Address comparison · Sorting labels vs. separate inboxes
The difference between an email plus address and a separate forwarding alias is more than how they look. A plus address usually sends mail to the same inbox, where rules sort it. A forwarding alias gives you a separate address you can pause on its own.
First ask yourself: do you just want to sort your mail, or do you need to shut off one way of receiving it? If you only need to sort mail, a plus address may be enough. If you want to stop mail from a particular website separately, consider a dedicated forwarding alias.
01 · How it works
The examples below assume your email provider supports plus addressing and the website accepts it. These addresses illustrate how the systems work; they are not inboxes you can use or Letterfwd aliases that have been created.
The website sends mail to the tagged address, and your email provider still delivers it to your regular inbox.
lin+shop@example.comlin@example.comA tag isn’t a separate inbox, and it doesn’t necessarily come with its own pause switch.
The website only sees the alias. Mail goes to the forwarding service first, then on to your real inbox.
shop27@letterfwd.comlin@example.comAn alias isn’t just a longer version of your real address; it creates a forwarding layer between the two.
In this example, example.com is a reserved example domain, and shop27@letterfwd.com is shown for illustration only. Sign in to create your own alias. Not sure how aliases differ from forwarding? Start with our alias glossary.
02 · Key differences
A plus address works according to your email provider; a separate alias is controlled by the forwarding service. The right-hand column describes Letterfwd specifically—not every alias service.
| What matters to you | Plus address | Letterfwd forwarding alias |
|---|---|---|
| Can someone infer your real address? | Usually, removing the +tag reveals the original address. The tag doesn’t hide the main address. |
The address itself usually doesn’t show the destination inbox, but other account details, email content, or linked information could still reveal your identity. |
| Can you pause it on its own? | It depends. You’ll generally need to set a rejection, deletion, or sorting rule in your email account; some providers offer additional controls. | You can pause or delete an alias. When paused, new messages sent to it are discarded instead of being forwarded to your real inbox. |
| What filtering settings does it rely on? | Usually, your email provider’s ability to match recipient addresses, tags, or headers—and the rules you maintain. | Pausing an alias doesn’t rely on your email provider’s filters, but you’ll need to manage alias status and the account links on each website. |
| Can you tell where a sign-up came from? | Only if you use a different tag for each site and the tag is preserved in incoming mail and can be viewed or matched. | With a separate alias for each site and records of which alias you used, you can see which sign-up address received a message. That alone doesn’t prove the site leaked your data. |
| Will websites accept it? | Your email provider may not support plus addressing, and some websites reject addresses with a plus sign or treat them as the original address. | Not every website accepts forwarding addresses. Some restrict domains or sign-up methods, so test that messages arrive before relying on an alias. |
| Which services handle the mail? | Mail usually goes straight to your email provider, which then handles tags and filtering rules. | Mail goes through the forwarding service first, then to your real inbox. That adds a service dependency—and a separate control point. |
Seeing where mail was sent doesn’t prove there was a data breach. If an alias gets unexpected marketing mail, all it shows is that the address was used for delivery. The address may have been forwarded, shared, mistyped, or guessed.
How to use aliases to check where mail came from03 · One situation, two approaches
Imagine you ordered from a store and now want its promotions to stop. You can handle this with either type of address, but where you take action, what else may be affected, and what you need to manage later all differ.
Handle it where the email has already arrived.
Best if you’re happy to keep managing folders and rules. Not every sender will remove the plus sign, and you can’t assume the tag will always be preserved.
Stop it before it reaches your real inbox.
Pausing an alias blocks all new messages sent to it, not just promotions. It won’t affect mail sent directly to your real address if the sender already knows it.
You can unsubscribe from the store’s marketing emails while keeping order updates. Pause the alias only if you’re okay with not receiving any new messages at that address for a while.
Decide by situation: unsubscribe or pause04 · Choose by what you need
You don’t have to change all your addresses at once. Start with a non-essential website, check that mail arrives and that you know how to manage the address, then expand from there.
Only consider a temporary email if you need a one-time verification code and won’t need to recover the account later. It expires and is cleared, so it’s not a substitute for a long-term address for important notifications.
05 · Switching addresses
Creating an alias gives you a new way to receive mail. You still need to sign in to each website, change the email address on file, and complete any verification it requires.
No matter how many aliases you create, stores, forums, and apps won’t know about them automatically. They’ll keep sending mail to the address already linked to your account.
lin@example.com
Example · Not yet changed
A separate alias can’t recall an address that’s already been shared or erase a website’s historical records. Handle spam sent to your old address in your original inbox by unsubscribing, filtering, or reporting it. Aliases mainly help you control where you sign up in the future.
Keep a record of where you use each alias06 · What aliases can and can’t do
A separate alias reduces how often you need to share your real email address, but it doesn’t make you anonymous or replace account security settings.
Learn how data is handled and retainedYour name, payment details, sign-in activity, and email content may still identify you. Replying to an email can also reveal your sending address, so don’t treat a receiving alias as an anonymous-sending tool.
A website may restrict forwarding domains or certain address formats. If an address is rejected, use one the site accepts and that you can control long term. Don’t assume another alias will necessarily work.
Use a unique password, two-step verification, and recovery codes for each website. Protect the real email account you use to sign in to Letterfwd and manage aliases, too.
When you pause an alias here, new messages are discarded, not forwarded. Online archives are retained for 30 days, not permanently; reactivating the alias won’t forward messages discarded while it was paused.
Start with your next sign-up
Sign in using your current email address, then create your first forwarding alias. Test delivery before using it on a website—you don’t have to move all your accounts at once.
Manage up to 100 aliases after signing in. Still deciding what to do about existing promotions? See when to unsubscribe or pause.