addy.io vs ImprovMX (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, addy.io grades higher than ImprovMX: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
addy.io grades higher on value for money and platforms. ImprovMX grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
addy.io
Email alias forwarding that hides your real address from sites
ImprovMX
Email forwarding and sending for custom domains
Which one is for you
Pick addy.io if
- Fits if you want a different address for each website, forwarding to one inbox
- Works for people who want replies sent from an alias without exposing their real address
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a mailbox, as it forwards to an inbox you already have and stores nothing
- Tight if you stay free: 10MB of bandwidth a month
- Watch out: replying or sending from an alias needs a paid plan
- Watch out: Duo and Family aren't sold through the App Store or Play Store, according to the FAQ
Pick ImprovMX if
- Fits if you have a domain and want its mail to land in an inbox you already use
- Works for people who send from their own domain and want plans from $50 a year
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a mailbox or email client, as it only forwards
- Tight if you stay free: no SMTP sending and no rules
- Watch out: forwarding stops if a daily or monthly limit is hit until it resets or you upgrade
- Watch out: Enterprise is sold through contact only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAaddy.ioGood | 2.4GPAImprovMXFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ALite is $1 a month billed yearly and Pro is $3, against a category whose cheaper quarter starts at $3.99. Lite is under 60% of that. | BFree for 1 domain, 25 aliases and 500 forwarded emails a day, and Light is $50 a year, about $4.17 a month. Sending isn't in the free plan. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for unlimited standard aliases, 10 shared-domain aliases and 1 recipient, but only 10MB of bandwidth a month. Replying from an alias is paid. | B1 domain, 25 aliases, 500 forwards a day, 7-day logs and API access for nothing. One person could live on it, as long as they don't need to send. |
| Features | CUsername and random aliases, replies, your own domain, tracking-pixel blocking, OpenPGP and an API. It does the alias job fully, but that's a smaller job than a mailbox: it forwards mail and stores none. | CAlias forwarding, sending from your domain, routing rules, logs and webhooks, and an API. It does forwarding fully, but that's a smaller job than a mailbox, and sending needs Light. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You point aliases at an inbox you already have, and custom domains need DNS records. | CNo store rating on record. You change your domain's DNS records to point mail at it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS, Android and browser extensions, with Bitwarden and Raycast connections and an API. No desktop app. | CWeb only, with an API and webhooks. No integrations list, phone app or desktop app. |
| Best for | email aliases that forward to your inbox | email forwarding for your own domain |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: addy.io and ImprovMX. How we grade
Price against what you get
addy.io starts at $1 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ImprovMX starts at $4.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
addy.io scores higher and starts $3.17 a month lower. Of the other email apps on the chart, 4 score higher than addy.io for less, and 27 score higher than ImprovMX for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- addy.io is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- ImprovMX also covers inbox filtering and transactional email.
At a glance
| addy.io | ImprovMX | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $1 per month, billed yearly (Lite) | $50 per year (Light, up to 5 domains) |
| Free plan | Unlimited standard aliases, 10 active shared domain aliases, 1 recipient, 2 alias domains and 10MB of bandwidth a month. | 1 domain, 25 aliases, 500 forwarded emails a day, 7-day email logs and API access. No SMTP sending. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | addy.io | ImprovMX |
| Price read from | addy.io | improvmx.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
addy.io
- It forwards to an inbox you already have; it is not a mailbox and does not store your mail.
- The free plan allows 10MB of bandwidth a month, and replying or sending from an alias needs a paid plan.
- Duo and Family are not sold through the App Store or Play Store, according to the FAQ.
ImprovMX
- ImprovMX forwards mail; it does not host mailboxes or provide a mail client.
- The Free plan has no SMTP sending and no rules; sending needs Light or higher.
- Forwarding stops if a daily or monthly limit is hit until it resets or you upgrade.
- Enterprise is sold through contact only.
Key features
addy.io
- Username and random aliases
- Make up shop@yourname.anonaddy.com on the spot, or generate a random address. The alias is created when its first email arrives.
- Replies from aliases
- Reply to forwarded mail, or start a new message, without showing your real address. Paid plans only, capped at 50 or 200 a day.
- Your own domain
- Paid plans can use domains you own, with catch-all control and an option to create aliases only when they match a regex.
- Tracking pixel blocking
- Removes 1x1 tracking images from forwarded mail and links each message to a report of what was taken out. Paid plans only.
- OpenPGP encryption
- Forwarded mail can be encrypted with your public key, with the subject line hidden, on every plan.
- Apps, extensions and API
- Open-source iOS and Android apps, extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Safari, a REST API, and a self-hosting guide.
ImprovMX
- Alias forwarding
- Forwards mail from addresses on your domain to one or several destinations, with catch-all and regex aliases, or to a webhook.
- Sending from your domain
- Paid plans send over SMTP or a JSON send API using the custom domain, within monthly send limits.
- Routing rules
- Customizable rules control how incoming email is routed; the number of rules rises by plan.
- Logs and webhooks
- Email logs help trace missing messages, with retention from 7 days to 180 days on paid plans; webhooks are paid-only.
- Public API
- An API key lets you create domains and aliases and view logs programmatically, on every plan including Free.
Plans
addy.io
Free$0
Unlimited standard aliases, 10 active shared domain aliases, 1 recipient and 10MB monthly bandwidth.
Lite$1
per month, billed yearly
50 shared domain aliases, 1 custom domain, 5 recipients, 50 replies a day and tracking pixel blocking.
Pro$3
per month, billed yearly ($4 billed monthly)
Unlimited shared domain aliases and bandwidth, 20 custom domains, 30 recipients and 200 replies a day.
Duo$4.50
per month for 2 members, billed yearly ($6 billed monthly)
Pro for two people, each on an independent account, with optional shared custom domains.
Family$7.50
per month for 5 members, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)
Pro for five people, each on an independent account, billed as one subscription.
ImprovMX
Free$0
1 domain, 25 aliases, 500 forwarded emails a day, 7-day logs, API access and standard support.
Light$50
per year, up to 5 domains
25 aliases per domain, 150,000 forwarded and 750 SMTP-sent emails a month, 5 rules per domain.
Premium$9
per month, up to 30 domains
100 aliases per domain, 150,000 forwarded and 12,000 SMTP-sent emails a month, webhooks.
Pro$24
per month, up to 100 domains
200 aliases per domain, 450,000 forwarded and 60,000 SMTP-sent emails a month, 50 rules per domain.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited domains, aliases and sending, a dedicated account manager and support SLAs.
Ways to pay less
addy.io
No public discounts listed.
ImprovMX
- Annual discount
15% off yearly billing
Yearly billing costs $90 for Premium and $240 for Pro, which the pricing page labels as 15% off.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, addy.io or ImprovMX?
As of Nov 12, 2026, addy.io is cheaper to start with: $1 a month, against $4.17 a month when paid by the year for ImprovMX. addy.io starts at $1 per month, billed yearly (Lite), and ImprovMX starts at $50 per year (Light, up to 5 domains).
Which has a free plan, addy.io or ImprovMX?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both addy.io and ImprovMX have a free plan.
Which platforms do addy.io and ImprovMX run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only addy.io lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.