SimpleLogin
SimpleLogin is an open-source email aliasing service that lets users create unique, disposable email addresses for each online account to protect their real inbox from spam, tracking, and data breaches. Acquired by Proton AG in 2022, it offers a free tier with 10 aliases and a premium plan with unlimited aliases, custom domains, and PGP encryption.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
SimpleLogin SAS was incorporated in Paris by Son Nguyen Kim as a fully bootstrapped, open-source email aliasing service at $3,000 MRR. The product was ad-free, tracker-free, and available on all platforms including F-Droid. With transparent pricing, a generous free tier, PGP encryption, and the entire codebase on GitHub, the service embodied privacy-first principles. The main enshittification vectors were inherent switching costs from alias accumulation and minor opacity around being a tiny private company.
Proton AG acquired SimpleLogin with 100,000+ users, committing to keep it open-source and provider-agnostic. The acquisition brought infrastructure backing and a security audit, but began increasing ecosystem lock-in as SimpleLogin Premium was bundled into Proton Unlimited plans. The SimpleLogin team was redirected to build Proton Pass, raising concerns about development stagnation. Proton's unified rebrand and account linking deepened cross-product integration.
Deeper integration into the Proton ecosystem brought free-tier restrictions (send feature removal, breach check discontinuation) and a 20% price increase for new subscribers in late 2024. These were partially offset by the Proton Foundation's non-profit governance structure, the Pass Plus bundling that added value for premium users, and the Switzerland domicile move strengthening privacy protections. The product remains fundamentally healthy but shows early signs of post-acquisition value extraction from free-tier users.
Alternatives
Open-source email aliasing with a generous free tier (unlimited standard aliases with bandwidth caps) and paid plans starting at $1/month. Easy switch — export SimpleLogin aliases to CSV and recreate them, though you'll need to update services individually. The closest feature-equivalent to SimpleLogin.
Free, unlimited @duck.com email aliases with built-in tracker removal. Easy switch — just sign up through the DuckDuckGo browser or extension. No custom domain support and fewer power-user features than SimpleLogin, but the zero-cost unlimited aliases are hard to beat for basic use.
Mozilla's email aliasing service with a free tier (5 aliases) and premium plan ($1.99/month) that adds a phone number mask and unlimited aliases. Easy switch if you use Firefox. Backed by Mozilla's privacy track record, though the free tier is more limited than SimpleLogin's 10 aliases.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (29 events)
SimpleLogin SAS Incorporated in Paris, France
Son Nguyen Kim, a Vietnamese-French engineer and former Criteo machine learning researcher, officially incorporated SimpleLogin SAS in Paris after developing the open-source email aliasing concept since 2019. The service launched with a freemium model offering 10 free aliases and a premium plan at $30/year.
SimpleLogin Migrates Entire Infrastructure from AWS to UpCloud
SimpleLogin migrated all infrastructure from AWS to UpCloud due to email deliverability issues. AWS had blocked port 25 claiming the email server was an open relay, and Elastic IP addresses had poor reputation on real-time blacklists. The migration took less than 10 minutes of downtime and significantly improved email delivery rates.
SimpleLogin Safari Browser Extension Released
SimpleLogin launched a Safari browser extension, expanding platform coverage beyond Chrome and Firefox to Apple's desktop browser. This complemented existing extensions and demonstrated the service's cross-platform commitment.
SimpleLogin Introduces PGP Encryption for Forwarded Emails
SimpleLogin added support for PGP encryption, allowing premium users to upload their public PGP key so that all forwarded emails are encrypted before reaching their mailbox. The feature works with ProtonMail natively and with any PGP-compatible client like Thunderbird or GPGTools.
SimpleLogin Launches Android and iOS Mobile Apps
SimpleLogin released native Android and iOS apps, available on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and F-Droid. Both apps were fully open-source, allowing community inspection and contribution. The Android app was published on F-Droid, signaling alignment with the open-source privacy community.
