[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":472},["ShallowReactive",2],{"navigation":3,"\u002Fdocs\u002Falternatives\u002Fmailinator\u002F":109,"\u002Fdocs\u002Falternatives\u002Fmailinator\u002F-surround":468},[4,8,22,26,43,92],{"title":5,"path":6,"stem":7},"Getting Started","\u002Fdocs\u002Fgetting-started","1.docs\u002F1.getting-started",{"title":9,"path":10,"stem":11,"children":12,"page":21},"Setup","\u002Fdocs\u002Fsetup","1.docs\u002F2.setup",[13,17],{"title":14,"path":15,"stem":16},"Domain","\u002Fdocs\u002Fsetup\u002Fdomain","1.docs\u002F2.setup\u002F2.domain",{"title":18,"path":19,"stem":20},"Email","\u002Fdocs\u002Fsetup\u002Faccount","1.docs\u002F2.setup\u002F3.account",false,{"title":23,"path":24,"stem":25},"Email Testing API","\u002Fdocs\u002Fapi","1.docs\u002F3.api",{"title":27,"path":28,"stem":29,"children":30,"page":21},"Features","\u002Fdocs\u002Ffeatures","1.docs\u002F4.features",[31,35,39],{"title":32,"path":33,"stem":34},"Account","\u002Fdocs\u002Ffeatures\u002Faccount","1.docs\u002F4.features\u002F1.account",{"title":36,"path":37,"stem":38},"Mailbox","\u002Fdocs\u002Ffeatures\u002Fmailbox","1.docs\u002F4.features\u002F2.mailbox",{"title":40,"path":41,"stem":42},"Messages","\u002Fdocs\u002Ffeatures\u002Fmessage","1.docs\u002F4.features\u002F3.message",{"title":44,"path":45,"stem":46,"children":47,"page":21},"Guides","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides","1.docs\u002F5.guides",[48,52,56,60,64,68,72,76,80,84,88],{"title":49,"path":50,"stem":51},"SMTP Test","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fsend-test-email","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F01.send-test-email",{"title":53,"path":54,"stem":55},"API Quickstart","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Femail-testing-api","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F02.email-testing-api",{"title":57,"path":58,"stem":59},"CI","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fci","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F03.ci",{"title":61,"path":62,"stem":63},"Catch-All","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fcatch-all","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F04.catch-all",{"title":65,"path":66,"stem":67},"SPF, DKIM, DMARC","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fspf-dkim-dmarc","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F05.spf-dkim-dmarc",{"title":69,"path":70,"stem":71},"Playwright","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fe2e","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F06.e2e",{"title":73,"path":74,"stem":75},"Cypress","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fcypress","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F07.cypress",{"title":77,"path":78,"stem":79},"Email Clients","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Femail-clients","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F08.email-clients",{"title":81,"path":82,"stem":83},"AI Agents","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fagents","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F09.agents",{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87},"Local Development","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Flocal-development","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F10.local-development",{"title":89,"path":90,"stem":91},"Size Limits","\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Femail-size-limits","1.docs\u002F5.guides\u002F11.email-size-limits",{"title":93,"path":94,"stem":95,"children":96,"page":21},"Alternatives","\u002Fdocs\u002Falternatives","1.docs\u002F6.alternatives",[97,101,105],{"title":98,"path":99,"stem":100},"Mailtrap","\u002Fdocs\u002Falternatives\u002Fmailtrap","1.docs\u002F6.alternatives\u002F1.mailtrap",{"title":102,"path":103,"stem":104},"Mailosaur","\u002Fdocs\u002Falternatives\u002Fmailosaur","1.docs\u002F6.alternatives\u002F2.mailosaur",{"title":106,"path":107,"stem":108},"Mailinator","\u002Fdocs\u002Falternatives\u002Fmailinator","1.docs\u002F6.alternatives\u002F3.mailinator",{"id":110,"title":111,"body":112,"description":462,"extension":463,"meta":464,"navigation":465,"path":107,"seo":466,"stem":108,"__hash__":467},"docs\u002F1.docs\u002F6.alternatives\u002F3.mailinator.md","Mailinator Alternative for Private Test Inboxes",{"type":113,"value":114,"toc":456},"minimark",[115,124,127,130,135,266,270,273,282,285,289,342,346,371,377,380,430,446,452],[116,117,118,119,123],"p",{},"Most people know Mailinator for its public inboxes: send to any name at ",[120,121,122],"code",{},"mailinator.com",", then open that inbox on the website. No signup, nothing to set up. By Mailinator's own description, public email can be read by anyone and is deleted after a few hours.",[116,125,126],{},"That's fine for a throwaway signup on someone else's site. It's the wrong place for your own app's mail. A password reset link or an invite in a public inbox works for whoever opens it first. Public inboxes also drop attachments, so an invoice or an export email can't be tested there at