---
title: "Proxy Mail QA vs Ethereal Email for testing · Proxy Mail QA"
description: "Ethereal is a free fake SMTP service: nothing is delivered and its addresses can't receive mail from other apps. When a real test inbox fits better."
url: https://proxymail.qa/compare/ethereal
---

1. [Home](https://proxymail.qa/)
2. [Compare](https://proxymail.qa/compare)

# Proxy Mail QA vs Ethereal Email

Ethereal Email is a free fake SMTP service, built into Nodemailer's createTestAccount(): your code sends through it and every message is caught in a web mailbox instead of being delivered. Proxy Mail QA gives you real addresses that receive email from any app or auth service, with the code or link pulled out for you.

Updated October 17, 2026

Details below are from Ethereal Email’s site on 17 October 2026\. Check it for current details.

## At a glance

|                         | Proxy Mail QA                                                               | Ethereal Email                                                |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| How mail gets in        | Sent to a real address over the internet, by any app or service             | Your code sends through smtp.ethereal.email, which catches it |
| Can other apps email it | Yes                                                                         | No: inbound mail to public accounts bounces                   |
| Free                    | The whole product under fair use                                            | Free, no sign-up                                              |
| Reading mail            | Web app, REST API, npm package, Python helper, MCP server                   | Web mailbox, IMAP and POP3, preview links from Nodemailer     |
| Codes and links         | Pulled out and shown on the account’s row, returned on their own by the API | Not pulled out: you read the message                          |
| Kept                    | The address lifetime you pick, up to 30 days on the Free plan               | The mailbox shows messages from the last 15 days              |
| Test accounts           | Personas, saved passwords, notes, tags and reports                          | Not the focus                                                 |

## Where Ethereal is the better choice

- **Writing Node.js code that sends email.** One call to `nodemailer.createTestAccount()` gives you SMTP credentials, and every message your code sends shows up in a mailbox you can open, with nothing delivered.

## Where Proxy Mail QA is the better choice

- **Signing up to the app you’re testing.** Ethereal addresses can’t receive mail from other apps, so they can’t stand in for a user. Proxy Mail QA addresses can.
- **Hosted auth services.** Supabase, Clerk, Auth0 and Firebase send their own emails. A real address receives them without changing your app’s sending.
- **Tests and agents.** The npm package, REST API and MCP server wait for the email and return just its code or link, and the GitHub Action reports each run on the pull request.

## Try it on your next sign-up test

Free plan, no credit card. Create an address and watch the code or link arrive.

[Create a free account](https://app.proxymail.qa/?mode=signup)

## Questions

### Can I sign up to another app with an Ethereal address?

Generally not. Ethereal's page says inbound mail is disabled for its public accounts and messages sent to those addresses bounce. It's for catching mail your own code sends. A Proxy Mail QA address receives mail from any app, so you can sign up anywhere you're allowed to test.

### Is Ethereal free?

Yes, completely, with no sign-up: credentials are created instantly. Proxy Mail QA also has a Free plan, with private addresses that receive real email.

### Can I use both?

Yes. Ethereal is handy while writing Node.js code that sends email, to see the message without sending it. Proxy Mail QA tests the emails your app and its auth service really send, once they go out over the internet.

## Related guides

- [Proxy Mail QA vs MailinatorPrivate inboxes for testers, test suites and agents, against the best-known public inbox and its automation plans.](https://proxymail.qa/compare/mailinator)
- [Proxy Mail QA vs MailtrapReal inboxes that receive mail from any app or auth service, against a sandbox that catches what your own app sends.](https://proxymail.qa/compare/mailtrap)
- [Proxy Mail QA vs MailosaurA free plan for testers, test suites and agents, against a paid platform built for automated email and SMS tests.](https://proxymail.qa/compare/mailosaur)
- [Proxy Mail QA vs MailSlurpTest accounts for people and code alike, against an API for creating inboxes, sending and SMS.](https://proxymail.qa/compare/mailslurp)
- [Proxy Mail QA vs testmail.appAddresses that last up to 30 days with codes on the row, against a low-cost API for test pipelines.](https://proxymail.qa/compare/testmail)
- [Proxy Mail QA vs Mailpit and MailHogReal inboxes on the internet, against free mail catchers you run next to your app in development.](https://proxymail.qa/compare/mailpit)
- [Proxy Mail QA vs Gmail plus-addressingWhy one inbox and a pile of name+test addresses stops working for QA, and what to use instead.](https://proxymail.qa/compare/gmail-plus-addressing)

[See every email testing problem we solve](https://proxymail.qa/solve)

Ethereal Email is a trademark of its owner. Proxy Mail QA is independent and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.