Proton AG Co-Founds Coalition for App Fairness
Proton AG joined Epic Games, Spotify, Match Group, and ten other companies to establish the Coalition for App Fairness, challenging Apple and Google's 30% app store commissions. Proton argued the commission disproportionately penalizes privacy-focused companies that charge subscriptions rather than harvesting user data.
Proton Joins European Tech Alliance
Proton AG became a member of the European Tech Alliance (EUTA), a coalition of European tech companies advocating for fair digital market regulation. This positioned Proton as a voice for European digital sovereignty and privacy-first alternatives to US Big Tech.
SimpleLogin Service Outage Due to Database Issues
SimpleLogin experienced a significant service interruption on June 16, 2021, when database issues caused email delays. No emails were lost, but the incident prompted infrastructure improvements and better monitoring.
Database Outage Causes Multi-Hour Email Delays
SimpleLogin users experienced several hours of email delay when database requests became abnormally slow. The team migrated the database from AWS RDS to UpCloud mid-incident, completing the move with no email loss. This was the final step in fully leaving AWS infrastructure.
ProtonMail Logs French Climate Activist IP Under Swiss Court Order
Proton AG disclosed the IP address of a French climate activist to Swiss authorities after receiving a legally binding court order via Europol. The case drew widespread criticism, but Proton noted it was legally compelled and could not hand over encrypted email content. The activist's identity was already known to French police.
Proton Wins Swiss Court Ruling: Email Not Telecom Provider
Switzerland's Federal Administrative Court ruled that email providers are not telecommunications providers under Swiss law, exempting them from telecom-style data retention requirements. The ruling was a significant privacy victory for Proton and all Swiss email services, reducing the scope of mandatory user data collection.
SimpleLogin Introduces Subdomain Feature for Premium Users
SimpleLogin launched the subdomain feature, allowing premium users without custom domains to create aliases using a personal subdomain (e.g., anything@your-sub.aleeas.com). This provided on-the-fly alias creation without requiring domain ownership, expanding flexibility for power users.
Proton AG Acquires SimpleLogin
Proton AG, the Swiss company behind ProtonMail, acquired SimpleLogin from founder Son Nguyen Kim. At the time, SimpleLogin had over 100,000 users and more than 2 million email aliases created. Financial terms were not disclosed. Proton committed to keeping SimpleLogin open-source, provider-agnostic, and operating as an independent service based in Paris.
Proton Rebrands from ProtonMail to Unified Proton Ecosystem
ProtonMail officially rebranded to 'Proton,' unifying Mail, VPN, Calendar, and Drive under a single brand at proton.me. The rebrand reflected a shift from individual privacy products to an integrated privacy ecosystem, setting the stage for deeper SimpleLogin integration.
SimpleLogin Passes Independent Security Audit by Securitum
European security firm Securitum completed a penetration test and code review of SimpleLogin's web and Android apps, conducted between February 28 and March 15, 2022. The audit found no critical security vulnerabilities. The SQLAlchemy ORM usage and absence of raw SQL queries were highlighted as good security practices.
SimpleLogin Premium Included in Proton Unlimited Plans
Proton began including SimpleLogin Premium features at no extra charge for subscribers to Proton Unlimited, Business, and Visionary plans. This gave existing Proton subscribers access to unlimited aliases, custom domains, and PGP encryption without a separate SimpleLogin subscription.
Proton Pass Beta Launched, Built by SimpleLogin Team
Proton launched a beta version of Proton Pass, a password manager developed primarily by the SimpleLogin engineering team. The product included built-in email alias creation via SimpleLogin's technology, raising community concerns that SimpleLogin's own development would stall as resources were redirected.
Proton Pass Globally Launched as Freemium Password Manager
Proton Pass launched globally with email alias creation built in, using SimpleLogin's infrastructure. The free tier included limited aliases while Pass Plus offered unlimited aliases. This created feature overlap between Proton Pass and standalone SimpleLogin, with users questioning whether SimpleLogin would become redundant.
SimpleLogin Legal Domicile Moves from France to Switzerland
Effective January 1, 2024, SimpleLogin's contractual relationship with users transferred from SimpleLogin SAS (France) to Proton AG (Switzerland). The move placed SimpleLogin under Swiss privacy law, which provides stronger protections than France's data retention requirements. Service functionality remained unchanged.