all.",[116,128,129],{},"Mailinator's private plans solve this with your own domain, an API, and webhooks. For testing, the comparison that matters is between those plans and private accounts here.",[131,132,134],"h2",{"id":133},"at-a-glance","At a Glance",[136,137,138,152],"table",{},[139,140,141],"thead",{},[142,143,144,147,149],"tr",{},[145,146],"th",{},[145,148,106],{},[145,150,151],{},"smtp.dev",[153,154,155,167,178,189,200,211,222,233,244,255],"tbody",{},[142,156,157,161,164],{},[158,159,160],"td",{},"Free",[158,162,163],{},"Public inboxes. Or Verified Pro: 1 private domain, 10 MB of storage, 2,000 emails a month, 60 a day",[158,165,166],{},"Lite: 1 domain, 50 accounts, messages kept 7 days",[142,168,169,172,175],{},[158,170,171],{},"Paid",[158,173,174],{},"Business, $79 a month billed yearly: 1 domain, 50 MB, 100,000 emails a month. Business Plus, $159: 3 domains, 100 MB, 300,000 emails a month",[158,176,177],{},"Pro, $7 a month: 5 domains, 25,000 accounts, 30 days. Max, $20: unlimited domains and accounts, 90 days",[142,179,180,183,186],{},[158,181,182],{},"Who can read a message",[158,184,185],{},"Public inboxes: anyone. Private domains: your team",[158,187,188],{},"Whoever has the account's password or your API key",[142,190,191,194,197],{},[158,192,193],{},"Addresses",[158,195,196],{},"Any name on your private domain",[158,198,199],{},"Accounts you create and their plus aliases. Any name with a catch-all on Pro and Max",[142,201,202,205,208],{},[158,203,204],{},"Kept until",[158,206,207],{},"Public: a few hours. Private: until storage fills, oldest out first",[158,209,210],{},"7, 30, or 90 days by plan",[142,212,213,216,219],{},[158,214,215],{},"Attachments",[158,217,218],{},"Not on public inboxes",[158,220,221],{},"Yes",[142,223,224,227,230],{},[158,225,226],{},"Reading mail",[158,228,229],{},"Web, API, webhooks, routing rules",[158,231,232],{},"Web, REST API, SSE, IMAP, POP3",[142,234,235,238,241],{},[158,236,237],{},"Sending",[158,239,240],{},"Receive-only",[158,242,243],{},"Between accounts in your sandbox",[142,245,246,249,252],{},[158,247,248],{},"SMS",[158,250,251],{},"Private numbers from Business up, on request and at extra cost",[158,253,254],{},"No",[142,256,257,260,263],{},[158,258,259],{},"Users",[158,261,262],{},"1 on Verified Pro, 5 on Business, 10 on Business Plus, with SSO",[158,264,265],{},"Single user",[131,267,269],{"id":268},"when-mailinator-fits","When Mailinator Fits",[116,271,272],{},"For a one-off check on a site you don't run, where it doesn't matter who else reads the message, a public inbox is the quickest option: no signup, no DNS.",[116,274,275,276,281],{},"If your team already pays for a private plan and builds on its webhooks and routing rules, there's little reason to move. Webhooks have no direct equivalent here. Tests subscribe over ",[277,278,280],"a",{"href":279},"\u002Fdocs\u002Fapi\u002F#real-time-updates","SSE"," or poll the API.",[116,283,284],{},"Mailinator also receives SMS, and from Business up, private numbers are available on request at extra cost. smtp.dev only receives email.",[131,286,288],{"id":287},"reasons-to-switch","Reasons to Switch",[290,291,292,303,309,315,326,332],"ul",{},[293,294,295,299,300,302],"li",{},[296,297,298],"strong",{},"Signup forms that block disposable domains."," ",[120,301,122],{}," is on the open-source disposable-email-domains blocklist. If your app validates addresses against it, a public Mailinator address fails at the form. An address on your own domain doesn't.",[293,304,305,308],{},[296,306,307],{},"Messages that aren't public."," Each account has its own password. Reading it takes that password or your API key.",[293,310,311,314],{},[296,312,313],{},"Attachments."," Invoices, exports, and calendar invites arrive with their files.",[293,316,317,320,321,325],{},[296,318,319],{},"IMAP and POP3."," Every account opens in ",[277,322,324],{"href":323},"\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Femail-clients\u002F","Thunderbird or Apple Mail",", on every plan.",[293,327,328,331],{},[296,329,330],{},"More domains for less."," Five domains are $7 a month on Pro. Three private domains on Mailinator are Business Plus, at $159 a month billed yearly.",[293,333,334,337,338,341],{},[296,335,336],{},"Sending, kept inside the sandbox."," Accounts can mail each other through ",[120,339,340],{},"send.smtp.dev",", so the app's own SMTP path gets tested too. Any address outside your sandbox is refused.",[131,343,345],{"id":344},"moving-tests","Moving Tests",[116,347,348,349,352,353,357,358,361,362,365,366,370],{},"Replace ",[120,350,351],{},"name@mailinator.com"," with an address on a test domain. ",[277,354,356],{"href":355},"\u002Fdocs\u002Fsetup\u002Fdomain\u002F","Add the domain",", point its MX record at ",[120,359,360],{},"mx.smtp.dev",", and create the accounts your tests use. To keep making up addresses the way tests did on Mailinator, use plus aliases of one account, like ",[120,363,364],{},"qa+run42@test.example.com",", on any plan. On Pro and Max, a ",[277,367,369],{"href":368},"\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fcatch-all\u002F","catch-all"," accepts