MailGuard
SimpleLogin
MailGuard vs SimpleLogin: The Smart Firewall vs The Swiss Army Knife
SimpleLogin is the gold standard for open-source email aliasing. Here is why MailGuard is the next evolution.
MailGuard vs SimpleLogin: Which Privacy Tool Is Right For You?
If you are researching email forwarding services, you have undoubtedly come across SimpleLogin. It is the 800-pound gorilla of the open-source email aliasing world. Acquired by Proton in 2022, it is a robust, feature-rich tool that set the standard for privacy.
So why build MailGuard?
Because we believe email privacy shouldn't just be a "dumb pipe" that forwards everything. It should be a Smart Firewall.
While SimpleLogin focuses on giving you tools to manage aliases manually, MailGuard focuses on automation and intelligence to manage them for you.
The Philosophical Difference
SimpleLogin: The Toolbox approach
SimpleLogin is like a Swiss Army Knife. It has every feature you can imagine: PGP encryption, subdomains, directories, and granular mailbox controls. It is powerful, but it requires management. You create an alias, you label it, and eventually, you might have to log in to disable it when the spam starts.
MailGuard: The "Set and Forget" Architecture
MailGuard is designed for the user who wants to be protected by default. We don't just want to hide your email; we want to actively filter what reaches it.
- Logic over Labels: Instead of manually creating
project-a@my-domain.com, you createproject-a.7d@my-domain.com. MailGuard knows this alias should self-destruct in 7 days. No dashboard login required. - Heuristic Defense: MailGuard uses AI and heuristics to scan incoming mail. If an alias is set to "Strict" mode, we can still let through OTPs (One-Time Passwords) or password resets while blocking the marketing fluff that came with it.
Feature Showdown
| Feature | SimpleLogin (Premium) | MailGuard (Pro) | The Winner? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | ~$30/year | $24/year | MailGuard |
| Aliases | Unlimited | Unlimited | Draw |
| Custom Domains | Unlimited | Unlimited | Draw |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited (via Cloudflare) | Draw |
| PGP Encryption | Yes | No (Coming Soon) | SimpleLogin |
| Browser Extension | Yes (Official) | No (Coming Soon) | SimpleLogin |
| Mobile App | Yes (Official) | No (Web Optimized) | SimpleLogin |
| Smart Expiry (In-Address) | No (Dashboard only) | Yes (e.g. user.7d@...) | MailGuard |
| Heuristic AI Filtering | No | Yes (Smart Scan) | MailGuard |
| Sender Lock | Manual | Automatic (First sender wins) | MailGuard |
| Magic Reply | Yes | Yes (Transparent SES) | Draw |
Deep Dive: Where MailGuard Wins
1. The "Logic-in-Address" System
With SimpleLogin, an alias is just an address. If you want it to stop working next week, you need to remember to log in and toggle it off.
With MailGuard, the logic is baked into the address itself:
netflix.sender!@my-domain.com: Only the first person to email this address is allowed. If Netflix data breaches and a spammer tries to use it? Blocked.selling-couch.10msg@my-domain.com: After 10 emails (enough to sell the couch), this alias dies.
You define the lifecycle of the alias at the moment of creation, without ever leaving your workflow.
2. Intelligent Passthrough
Legacy aliasing services are binary: On or Off. If you block an alias, you miss everything.
MailGuard introduces Smart Scan. You can set an alias to "Blocked" for general mail but "Allow" for critical alerts.
- Scenario: You blocked
newsletter@my-domain.combecause they spam you. - Problem: You forgot your password for that site and requested a reset.
- SimpleLogin: The reset email bounces. You have to log in, unblock the alias, request the email again, then re-block it.
- MailGuard: Our Heuristic Engine sees
[Password Reset]in the subject or body and lets it through, even if the alias is technically blocked for marketing mail.
3. Pricing & Value
SimpleLogin Premium is $30/year (or $4/month). MailGuard Pro is $24/year (or $2.50/month).
We leverage the massive scale of Cloudflare's Edge network to keep costs lower while delivering faster processing speeds (sub-100ms globally).
Where SimpleLogin Wins (For Now)
We value honesty. If you are a journalist, activist, or whistleblower requiring PGP Encryption for every single email, SimpleLogin (or Proton) is currently the better choice. We are building PGP support, but today, our focus is on privacy-from-spam, not protection-from-governments.
Also, if you live inside a mobile app for managing your aliases, SimpleLogin's mature iOS/Android apps are excellent. MailGuard is fully responsive and capable on mobile web, but we do not yet have a native app.
Verdict
- Choose SimpleLogin if: You are a Proton power user, need PGP encryption strictly, or want a dedicated mobile app today.
- Choose MailGuard if: You want to automate your privacy. You love the idea of aliases that manage themselves (auto-expiry, sender locks) and want a firewall that is smart enough to let the important stuff through automatically.
Ready to upgrade your inbox? Start your free trial of MailGuard today.