Spamgourmet
Spamgourmet makes disposable email addresses that forward a chosen number of messages to a protected address, then discard later mail.
What Spamgourmet is
Spamgourmet makes disposable email addresses that forward a chosen number of messages to a protected address, then discard later mail. Each alias is created when its first message arrives, so users do not need to prepare it beforehand. An address can forward up to 20 messages; if no limit is specified, the default is three. Advanced mode adds trusted senders, watchwords, prefixes, reply address masking, and options to view or edit addresses. Reply masking routes replies through Spamgourmet using the disposable address as the return address, rather than exposing the protected one. The service is free and available on the web, with released code for people who want to host a similar service or add its functionality to another mail service. Its privacy policy says messages are forwarded immediately or erased from volatile memory and that its code does not store email. Standard web and mail logs do record IP addresses and may be reviewed for support or fraud investigations. Spamgourmet affects only mail sent to its disposable addresses; it does not change messages delivered directly to the protected address.
Good
- Aliases are created automatically on first message
- Users can set forwarding limits up to 20 messages
- Advanced mode includes reply address masking
- Released code is available for self-hosting or integration
Watch out
- Default limit is three forwarded messages per address
- Direct messages to the protected address are unaffected
- Some providers may reject forwarded mail under DMARC policies
- Standard logs record IP addresses
Who it suits
It suits people who want disposable addresses to limit where messages are forwarded, with controls for message counts and reply masking. It may also interest people who want to host similar functionality using the released code.
Verdict
Spamgourmet is a free option for limiting messages forwarded from disposable addresses. Its scope is limited to those aliases, and sender DMARC policies may affect delivery; reply masking is listed as a possible workaround.
Plans and prices
From Spamgourmet's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free service; up to 20 messages per address by default, with options to extend |
| Spamgourmet free service | Free | Disposable addresses auto-created · default 3 messages per address · maximum 20 messages at once · trusted or exclusive senders can extend delivery |
The facts
Each one read from Spamgourmet's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Advanced controls
- Advanced mode supports trusted senders, watchwords, prefixes, reply address masking, and viewing or editing addresses.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Anti-bot signup
- New-user registration uses a word-in-an-image challenge to deter scripted account creation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Attachment policy
- Spamgourmet says it never sends email attachments and warns that unexpected attachments claiming to be from it may be malware.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Automatic aliases
- An address is created automatically when it receives its first message, so users do not need to create each alias in advance.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Automatic creation
- Users invent an address word and the service creates the address when it first receives mail for it.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Commercial status
- The FAQ describes Spamgourmet as a non-commercial service and says donations are optional.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Custom domains
- A user can route a personal domain to Spamgourmet by pointing its MX record at gourmet.spamgourmet.com and asking the service to configure the domain.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Delivery limitation
- The FAQ warns that some email providers may reject forwarded messages because of sender DMARC policies, and suggests reply address masking as a possible workaround.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Deprecated tool
- AddressScrambler is deprecated and the FAQ recommends SgMailto instead.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Developer documentation
- The repository README points developers to its docs directory, especially dev-notes.md, and to a cloning script for installation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Direct-address limitation
- Spamgourmet does not affect spam sent directly to a user's real email address; the sender must use a Spamgourmet address.checked 15 Oct 2026
- DMARC problem
- The FAQ reports that sender DMARC policies increasingly cause forwarded messages to be rejected and suggests reply masking as a workaround.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The FAQ documents address syntax, advanced sender controls, forwarding behavior, troubleshooting, and account rules in detail.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Domain history
- ScamAdviser lists the domain registration date as 2000-06-07 and identifies the server country as the United States.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Exclusive senders
- An address can lock onto its first sender or sender domain and consume mail from other senders.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Forwarding
- Forwarded mail is sent to the protected address supplied during account setup, which must be confirmed.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Historical attack outage
- The changelog records a January 2008 denial-of-service incident followed by ISP routing problems that temporarily made the service inaccessible to some subscribers.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Historical outage
- The changelog records a January 20, 2009 slowdown and queue backup after the hosting provider dropped the reverse lookup address, later restored.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Historical release
- Spamgourmet announced version 2.0.3 and an SgMailto release on October 8, 2007, after roughly five years without a formal code release.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Hosting
- The privacy policy says the service computers are in California and are administered primarily from Texas.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Independent service description
- SourceForge describes Spamgourmet as a forwarding-address system with a web management interface, disposable addresses, sender whitelisting, and CAPTCHA.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License
- SourceForge identifies the downloadable project as open source under the Artistic License.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company structure
- The team page says Spamgourmet is created and run by volunteers.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Founded
- The FAQ says the service has operated since late 2000.checked 15 Oct 2026
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