code, and if you have the technical skills, you can self-host the entire service on your own server. This gives you complete control over your data. Cleanbox is not open source and cannot be self-hosted.

PGP/GPG encryption

addy.io can encrypt forwarded emails with your PGP public key before delivery. Even if your inbox provider is Gmail, the forwarded content is encrypted and unreadable without your private key. Cleanbox does not support PGP encryption.

Browser extension

addy.io offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox that let you generate aliases directly from signup forms. Cleanbox does not have a browser extension — alias creation happens through the dashboard or API.

Where Cleanbox wins

Spam filtering

This is the fundamental difference. addy.io forwards every email that arrives at your alias — spam included. It is a forwarding service, not a filtering service. Cleanbox processes every incoming email through Rspamd with Bayesian classification, DNSBL checks, SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication, AI classification, and crowd-sourced sender reputation. Spam is caught before it reaches your inbox.

If you use addy.io, you rely entirely on your email provider’s spam filter (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). If you use Cleanbox, you add a dedicated filtering layer on top. For more on how provider spam filters compare, see Gmail vs Outlook Spam Filters Compared.

Contact management

Cleanbox automatically categorizes every sender into 20 domain-based categories (Shopping, Finance, Social Networks, etc.) and lets you set contact states: whitelist, block, mute, or prioritize. These states affect how future emails from that sender are processed. addy.io has no contact management at all.

Shield protection

Cleanbox’s Shield adds per-alias protection that no other alias service offers:

• Rate limiting: Cap emails from a specific sender (e.g., max 5/day)
• Delivery scheduling (Snoozer): Only deliver emails during business hours
• Sender approval (Gatekeeper): Only pre-approved senders can reach the alias

addy.io has no equivalent features.

Relay (MX gateway)

For businesses that already have email addresses on their domain, Cleanbox Relay sits in front of your mail server and filters email before delivery — no alias setup required. This includes virus scanning, IP blacklist checking, and per-address spam thresholds. addy.io does not offer MX gateway functionality.

One-click unsubscribe

Cleanbox detects newsletter subscriptions and lets you unsubscribe with a single toggle. addy.io does not manage subscriptions.

Pricing comparison

Plan	Cleanbox	addy.io
Free	3 aliases, basic features	Unlimited aliases (shared domain), 10 MB bandwidth
$1/mo	—	Lite: custom domain, 50 MB bandwidth
$3-4/mo	—	Pro: unlimited bandwidth, PGP, reply, 50 recipients
$5/mo	Personal: 10 aliases, spam filtering, contacts, Shield	—
$15/mo	Premium: 30 aliases, custom domains (3), cloud storage	—
$35/mo	Advanced: 100 aliases, Relay, custom domains (10)	—

addy.io is significantly cheaper for pure alias functionality. Cleanbox costs more because it bundles spam filtering, contact management, Shield, and Relay — features addy.io does not offer at any price.

When to choose addy.io

• You want unlimited free aliases with no cost
• You need to reply from alias addresses
• You want PGP encryption on forwarded emails
• You value open source and want to self-host
• Budget is the primary concern and you need custom domains cheaply
• You are comfortable relying on your email provider’s spam filter

When to choose Cleanbox

• You receive significant spam and want pre-delivery filtering
• You want to manage and categorize contacts automatically
• You need Shield — rate limiting, delivery windows, sender approval
• You run a business and need Relay for existing email addresses
• You want all-in-one inbox protection, not just forwarding
• You prefer a managed service without self-hosting complexity

Can you use both?

Yes. Some users use addy.io for quick throwaway aliases (free signups, one-time registrations) and Cleanbox for their important aliases where spam filtering and contact management matter. The two services complement each other well.

For a broader comparison of all alias services, see Best Email Alias Services Compared (2026). For how Cleanbox compares to SimpleLogin specifically, see Cleanbox vs SimpleLogin.