SimpleLogin alternative
Vend Email vs SimpleLogin: which alias service should you use?
Short version: both will hide your real address and cut spam. Choose SimpleLogin if you want open-source tooling inside the Proton ecosystem. Choose Vend if an address might ever need a new owner — transfers, paid handoffs, and domains that survive them are what Vend is built around, not a feature bolted on.
The 30-second verdict
Pick Vend Email if…
- An alias might change owners one day — you buy lifetime deals, run projects that get sold, or manage addresses for roles rather than people.
- You want to sell an address with payment built in — Stripe collects, then ownership moves.
- You'd rather never think about DNS — Vend's managed domains handle registration, records, and renewals for you.
Pick SimpleLogin if…
- Open source and self-hosting matter to you, or you're already paying for Proton and want aliases bundled in.
- You want a browser extension generating aliases at every signup form.
- You want to run aliases on a domain you keep in your own registrar account.
Feature by feature
On the privacy basics the two services are close. The gap opens around what happens to an address over its lifetime.
| What you get | Vend Email | SimpleLogin |
|---|---|---|
| Private forwarding aliases |
Yes.
Unlimited on paid plans
|
Yes.
Unlimited on paid plans
|
| Reply from an alias |
Yes.
|
Yes.
Via reverse aliases
|
| Compose new mail from an alias |
Yes.
Built into the dashboard
|
Partially.
Possible, but through reverse-alias addresses
|
| Block & allow senders per alias |
Yes.
Safe and unsafe sender lists
|
Partially.
Alias-level blocking
|
| Folders and tags |
Yes.
|
Partially.
Mailbox and directory organisation
|
| Custom domains |
Yes.
Fully managed — DNS and renewals handled
|
Yes.
Bring your own, you manage DNS
|
| Browser extension |
No.
On the roadmap
|
Yes.
Chrome, Firefox, Safari
|
| Open source / self-hosting |
No.
|
Yes.
AGPL, self-hostable
|
| API access |
Yes.
REST API with tokens and OAuth
|
Yes.
|
| Transfer an alias to another person |
Yes.
Core workflow with a dedicated transfer page
|
Partially.
Basic transfer added recently — no notes, pricing, or payment flow
|
| Sell an alias with payment built in |
Yes.
Set a price, Stripe handles payment before ownership moves
|
No.
|
| Domain keeps working after a transfer |
Yes.
Managed domains can't lapse or lose DNS
|
No.
Custom domains depend on the original owner renewing
|
Feature availability based on each service's public documentation. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
The honest differences
Where SimpleLogin genuinely wins: it's open source, self-hostable, integrated with Proton, and its browser extension makes creating aliases at signup forms effortless. If those are your priorities, it's an excellent product and you should use it.
Where Vend wins: everything that happens after "create alias". SimpleLogin recently added a basic transfer feature; Vend was designed around it. A Vend transfer page carries notes and an optional price, Stripe collects payment before ownership moves, and managed domains guarantee the address survives the handoff — the pieces a real handoff actually needs, working together.
The deciding question: will any of your addresses outlive your ownership of them? If no, either service serves you well. If yes — a deal you might resell, a project with your name on it today but not forever — that's the job Vend exists for.
Switching from SimpleLogin (or running both)
Keep your SimpleLogin aliases running
There's no need to migrate anything. Existing aliases keep forwarding — plenty of people run both services side by side.
Create Vend aliases for anything transferable
New lifetime deals, project inboxes, role addresses — put those on Vend from day one so the exit route exists before you need it.
Move important accounts as you touch them
No big-bang migration: next time you log in somewhere that matters, update its email to a Vend alias. A few weeks of normal use gets you there.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vend Email cheaper than SimpleLogin?
Both have free tiers and similarly priced paid plans. The real difference is what you're paying for: SimpleLogin's plans centre on unlimited aliases and custom domains; Vend's add transfer pages, paid handoffs, and managed domain continuity.
SimpleLogin has alias transfer now — isn't that the same thing?
It covers the simplest case: passing an alias to another user. Vend adds what real handoffs need — a transfer page with notes, optional pricing with Stripe payment collected before ownership moves, and managed domains so transferred addresses can't die when someone forgets a renewal.
Can I use Vend and SimpleLogin together?
Yes, and many people should. Keep SimpleLogin for quick signup masks if you love the extension; use Vend for addresses tied to anything you might sell or hand over.
Does Vend work with Proton Mail?
Yes. Vend aliases forward to any inbox, including Proton Mail. You just won't get SimpleLogin's native Proton bundling.
Is Vend open source?
No. If self-hosting is a hard requirement, SimpleLogin or addy.io are the right choice. Vend's answer to the lock-in question is different: transferability itself, plus a published contingency plan for the service.
What happens to my aliases if I cancel a paid plan?
Your aliases don't vanish — downgrade limits apply to creating new ones. See pricing for current plan details.
See the difference on a real alias
Create one free Vend alias and open its transfer page. That's the feature comparison that matters.
Free plan available. No credit card required.