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Ethereal Email
What it is
Ethereal Email is a free service for catching outbound email during development. It accepts messages through SMTP, stores them for inspection, and never delivers them to recipients. The service is mainly aimed at Nodemailer users but supports any mail client or library that supports SMTP. Test accounts can be created through Nodemailer or manually from the login page, and Nodemailer can provide SMTP credentials immediately without signup or email verification. Messages are viewable in the web interface, through IMAP or POP3, or with a URL from `nodemailer.getTestMessageUrl(info)`. Ethereal provides SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 access, using STARTTLS for SMTP and TLS for IMAP and POP3. Public accounts can send up to 200 messages per hour, with temporary rejection after that limit. Each address has 100MB of storage, and messages are deleted after a few hours. Inbound email is disabled for public accounts; receiving mail requires an active EmailEngine subscription and API key. Ethereal is run by the Nodemailer team and funded by EmailEngine.
For and against
For
- Free outbound-email testing
- Supports SMTP, IMAP, and POP3
- Provides web and preview-URL access
- Instant Nodemailer credentials without verification
- Works with any SMTP-capable client
Against
- Messages are deleted after a few hours
- 100MB storage quota per address
- Public accounts allow 200 messages hourly
- Inbound email is disabled publicly
The verdict
Ethereal Email offers a straightforward way to inspect outbound test messages without sending them to recipients. Its short retention, storage quota, sending cap, and disabled public inbound mail should shape your testing workflow.
Who it suits
Ethereal Email suits developers checking outbound messages from Nodemailer or other SMTP-capable clients. It is designed for temporary test-message review, not delivery.
Plans and prices
Ethereal
200 messages per hour for public accounts · 100MB storage per address · messages deleted after a few hours
Read 4 Oct 2026 · ethereal.email
On the record
- Account access
- Creating an account through Nodemailer provides SMTP credentials instantly without signup or email verification.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Audience
- The service is mostly aimed at Nodemailer users, but supports any mail client or library that supports SMTP.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Inbound email
- Inbound email is disabled for public accounts; the help page says inbound access requires an active EmailEngine subscription and an API key.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations and funding
- Ethereal is run by the Nodemailer team and funded by EmailEngine, described as a self-hosted email API for Gmail, Microsoft 365, and IMAP.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Message preview
- Users can preview sent messages through a URL from `nodemailer.getTestMessageUrl(info)`, the web interface, or an IMAP/POP3 client.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Protocols
- Ethereal provides SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 access; its help page lists STARTTLS for SMTP and TLS for IMAP and POP3.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Ethereal is a free email-catching service for testing outbound email; it stores messages for review and never delivers them.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Retention
- Messages are stored for a few hours and then deleted.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Security rationale
- The help page says inbound email was discontinued for general accounts after the feature was exploited because anonymous accounts were easy to create.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Sending limit
- Public accounts can send up to 200 messages per hour, after which the server temporarily rejects further messages until the next hour.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Storage quota
- Each address has a 100MB message-storage quota.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The FAQ directs users to the help page, Nodemailer documentation, or [email protected] for assistance.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
- Test accounts
- Users can create test accounts with Nodemailer or manually from the login page, and the FAQ says users can create as many as they wish.ethereal.email · read 4 Oct 2026