Send Feature Removed from SimpleLogin Free Plan
SimpleLogin removed the send/reverse-alias feature from free accounts, citing abuse prevention. The feature had allowed free-tier users to send emails from their aliases. Existing accounts created before the change were reportedly unaffected, but new free users lost the ability to send from aliases entirely. The Techlore and Privacy Guides communities criticized the change.
Free Breach Check Feature Discontinued
SimpleLogin discontinued free breach checks shortly after removing the send feature. The service had integrated with Have I Been Pwned to alert users about data breaches affecting their aliases, but the API costs became prohibitive for free-tier users. Breach monitoring became a premium-only feature.
Proton Provides Payment Data for FBI Stop Cop City Investigation
Through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request, Swiss authorities provided the FBI with payment data for a Proton Mail account linked to the Defend the Atlanta Forest / Stop Cop City movement. Proton disclosed the credit card identifier used to pay for the account, enabling identification of the account holder. Proton emphasized it complied only with Swiss law and did not provide data directly to the FBI.
Proton Establishes Non-Profit Foundation as Majority Shareholder
Proton AG established the Proton Foundation, a Swiss non-profit, as its majority shareholder. The foundation's charter prevents hostile takeovers or changes of control without foundation consent. Board trustees include Tim Berners-Lee and Oxford digital ethics professor Carissa Veliz. Proton pledged 1% of net revenues to fund the foundation.
SimpleLogin Premium Price Increased 20% for New Subscribers
SimpleLogin raised the annual premium price from $30 to $36 (from $2.50/month to $2.99/month) for new subscribers, effective November 7, 2024. Existing subscribers were grandfathered at the old rate. The increase coincided with bundling Proton Pass Plus features into SimpleLogin Premium and vice versa.
Proton Pass Plus and SimpleLogin Premium Subscription Merged
Proton unified the Pass Plus and SimpleLogin Premium subscriptions: Pass Plus subscribers gained all SimpleLogin Premium features, and SimpleLogin Premium subscribers gained all Pass Plus features including password management, 2FA authenticator, dark web monitoring, and vault sharing. The move added significant value for paying subscribers.
Proton Pass and SimpleLogin Lifetime Deal Offered at $199
Proton offered a limited-time one-time payment of $199 for lifetime access to both Proton Pass Plus and SimpleLogin Premium. The deal ended in December 2024, providing a non-subscription option for users concerned about recurring price increases.
Swiss Federal Council Proposes OSCPT Surveillance Ordinance
The Swiss Federal Council introduced a revision to the Ordinance on Surveillance of Correspondence by Post and Telecommunications (OSCPT). The proposal would require services with over 5,000 users to implement mandatory user identification, six-month data retention, and decryption of communications when keys are held. Proton publicly opposed the measure.
Proton Joins Antitrust Class Action Against Apple App Store
Proton AG filed a class action lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. 4:25-cv-05450), represented by Cohen Milstein. Proton argued Apple's 30% App Store commission disproportionately penalizes privacy-focused companies that cannot monetize user data. Proton pledged to donate any lawsuit proceeds to democracy and human rights organizations.
Proton Begins Relocating Infrastructure to Germany and Norway
Proton confirmed it was gradually moving physical infrastructure out of Switzerland to Germany and Norway in response to the proposed OSCPT surveillance ordinance. The CHF 100 million AI-compute investment went to European servers rather than Swiss ones. Proton's Lumo AI chatbot became the first product hosted on German servers. Core Mail and VPN infrastructure remained in Geneva.
Evidence (38 citations)
D1: User Value Erosion
D2: Business Customer Exploitation
D3: Shareholder Extraction
D4: Lock-in & Switching Costs
D5: Twiddling & Algorithmic Opacity
D6: Dark Patterns
D7: Advertising & Monetization Pressure
D8: Competitive Conduct
D9: Labor & Governance
D10: Regulatory & Legal Posture
Scoring Log (4 entries)
Stripped for Phase 2 re-enrichment