The Maildrop Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Maildrop in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Maildrop
The Insider’s Guide
Free public disposable inboxes with a GraphQL API
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from Maildrop’s own pages.
Made by Heluna · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Maildrop’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Maildrop’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.0
GPA, above 100 of the 122 other email apps we grade
Maildrop is a free throwaway email service: pick any name at maildrop.cc and read that inbox, with no sign-up or password. Inboxes are public by design and are cleared after 24 hours without new mail. A GraphQL API lets developers read test messages in code.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Maildrop, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No account and nothing to set up: pick an address and read it.
- 1
Best for a free public inbox with an API
Maildrop is a free throwaway inbox service with a GraphQL API and no sign-up.
- 2
It is free
Maildrop has no paid plan at all. Entire service is free: no sign-up, up to 10 messages per inbox, API access with rate limits.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
No sign-up
Make up an address at maildrop.cc, give it out, then type it into the site to read the inbox.
- 5
Spam filtering
Filters from Heluna, plus greylisting, sender checks and subject checks, block most spam before it reaches an inbox.
- 6
GraphQL API
Developers can list a mailbox, read or delete a message and fetch statistics over a GraphQL endpoint.
- 7
A 3.0 GPA, above 100 of 122
That is against the other email apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Maildrop is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Maildrop at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Heluna
- Category
- Email Apps
- Our grade
- 3.0 GPA, very good
The report card
Best for a free public inbox with an API
Maildrop is a free throwaway inbox service with a GraphQL API and no sign-up. Every inbox is public, it can't send mail, attachments are dropped, and an inbox holds 10 messages.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free outright, with no sign-up and no account to pay for. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The whole service is free, including API access with rate limits. |
| Features | C | Receiving mail at any address on its domain, spam filtering and an API. It does the throwaway job fully, which is a smaller job, and it can't send. |
| Ease of use | B | No account and nothing to set up: pick an address and read it. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, with a GraphQL API. No apps listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Maildrop is for
- Fits if you need an address for a one-off confirmation email
- Works for developers who want a free inbox to read from code
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you need privacy, as anyone can read any inbox
- Too light for real mail, as it can't send and drops attachments
- Tight if you wait for slow mail, as an inbox keeps 10 messages and clears after 24 hours without mail
- Watch out: connections are logged, and the vendor can't say what happened to a missing email
Good to know
Good for
- Throwaway sign-ups where you only need to receive a single confirmation
- Developers testing the emails their own app sends
Worth knowing
- Every inbox is public: the privacy policy says anyone can read any message and to send nothing sensitive.
- Maildrop cannot send email, and attachments are discarded.
- An inbox holds at most 10 messages and is cleared after 24 hours without new mail, sooner when space runs short.
- Connections are logged, and the vendor cannot say what happened to a missing email.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Maildrop is free to use.
Free outright, with no sign-up and no account to pay for.
Free
$0
Any address at maildrop.cc, no account, 10 messages per inbox, inboxes cleared after 24 hours without mail.
The free plan
Entire service is free: no sign-up, up to 10 messages per inbox, API access with rate limits.
Read from maildrop.cc on Nov 13, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Free public disposable inboxes with a GraphQL API. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, inbox filtering.
Receiving mail at any address on its domain, spam filtering and an API.
- No sign-up
- Make up an address at maildrop.cc, give it out, then type it into the site to read the inbox.
- Spam filtering
- Filters from Heluna, plus greylisting, sender checks and subject checks, block most spam before it reaches an inbox.
- GraphQL API
- Developers can list a mailbox, read or delete a message and fetch statistics over a GraphQL endpoint.
- Strict message handling
- Messages must be under 500k and all attachments are removed and discarded.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Maildrop is made by Heluna.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
100/122
Other email apps it is graded above
Maildrop's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 100 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 97 of 122) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Maildrop has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 123 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Maildrop’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 88 of 122
- AFree plan and trialAbove 97 of 122
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 122
- BEase of useAbove 94 of 122
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 10 of 122
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 107 email apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Maildrop is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Maildrop is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 100 of the 122 other email apps we grade.
What you could not
- Filters that read every message as it arrives.
- An API that other software can build on.
What this rests on. Maildrop’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Guerrilla Mail, Mailinator, Temp Mail and Burner Mail
The 4 tools Maildrop is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Guerrilla Mail
Free plan · from $9.99/yr
Disposable email inbox that needs no sign-up.
- Guerrilla Mail is open source, according to its own site.
- Maildrop also covers inbox filtering.
- 2.6GPA
Mailinator
Free plan · from $79/mo
Public disposable inboxes and private email testing domains.
- Maildrop also covers inbox filtering.
- Mailinator also covers workflow automation and transactional email.
- 2.6GPA
Temp Mail
Free plan · from $2.99
Disposable email addresses for sign-ups, with a Premium upgrade.
- Only Maildrop lists a web app.
- Only Temp Mail lists an iOS app.
- Temp Mail also covers email client.
- 1.6GPA
Burner Mail
Paid
Burner email addresses that forward to your real inbox.
- Maildrop has a free plan. Burner Mail does not.
- Only Burner Mail lists a browser extension.
- Burner Mail also covers ad and tracker blocking.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Maildrop free?
Yes. Maildrop is free to use.
How much does Maildrop cost?
Maildrop lists one plan. Free: $0.
What platforms does Maildrop work on?
Maildrop is available on Web.
Does Maildrop have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Maildrop is listed for Web.
Does Maildrop have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Maildrop is listed for Web.
Is Maildrop open source?
Maildrop is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Maildrop have an API?
Yes. Maildrop offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes Maildrop?
Maildrop is made by Heluna.
What are the alternatives to Maildrop?
The closest alternatives to Maildrop in our directory are Guerrilla Mail, Mailinator, Temp Mail and Burner Mail.
How does Maildrop compare with other email apps?
Maildrop's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 100 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 15.
Is Maildrop good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Maildrop A for value for money. Maildrop has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Maildrop?
Maildrop is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Maildrop’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Heluna's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Heluna. Prices change, so check maildrop.cc before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Maildrop, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/maildrop
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Maildrop: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/maildrop
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/maildrop/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after Maildrop, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 126 email apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft Outlook Insider's GuideMicrosoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web3.6 GPA
- AOL Mail Insider's GuideFree webmail with news and weather in a companion mobile app3.2 GPA
- BlueMail Insider's GuideCross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Maildrop’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Maildrop is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Heluna. Prices and plans change: check maildrop.cc before you buy.