any name.",[116,372,373,374,376],{},"A private Mailinator domain moves the same way: point it, or a subdomain of it, at ",[120,375,360],{},".",[116,378,379],{},"Tests that fetch a message from Mailinator's API fetch it from the account's INBOX, newest first:",[381,382,387],"pre",{"className":383,"code":384,"language":385,"meta":386,"style":386},"language-bash shiki shiki-themes material-theme-lighter material-theme material-theme-palenight","curl \"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.smtp.dev\u002Faccounts\u002F{accountId}\u002Fmailboxes\u002F{mailboxId}\u002Fmessages\" \\\n  -H \"X-API-KEY: $SMTP_DEV_API_KEY\"\n","bash","",[120,388,389,413],{"__ignoreMap":386},[390,391,394,398,402,406,409],"span",{"class":392,"line":393},"line",1,[390,395,397],{"class":396},"sBMFI","curl",[390,399,401],{"class":400},"sMK4o"," \"",[390,403,405],{"class":404},"sfazB","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.smtp.dev\u002Faccounts\u002F{accountId}\u002Fmailboxes\u002F{mailboxId}\u002Fmessages",[390,407,408],{"class":400},"\"",[390,410,412],{"class":411},"sTEyZ"," \\\n",[390,414,416,419,421,424,427],{"class":392,"line":415},2,[390,417,418],{"class":404},"  -H",[390,420,401],{"class":400},[390,422,423],{"class":404},"X-API-KEY: ",[390,425,426],{"class":411},"$SMTP_DEV_API_KEY",[390,428,429],{"class":400},"\"\n",[116,431,432,433,437,438,441,442,445],{},"The ",[277,434,436],{"href":435},"\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Femail-testing-api\u002F","API quickstart"," has a wait-and-assert helper, and the ",[277,439,69],{"href":440},"\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fe2e\u002F"," and ",[277,443,73],{"href":444},"\u002Fdocs\u002Fguides\u002Fcypress\u002F"," guides use it in browser tests.",[447,448,449],"note",{},[116,450,451],{},"Mailinator's plans and limits are from its pricing page, and public inbox behavior from its FAQ and public inbox documentation. The blocklist is disposable-email-domains on GitHub. All checked November 9, 2026.",[453,454,455],"style",{},"html pre.shiki code .sBMFI, html code.shiki .sBMFI{--shiki-light:#E2931D;--shiki-default:#FFCB6B;--shiki-dark:#FFCB6B}html pre.shiki code .sMK4o, html code.shiki .sMK4o{--shiki-light:#39ADB5;--shiki-default:#89DDFF;--shiki-dark:#89DDFF}html pre.shiki code .sfazB, html code.shiki .sfazB{--shiki-light:#91B859;--shiki-default:#C3E88D;--shiki-dark:#C3E88D}html pre.shiki code .sTEyZ, html code.shiki .sTEyZ{--shiki-light:#90A4AE;--shiki-default:#EEFFFF;--shiki-dark:#BABED8}html .light .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-light);background: var(--shiki-light-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-light-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-light-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-light-text-decoration);}html.light .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-light);background: var(--shiki-light-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-light-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-light-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-light-text-decoration);}html .default .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-default);background: var(--shiki-default-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-default-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-default-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-default-text-decoration);}html .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-default);background: var(--shiki-default-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-default-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-default-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-default-text-decoration);}html .dark .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-dark);background: var(--shiki-dark-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-dark-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-dark-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-dark-text-decoration);}html.dark .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-dark);background: var(--shiki-dark-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-dark-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-dark-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-dark-text-decoration);}",{"title":386,"searchDepth":415,"depth":415,"links":457},[458,459,460,461],{"id":133,"depth":415,"text":134},{"id":268,"depth":415,"text":269},{"id":287,"depth":415,"text":288},{"id":344,"depth":415,"text":345},"Mailinator's public inboxes are readable by anyone and deleted within hours. How private test inboxes on your own domain compare with Mailinator's paid plans.","md",{},{"title":106},{"title":111,"description":462},"Jk9Lw6efbcrHigb0ObtD320Vn4B7S256v11KnK7GRdQ",[469,471],{"title":102,"path":103,"stem":104,"description":470,"children":-1},"Mailosaur and smtp.dev side by side for email tests: plans, quotas, custom domains, and IMAP. When SMS keeps you on Mailosaur, and how to port your tests.",null,1794185302370]