Fastmail Masked Email
Hacker ApprovedRanked 4 of 4 email alias services by recommenders
Recommended for hiding your real address from senders and unsubscribing by deleting aliases. Critics warn it can leak your real address.
Recommended for hiding your real address from senders and unsubscribing by deleting aliases. Critics warn it can leak your real address.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Strong recommendations from customers
“it's kinda life changing. I recommend everyone try it.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “The Future of Email” “of which I am a delighted customer”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “The Future of Email” Works with Fastmail's own service
“works fantastically with Fastmail with their Masked emails feature”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “The desperation of NYTimes” “Now I just use Fastmail's masked address feature.”
Comment from 14 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: I wrote an email app that accepts only one sender per inbox”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Can leak the real address
“The FM Masked Email is insecure in that there is a circumstance under which it can leak your real email.”
Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “Proton Spam and the AI Consent Problem” “insecurity of their so-called secure Masked Email”
Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “Proton Spam and the AI Consent Problem” “since they do not consider this a vulnerability”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “Proton Spam and the AI Consent Problem” - Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “Proton Spam and the AI Consent Problem”
Other email alias services people recommend
The three most recommended other email alias services, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Hide My Email | 66 | 56 | 54% | 11 | — | — |
| SimpleLogin | 21 | 5 | 81% | 11 | — | Approved |
| addy.io | 11 | 1 | 92% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Fastmail Masked EmailThis page | 10 | 2 | 83% | 4 | — | Approved |
What people said
14 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Deleting an alias is hands-down the quickest and most convenient way to unsubscribe”
“Now I just use Fastmail's masked address feature.”
“there is a limit to the number of masked emails you can have on Fastmail”
“this is the same lockin as Apple with the same benefits of noone is going to block that domain”
“Personally I use unique at own domain only where I’m identifying myself anyway, like my bank, and Fastmail masked email where I’m not.”
“it's kinda life changing. I recommend everyone try it.”
“of which I am a delighted customer”
“works fantastically with Fastmail with their Masked emails feature”
“since they do not consider this a vulnerability”
“The bounce message goes back to the original sender, and may include the email addresses along the chain after the Masked Email address.”
“WARNING: Fastmail Masked Email insecurity”
“The FM Masked Email is insecure in that there is a circumstance under which it can leak your real email.”
“insecurity of their so-called secure Masked Email”
“if you are simply looking for an alternative to Apple, Fastmail offers a masked email service too”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.