MailDrop vs MailTub

MailDrop8.6Visit MMailTub8.3Visit

Higher score MailDrop #4 in Disposable Email Services 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit MailDrop

vs

M MailTub #7 in Disposable Email Services 8.3/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit MailTub

• MailDrop fits best

  API users needing attachments and webhooks

• MailTub fits best

  Self-hosters needing configurable mailboxes

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Side by side

Feature	MailDrop 8.6/10 Visit ↗	MMailTub 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.3
Ranking	#4 in Disposable Email Services	#7 in Disposable Email Services
Best for	API users needing attachments and webhooks	Self-hosters needing configurable mailboxes
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$5/mo	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Community	Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features MailDrop 3/4 · MailTub 4/4
Custom address	✓	✓
API access	✓	✓
Custom domain	—	✓ (best)
Attachments supported	✓	✓
Specs
Inbox lifetime	Not checked yet	Hours
Max active inboxes	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	REST API supports mailbox creation and message retrieval HTML viewing, attachment previews, and downloads Free inboxes with custom prefixes and multiple public domains	Configurable mailbox expiry from one hour to seven days REST API, CLI, WebSocket delivery, and email exports Attachments, SMTP STARTTLS, admin controls, and Prometheus metrics
Cons	No custom-domain support Inboxes are intended for short-lived communications Webhook notifications start on the Pro plan	Self-hosted deployment requires operators to manage the infrastructure Mailbox expiry is limited to a maximum of seven days Its narrow focus may not suit teams seeking broader email workflows
Our verdict	MailDrop provides disposable, receive-only email inboxes for sign-ups, verification messages, downloads, and testing. It suits people who need a short-lived inbox without registration, along with API access for automated mailbox creation… Read the review →	MailTub is an open-source, self-hosted disposable email service for developers, QA teams, and operators who need temporary inboxes under their own infrastructure. It runs as a single Go binary with SQLite and an embedded React interface,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• MailDrop — where it wins

  • REST API supports mailbox creation and message retrieval
  • HTML viewing, attachment previews, and downloads
  • Free inboxes with custom prefixes and multiple public domains

  Where it doesn't

  • No custom-domain support
  • Inboxes are intended for short-lived communications
  • Webhook notifications start on the Pro plan

• MailTub — where it wins

  • Configurable mailbox expiry from one hour to seven days
  • REST API, CLI, WebSocket delivery, and email exports
  • Attachments, SMTP STARTTLS, admin controls, and Prometheus metrics

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires operators to manage the infrastructure
  • Mailbox expiry is limited to a maximum of seven days
  • Its narrow focus may not suit teams seeking broader email workflows

• MailDrop8.6/10 · Free plan

  A practical disposable email service for API workflows and short-lived inboxes.

  Visit MailDropFull verdict →
• MMailTub8.3/10 · Open source

  A configurable, developer-focused disposable mail service for self-hosted deployments.

  Visit MailTubFull verdict →