A password manager already gives every account a different password. The weak point that remains is the email address: it is the same on every site, so it links all your accounts together, it is the first thing attackers try after a leak, and it is what spammers and data brokers trade. The fix is simple: one email alias per account, created and stored by your password manager. Here is why it works, what it really costs, and the honest limits.
Not sure which manager fits you? Our 4-question password manager quiz gives one recommendation with its real price, including the free option when it is enough.
The short answer
- An email alias is a forwarding address (like
shop.x7k2@passmail.net) that delivers to your real inbox. The site never sees your real address. - One alias per account means a breach exposes an address that works for one site only, and you can switch it off in one click.
- Proton Pass creates the alias inside the sign-up form and saves it with the password. The free plan includes 10 aliases; Pass Plus (2.99 USD a month on the yearly plan) has unlimited aliases.
- SimpleLogin is the alias service behind it (both are Proton AG products). Free: 10 aliases. Premium: 36 USD a year, which now also includes Proton Pass premium features.
- Keep your real address for the few accounts tied to your legal identity (bank, taxes), and use aliases everywhere else.
Why your email address is the weak link
A unique password per site stops one leak from opening your other accounts. But the email address is shared by all of them, and that has three consequences:
- Credential stuffing and targeted phishing. After a breach, the leaked address is tested against hundreds of other services and receives phishing that looks like it comes from the breached company. Our guide on what to do after a data breach covers the clean-up; aliases reduce how much there is to clean.
- Cross-site profiling. The same address on a shop, a forum and a dating app lets anyone who buys or leaks those databases link the three profiles to one person.
- Spam with no off switch. Once an address is sold, you cannot take it back. You can only filter it.
This is the idea behind identity masking: give each service a separate, disposable identifier, so a problem stays contained to that service.
What one alias per account changes
| Situation | Same email everywhere | One alias per account |
|---|---|---|
| A shop's database leaks | Leaked address works on all your accounts | Leaked address only matches that shop |
| You start getting spam | You cannot tell who sold your address | The alias name tells you which site leaked it |
| You want the spam to stop | Filters and unsubscribe links | Disable that one alias, nothing else breaks |
| Phishing "from your bank" | Arrives on the same address as real bank mail | Arrives on a shop alias: obviously fake |
| Someone links your profiles | One address ties them together | Each site holds a different address |
The table is why aliases belong in the password manager: the alias is half of the login, so it should be generated and stored in the same place as the password. If you create aliases in a separate tool, you end up with logins you cannot match to an address.
Create an alias and a password in the same sign-up form with Proton Pass10 hide-my-email aliases on the free plan · Unlimited aliases on Pass Plus · Swiss, end-to-end encrypted→Proton Pass and SimpleLogin: what you actually get
We read the plans on proton.me and simplelogin.io on 21 October 2026.
| Proton Pass Free | Pass Plus | SimpleLogin Free | SimpleLogin Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aliases | 10 | Unlimited | 10 | Unlimited |
| Price | 0 | 2.99 USD/month (35.88 USD every 12 months) | 0 | 36 USD/year or 4 per month |
| Reply from the alias | Replies to forwarded mail come from the alias (no plan limit stated) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Start a new email from the alias | No | Yes | Not listed | Yes |
| Custom domains for aliases | No | Yes | No | Unlimited |
| Passwords, passkeys, 2FA codes | Passwords and passkeys | Plus the built-in 2FA authenticator | No | Includes Proton Pass premium features |
Two facts matter for the choice:
- They are the same alias system. Proton writes that Proton Pass "uses SimpleLogin by Proton" and that you can also manage your aliases in SimpleLogin itself. You do not have to choose one forever.
- Disabling is free. Proton states you can deactivate an alias to stop receiving unwanted emails, and keep using it until you switch it off or delete it. No plan restriction is mentioned for that.
Before you pick, our Proton Pass safety review covers the encryption and the audit reports, and Proton Pass vs Bitwarden shows how the free plans compare if you want passwords first and aliases second.
NordPass Email Masking: the option if you already pay for NordPass
NordPass has its own alias feature, called Email Masking. We read the feature page on nordpass.com and the NordPass help center on 22 October 2026.
- What it does. It generates a masked address that forwards mail, attachments and images included, to the primary email of your NordPass account. You can switch forwarding off for one mask or delete it, from the Email Masking tab of the app, the browser extension or the web vault. The addresses are generated automatically: you cannot choose or customise them.
