Bandwidth usage is the total size of email forwarded through AliasFleet aliases in the current calendar month. The count covers the body, headers and attachments of each forwarded message. The Analytics page and the Billing page show the total used against the monthly limit for the plan, and the counter resets at the start of each month.
An AliasFleet account is required, and usage figures appear only after sign-in in the app dashboard. The Billing page figure for the account takes precedence over any figure in this guide, because plan data can change after a guide is updated.
What counts toward bandwidth usage?#
Every message forwarded through an alias adds to the total. The counted size is the full forwarded message: body, headers and attachments. Mail blocked or bounced before forwarding does not reach the destination inbox, so it is not part of the forwarded total.
Attachments account for most bandwidth use. A plain-text message is a few kilobytes. A newsletter with images is often a few hundred kilobytes. A 2 MB PDF invoice uses about as much bandwidth as hundreds of plain-text messages, and a 5 MB photo attachment uses more still.
How do I check bandwidth usage?#
Bandwidth appears on the Analytics page and on the Billing page, in different places.
- Sign in to the app dashboard.
- Open Analytics. The Bandwidth Usage card shows the amount transferred, the monthly limit, the amount remaining, and the percentage of the limit used.
- Read the badge on the card. The badge shows the percentage of the monthly limit used, or "Uncapped" on a plan with no limit. Above 75 percent it shows a warning state, and above 90 percent a stronger alert state.
- Check the reset date. The card states how many days remain until the reset, in UTC.
- Cross-check on Billing. Open the Billing page and read the Monthly Bandwidth row on the Plan Usage card. Use that figure when the two pages disagree, because it reads the current plan data for the account.
What are the bandwidth limits for each plan?#
The table below gives the monthly bandwidth limit for each plan, from current app pricing data. Pro and Business are consistent across the pricing cards and the plan comparison table. The Free figure is not consistent, and this guide states the conflict rather than choosing one number.
| Plan | Monthly bandwidth |
|---|---|
| Free | See the note below |
| Pro | 1 GB |
| Business | Unlimited |
What is the Free plan bandwidth limit?#
No Free bandwidth figure is stated in this guide, because the sources give different figures. The live pricing page FAQ and the pricing card feature list state 100 MB per month. The plan comparison table states 50 MB per month, and the dashboard code falls back to 10 MB when no limit is loaded. Until the app code resolves that conflict, use the Monthly Bandwidth figure shown on the Billing page for the account, rather than any figure in this guide. For the full plan limits, see Your Plan and Usage Limits.
What happens when bandwidth reaches the limit?#
The Analytics page shows a warning state above 75 percent of the limit and a stronger alert state above 90 percent. What happens to forwarding at 100 percent is not verified.
A figure above 90 percent is the point to act. Either reduce forwarding from high-attachment aliases, as described below, or move to a plan with a higher limit before the month ends. For the plan change flow, see Upgrading to Pro.
How do I reduce bandwidth usage?#
Bandwidth use falls only when fewer or smaller messages are forwarded. No compression setting for forwarded mail is shown in the dashboard.
- Open Analytics and note which aliases receive the most mail. Aliases tied to shopping, billing and newsletters usually receive the most attachment-heavy mail.
- Open the alias list and review those aliases. An alias for a shop that sends a PDF invoice with every order, or a service that sends photo attachments, is a likely source of high use.
- Deactivate an alias that forwards mail no longer needed. Deactivating stops forwarding from that alias, so its mail no longer counts. Delete it only if the address will not be needed again.
- Check the Bandwidth Usage card after the next messages arrive. Usage for the month does not fall when an alias is deactivated, because the counter measures mail already forwarded. The change shows as slower growth for the rest of the month.
- Change plan if the limit is too low for normal use. Pro lists 1 GB per month and Business lists unlimited bandwidth.
Troubleshooting#
Why does the Billing page show a different limit from this guide?#
Plan data can change after a guide is updated. The Billing page reads the current plan data for the account, so its figure takes precedence over any figure in this guide.
Why is the Free plan bandwidth figure unclear?#
The sources disagree. The live pricing page FAQ and the pricing card feature list state 100 MB per month, while the plan comparison table states 50 MB per month and the dashboard code falls back to 10 MB. This guide therefore states no Free bandwidth figure. Use the Monthly Bandwidth figure on the Billing page for the account until the app code is corrected.
Why did bandwidth usage jump in one day?#
A few messages with large attachments can move the total by several megabytes at once. One 5 MB photo attachment counts for more than hundreds of plain-text messages.
Why does the Analytics page show a different figure for 7 days than for 30 days?#
The 7 day figure is an estimate drawn from the number of messages in that period, while the 30 day figure is the measured monthly total. Check usage against the limit with the monthly figure.
Why does usage stay high after I deactivated an alias?#
The counter records mail already forwarded during the current month. Deactivating an alias stops new mail from counting, but past use stays in the total until the counter resets at the start of the next calendar month.
Related reading#
Your Plan and Usage Limits sets out the alias, domain, destination and bandwidth limits for Free, Pro and Business, and explains how to check current usage on the Billing page.
Can Email Aliases Receive Attachments? Yes, Mostly explains how attachments travel with forwarded mail, and why size limits change the answer for some services.