Alternatives to ImprovMX
Free email forwarding and alias service for domains you own
ImprovMX ranks #7 of 10 in Email alias services, with an Alt Score of 55. It is proprietary, freemium from $9/mo and available on the web. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
ImprovMX is a widely used email forwarding service that turns a custom domain into unlimited catch-all-capable aliases forwarding to any inbox, with a generous free tier and paid plans adding SMTP sending, webhooks, and more domains/aliases. It is a standalone, dedicated forwarding product rather than a feature bundled into a larger platform.
Individuals, indie developers, and small businesses who want to receive and send email at a custom domain (e.g. for side projects, marketing sites, or internal tools) without paying for full mailbox hosting. ImprovMX states it serves over 200,000 users.
Unlimited-style email forwarding to an existing inbox (Gmail, Outlook, etc.), with catch-all/wildcard aliases, regex aliases, multi-destination and webhook-based routing rules, and email delivery logs. Paid plans add SMTP credentials so you can send and reply from your alias address through your normal email client, plus API access and webhooks on every plan.
You point your domain's MX (and SPF/DKIM/DMARC) DNS records at ImprovMX's mail servers, then create aliases in the ImprovMX web dashboard that map addresses at your domain to a destination inbox; incoming mail is relayed to that destination. On paid plans, ImprovMX also issues SMTP credentials so outgoing mail sent from your alias is routed and signed through ImprovMX's servers.
Why people leave ImprovMX
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Forward Email is a fully open-source email forwarding provider that lets users send and receive mail as unlimited aliases on their own custom domains, with IMAP/POP3/SMTP support.
33mail is a long-running (since 2011) email aliasing service that generates unlimited disposable forwarding addresses to protect a user's real inbox, with anonymous reply and a Chrome extension.
AliasVault is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager with a built-in email alias generator and mail server, positioned explicitly as an open-source alternative to SimpleLogin.
Burner Mail is a browser-extension-driven email alias service that auto-fills disposable forwarding addresses on signup forms, supports replying from an alias through the user's normal inbox, and offe.
Feature comparison
How ImprovMX compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Email alias services checklist | ImprovMX | SimpleLogin | addy.io | Forward Email | Firefox Relay | 33mail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Unlimited aliases (paid) | ||||||
| Custom domains | ||||||
| Reply from alias | ||||||
| Browser extension | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| PGP encryption | ||||||
| Free tier limits | ||||||
| Catch-all support |
Every fact and feature listed for ImprovMX is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Proprietary verified 2026-07-30
we made the decision to keep the code internally because of various reasons
https://improvmx.com/guides/why-are-you-not-open-source -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-30
Start forwarding for free, upgrade for advanced features
https://improvmx.com/pricing/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-30
ImprovMX has been forwarding emails since 2013. We're also fully profitable and self-funded, so you can rest assured we're here to stay.
https://improvmx.com/pricing/ -
Starts at $9/mo verified 2026-07-30
Premium $9 / mo
https://improvmx.com/pricing/ -
Platforms Web verified 2026-07-30
No native desktop/mobile apps or browser extension found; only a web dashboard plus an optional macOS Raycast (launcher) extension.
Log in to ImprovMX and go to domain's Aliases dashboard.
https://improvmx.com/guides/catchall-wildcard-aliases -
Unlimited aliases (paid) Partial verified 2026-07-30
Only the custom-priced Enterprise tier lists 'Unlimited aliases' in its plan table; the cheapest paid tier, Premium ($9/mo), caps aliases at 100/domain, and Pro ($24/mo) caps at 200/domain.
100 aliases per domain
https://improvmx.com/pricing/ -
Custom domains Yes verified 2026-07-30
MX records are set at your DNS provider which is usually the same as the domain registrar you've used to purchase your domain.
https://improvmx.com/guides/generic-dns-configuration -
Reply from alias Yes verified 2026-07-30
NOTE on the page: this is a premium-plan feature, not available on the free tier.
You've set up email forwarding with ImprovMX - now you want to send from those same aliases.
https://improvmx.com/guides/smtp-introduction -
Browser extension No verified 2026-07-30
ImprovMX ships a Raycast (macOS command-launcher) extension, not a browser extension; no Chrome/Firefox/Safari extension is listed anywhere in the guides index.
For now, this is only available on macOS.
https://improvmx.com/guides/raycast-extension -
Self-hostable No verified 2026-07-30
Our code can not easily be copied and run elsewhere.
https://improvmx.com/guides/why-are-you-not-open-source -
Open source No verified 2026-07-30
At ImprovMX, we made the decision to keep the code internally because of various reasons.
https://improvmx.com/guides/why-are-you-not-open-source -
PGP encryption No verified 2026-07-30
The Security & Reliability page enumerates ImprovMX's encryption practices (TLS in transit, encryption at rest) and does not mention PGP/end-to-end message encryption.
Encryption: TLS in transit for all SMTP connections that support it, and encryption at rest for stored data.
https://improvmx.com/transparency/security-and-reliability -
Free tier limits Yes verified 2026-07-30
Free plan also has 0 SMTP sends/month (sending requires a paid plan, per the Sending/Receiving Limits guide).
Free $0 Includes: 1 domain 25 aliases 500 emails forwarded per day 7-day Email log retention
https://improvmx.com/pricing/ -
Catch-all support Yes verified 2026-07-30
A catch-all alias in ImprovMX receives all emails sent to your domain, even if the address doesn't exist.
https://improvmx.com/guides/catchall-wildcard-aliases
FAQ
Yes. SimpleLogin, addy.io and Forward Email have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
SimpleLogin, addy.io and Forward Email — every license claim links its source.