- Which plan. It is a premium tool: NordPass lists it among Premium features and the feature page says masks come with Premium and Family. Business plans can enable it through an admin policy. It is not in the Free plan, which does include a 30-day Premium trial. From France on 22 October 2026, Premium showed at 1.39 EUR a month on the 2-year plan (37.53 EUR for the first 27 months).
- Limits. Up to 200 masks per Premium or Family account (1,000 per Business member), and no more than 30 new masks a day. If the subscription drops back to Free, the masks stop forwarding.
- Countries. Neither page lists a country restriction for the feature. NordPass says incoming mail is stored on its servers in the European Union.
So the difference with Proton Pass is clear: NordPass has no free aliases and no custom domain for masks, but if you already have NordPass Premium or Family, the masks are already included and sit next to your passwords.
How to set it up in 10 minutes
- Install the Proton Pass browser extension and sign in (a free Proton account is enough).
- On the next sign-up form, click the Proton Pass icon in the email field and choose to create a hide-my-email alias. Give it a prefix you will recognise, such as the site name.
- Let Proton Pass generate the password in the same form. The login is saved with the alias and the password together.
- Migrate gradually. Each time you log in to an old account, change its email to a new alias in the account settings. Start with shops, newsletters and forums, the accounts that leak most.
- Keep a real address for identity accounts (bank, taxes, health) and for account recovery.
- When an alias gets spam, open it in Proton Pass and switch it off. Check which site it belonged to: that is the company that leaked or sold it.
The honest limits
- 10 free aliases go fast. If you want one alias per account for 100 accounts, you need Pass Plus or SimpleLogin Premium. Start with the 10 accounts most likely to leak.
- Some sites block alias domains or refuse them for payments. Keep your real address for those.
- Recovery depends on the alias service. If you lose access to your Proton account, mail to your aliases stops arriving. Secure that account with a strong passphrase and two-factor authentication, and keep your recovery method up to date.
- Aliases hide your address, not your identity. If you give a site your name, phone number and card, it still knows who you are. Aliases limit linking and leaks; they are not anonymity.
Verdict
If you already use a password manager, an email alias per account is the next step that actually reduces risk: a leak stays contained to one site, spam gets an off switch, and phishing becomes easier to spot. Proton Pass is the simplest way to do it, because the alias and the password are created in the same form and stored together, with 10 aliases on the free plan to try it. If you want more control over the aliases themselves, SimpleLogin is the same system with more settings, and Premium now includes Proton Pass premium features.
Frequently asked questions
What is an email alias in a password manager?
An email alias is a forwarding address that points to your real inbox. A password manager with aliases (Proton Pass, for example) creates a new alias while you fill a sign-up form and saves it next to the password for that site. Mail sent to the alias lands in your normal inbox, but the site never learns your real address.
Why use a different alias for every account?
Because your email address is half of every login. If one site leaks, attackers try that address with leaked passwords everywhere else (credential stuffing) and use it for targeted phishing. With one alias per account, a leaked address only works for that one site, you can see exactly which service leaked or sold it, and you can switch that alias off without touching any other account.
Is Proton Pass free for email aliases?
Yes. The Proton Pass free plan includes 10 hide-my-email aliases. Pass Plus (2.99 USD a month, billed 35.88 USD every 12 months) gives unlimited aliases, custom domains for aliases and the option to start a new email from an alias (proton.me/pass/pricing, checked 21 October 2026).
What is the difference between SimpleLogin and Proton Pass aliases?
They are the same service. Proton says Proton Pass uses SimpleLogin by Proton for its aliases, and that you can also manage those aliases in SimpleLogin itself. SimpleLogin on its own is the better fit if you want advanced alias settings and several mailboxes; Proton Pass is the better fit if you want aliases created automatically at sign-up, next to the password.
Can I reply to emails from an alias?
Yes. Proton states that when you reply to a forwarded email, your response comes from your alias, so the other side still does not see your real address. Starting a brand new email from an alias is listed as a Pass Plus feature on the Proton Pass pricing page.
Should I use aliases for my bank and government accounts?
Think twice. Accounts that are tied to your legal identity (bank, tax office, health insurance) already know who you are, and losing access to an alias could lock you out of recovery mail. Many people keep their real address for those few accounts and use aliases everywhere else: shops, newsletters, forums, trials and apps.
