For you, the recipient
- Get an address.yourname@franked.email forwards to the inbox you already use. Give it out wherever you'd give your email.
- List who you know.Add addresses or whole domains that should always get through. They never see a payment link.
- Set your terms.Choose the deposit, how long you have to decide, and the charity that receives unanswered deposits.
- Read what arrives.Paid messages land in your inbox with a short banner showing what the sender paid. From the dashboard, refund the ones you wanted. The rest go to charity automatically.
For the sender
A first-time sender gets an automatic reply with a payment link. The page shows the subject of their message, the deposit, and the refund terms. They pay by card and the message is delivered immediately. If the recipient refunds, the deposit returns to their card less processing. More for senders.
What gets a payment link, and what doesn't
| Incoming mail | What Franked does |
|---|---|
| From an allowlisted address or domain | Delivered immediately, untouched |
| From a new sender whose domain authenticates properly | Held, sender gets a payment link |
| Marked as bulk, list or automated | Held silently, deleted after the hold period |
| Failing sender authentication (likely forged) | Held silently, never replied to |
Only replying to authenticated senders matters. Replying to forged addresses would send payment notices to innocent people whose addresses were spoofed, a problem known as backscatter.
Frequently asked questions
Do I keep the deposits?
No. Refunded deposits go back to the sender. Unanswered deposits are donated to your chosen charity. How donations work.
What happens to newsletters?
Anything that declares itself bulk or automated is held without a link. If you want a newsletter, allowlist its sending domain.
Can AI agents pay?
Not yet. Payment links already answer non-browser clients with machine-readable terms over HTTP 402. Agent settlement is on the roadmap.
Is my mail stored?
Held messages are stored until they are delivered, discarded or expire, then deleted. Delivered mail lives in your own inbox.
Join the pilot
Franked is in private pilot. To ask for an address, write to nariman@franked.email. Yes, it will ask you for a deposit. That's the demo.