️HideMail vs Apple Hide My Email
For someone deciding between the alias feature that comes with iCloud+ and a separate alias service, especially if not every device you use is an Apple device.
Prepared by George Daneke, founder of HideMail. Facts last checked 2026-10-15. We make HideMail, so we have a bias. Every claim about Apple Hide My Email links to Apple Hide My Email's own pages. How we checked.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Apple Hide My Email if you use an iPhone and a Mac, already pay for iCloud+ or Apple One, and want to reply from aliases. It costs nothing extra and Apple documents no limit on the number of addresses.
- Choose HideMail if you sign up for things on Android, Windows or Chrome, want an API, Raycast or an AI assistant (MCP) to create aliases, want to export your aliases, or don't want to pay: the free plan has 15 aliases.
- Switching probably isn't worth it if you're all-Apple and already have iCloud+. Your Hide My Email addresses can't move, and you'd pay for something you already have.
For an all-Apple household with iCloud+, Apple's option is the better deal. HideMail is for people whose browsing isn't all on Apple devices, or who want to automate aliases.
Side-by-side, on the rows that decide it
US prices in USD. Checked 2026-10-15. Documentation was read for both products; see method.
| Decision | HideMail | Apple Hide My Email |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free: 15 aliases. Premium: $4 a month or $8.99 every 3 months | Included in every iCloud+ plan, from $0.99 a month (50GB), and in every Apple One plan. Not available on free iCloud (Apple) |
| Number of aliases | Free: 15. Premium: unlimited | "As many addresses as you need" (Apple) |
| Where you can create aliases | Chrome and Firefox extensions, Android app, web dashboard, Telegram bot, Raycast, API, AI assistants (MCP) | Safari, Mail and Settings on iPhone, iPad and Mac; supported apps on iOS 16+; Apple Pay; iCloud.com in a browser (Apple) |
| Where mail is forwarded | Your account email, any provider | Your iCloud Mail address or any email address on your Apple Account |
| Reply from your alias | No. Replies go out from your real address | Yes. In iCloud.com Mail, to one recipient per message (Apple) |
| Notes and turning aliases off | Note per alias. Turn an alias off and back on at any time | Label and note per address. A deactivated address returns mail to the sender; deleting one is permanent (Apple) |
| Custom domains | Free: 1. Premium: 5, with catch-all. Aliases can be created on your domain | iCloud+ Custom Email Domain is a separate feature: up to 5 domains, with catch-all. We found no Apple page saying Hide My Email can create addresses on your domain (Apple) |
| API and AI assistants | REST API, webhooks, official MCP server with 17 tools, Raycast extension, n8n node | No public API documented |
| Data export | CSV export of all aliases with notes and on/off state | No export documented |
| Family | One account per person | Shared with up to 5 family members through Family Sharing |
| When you stop paying | Existing aliases keep forwarding. You can't create new ones while over the free limit | You lose access to Hide My Email after the billing period ends. Apple doesn't say whether existing addresses keep forwarding (Apple) |
| What else you get | Nothing else: HideMail only does email aliases | iCloud storage, iCloud Private Relay, Custom Email Domain |
The same scenarios, priced on both
One person, 12 months, US prices before tax.
| Scenario | HideMail | Apple Hide My Email |
|---|---|---|
| 40 aliases, you already pay for iCloud+ | Premium: $35.96 ($8.99 × 4 quarters) | $0 extra |
| 40 aliases, no iCloud+ yet | Premium: $35.96 | Cheapest iCloud+: $0.99 × 12 = $11.88, with 50GB storage |
| Up to 15 aliases, Android phone and Windows PC | $0 (free plan) | $11.88, and aliases can only be created on iCloud.com |
iCloud+ prices from Apple's price list (US, monthly). Some US states add tax.
The same job in both: sign up for a store's newsletter in Chrome on a Windows PC
HideMail
- Click the HideMail extension in Chrome and create an alias, with a note like "store-newsletter".
- Paste the alias into the form.
- Later, turn the alias off from the extension or dashboard, or use the unsubscribe link HideMail adds to forwarded mail.
Apple Hide My Email
- Open iCloud.com in another tab and sign in with two-factor authentication.
- Open Hide My Email, create an address, add a label, and copy it into the form.
- Later, deactivate the address on iCloud.com or on an Apple device.
On an iPhone or Mac in Safari, Apple's flow is shorter: Safari suggests a Hide My Email address right in the form. Off Apple devices, HideMail takes fewer steps.
What switching actually involves
- Hide My Email addresses don't transfer. They're on Apple's domain, and Apple documents no export. Keep iCloud+ active while you change your address on each site, and create HideMail aliases as you go.
- You don't have to choose one. Many people keep Hide My Email for Apple devices and use HideMail where Apple's tools aren't available or for automation.
- Leaving HideMail for Apple: export your aliases as CSV first so you have the list of sites to update. Existing HideMail aliases keep forwarding on the free plan.
- Test before you move everything: send a message to a new alias and check that it arrives, and that turning it off stops it.
FAQ
- Is Apple Hide My Email free?
- No. Hide My Email is part of iCloud+, which starts at $0.99 a month in the US for the 50GB plan. Apple says that on the free iCloud plan you lose access to iCloud+ features like Hide My Email. Sign in with Apple addresses are a different feature and only work for the one app or website you signed up to.
- Can I use Hide My Email on Android or Windows?
- Only through iCloud.com in a web browser. Apple documents creating addresses in Safari, Mail, Settings and supported apps on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and on iCloud.com. We found no Apple browser extension or API for creating addresses. HideMail has Chrome and Firefox extensions, an Android app, a Telegram bot and an API.
- Can I reply from a Hide My Email address?
- Yes. Apple says a reply keeps your personal address private and appears to come from the Hide My Email address. In iCloud.com Mail, such a message can go to only one recipient. HideMail does not hide your address when you reply.
- Can I export my Hide My Email addresses?
- Apple does not document an export. HideMail exports all aliases, with notes and on/off state, as a CSV file.
- Can I move my Hide My Email addresses to HideMail?
- No. Hide My Email addresses are on Apple's domain, so they stay with Apple. Keep iCloud+ while you change the address on each site, or create new HideMail aliases as you go.
- Is Hide My Email cheaper than HideMail?
- For most Apple users, yes. If you already pay for iCloud+ or Apple One, Hide My Email costs nothing extra and has no documented address limit. HideMail is cheaper only if 15 aliases on its free plan are enough for you.
How we checked
Facts last checked 2026-10-15. HideMail facts come from our own plan configuration and pricing page. Apple Hide My Email facts come only from Apple Hide My Email's own pages, listed below. Where two of its pages disagree, we show both. We left out anything we couldn't verify. If either product changes its pricing or features, we update the affected sections, not just this date. If you spot something out of date, email [email protected].
Sources
- apple.com/icloud: iCloud+ features, family sharing, Apple One
- Apple: iCloud+ plans and pricing (US prices)
- Apple: downgrade or cancel iCloud+: free plan loses Hide My Email
- Apple: what you can do with Hide My Email: unlimited addresses, replies, forwarding
- Apple: set up Hide My Email: where addresses can be created
- Apple: Hide My Email in Mail: one recipient per message
- Apple: deactivate or delete addresses
- Apple: Custom Email Domain
- hidemail.app/pricing: HideMail plans and limits
