Email aliasing services let you create disposable email addresses that forward to your real address. The category has matured to a point where three serious commercial options dominate: Firefox Relay (Mozilla), SimpleLogin (now owned by Proton), and AnonAddy (now branded as addy.io). Plus Apple Hide My Email for Apple-ecosystem users and DuckDuckGo Email Protection for casual users.
This is the practical comparison of the three serious options.
Quick verdict
For users wanting maximum features and willingness to pay: SimpleLogin Premium ($30/year) or addy.io Pro ($36/year), both excellent.
For users wanting cheapest serious option: Firefox Relay Premium ($12/year) is the value pick if you can accept fewer features.
For Apple users: Apple Hide My Email is built into iCloud+ and is sufficient for casual use.
For users who want self-hosting: addy.io is open source and self-hostable; the hosted service is the path of least resistance.
What each service does
All three do the same core thing: generate aliases that forward incoming mail to your real address, allow replies through aliases (so the recipient sees the alias, not your real address), let you disable aliases when they get abused.
The differences are in pricing, free tier generosity, advanced features, and corporate alignment.
Firefox Relay
Operated by Mozilla. Pricing: free tier (5 aliases, basic features), Premium at $0.99/month or $12/year (unlimited aliases, custom domain, advanced features), Premium Phone Masking add-on for $4.99/month (US-only, additional service that gives you alias phone numbers).
What Firefox Relay does well:
- Tied to Mozilla, the company behind Firefox. Brand stability is high.
- Cheapest paid tier ($12/year) of the three.
- Integrated with Firefox browser via the Relay extension.
- Privacy policy is reasonable.
What Firefox Relay does less well:
- Feature set is more limited than SimpleLogin or addy.io.
- No PGP support.
- No multiple destination mailbox routing.
- The interface is simpler and less configurable.
- The Phone Masking add-on is US-only.
SimpleLogin
Operated by Proton (acquired in 2022). Pricing: free tier (15 aliases, 1 mailbox), Premium at $30/year (unlimited aliases, custom domains, all features). Bundled with Proton Mail Plus and Proton Unlimited subscriptions.
What SimpleLogin does well:
- Most full-featured of the three options.
- Custom domain support is robust.
- Multiple mailbox routing works correctly.
- PGP support for encrypted forwarding.
- Browser extension and mobile apps are functional.
- Bundled with Proton if you already pay for Proton products.
What SimpleLogin does less well:
- Per-feature pricing is highest of the three options.
- Now owned by Proton; users uncomfortable with corporate consolidation may prefer alternatives.
- Mobile apps could be more polished.
AnonAddy (addy.io)
Operated by Will Browning, an independent UK-based developer. Open source, self-hostable. Pricing: free tier (10 aliases), Lite at $1/month, Pro at $3/month or $36/year (unlimited aliases, custom domains, all features).
What addy.io does well:
- Open source. The code is on GitHub. You can self-host if you prefer.
- Independent ownership. Single developer running a focused product.
- Pricing is competitive with SimpleLogin.
- Full feature set including PGP, custom domains, multiple destination routing.
What addy.io does less well:
- Smaller team than SimpleLogin or Firefox Relay. Operational risk if Will Browning steps back from the project.
- Brand recognition is lower than the other two.
- Mobile apps are less polished.
- Customer support is responsive but slower (single developer constraint).
Side by side
| Feature | Firefox Relay | SimpleLogin | addy.io |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier aliases | 5 | 15 | 10 |
| Paid tier price | $12/year | $30/year | $36/year |
| Custom domain | Premium | Premium | Pro |
| Reply through aliases | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PGP support | No | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple mailboxes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | No | Yes |
| Owner | Mozilla | Proton (formerly independent) | Independent (Will Browning) |
| Mobile apps | Yes (basic) | Yes | No (web only) |
| Browser extension | Yes (Firefox-focused) | Yes (cross-browser) | Yes (cross-browser) |
For most users, SimpleLogin is the most full-featured choice and is a fine recommendation if you do not have specific objections to Proton ownership.
For cost-sensitive users who do not need the advanced features: Firefox Relay at $12/year is excellent value.
For users who want open source and self-hosting capability: addy.io.
Specific use cases
For someone signing up for many random services and wanting to disable easily: any of the three works fine. SimpleLogin’s unlimited free tier is more generous than Firefox Relay’s 5-alias limit.
For someone wanting custom domain aliases ([email protected]): SimpleLogin Premium or addy.io Pro. Firefox Relay Premium also supports this.
For someone wanting PGP encryption of forwarded emails: SimpleLogin or addy.io. Firefox Relay does not support PGP.
For someone routing different aliases to different mailboxes: SimpleLogin or addy.io. Firefox Relay does not support multiple mailboxes.
For someone in the Proton ecosystem: SimpleLogin (bundled, free with Proton Plus or Unlimited).
A practical recommendation
For most readers of this site wanting comprehensive aliasing: SimpleLogin Premium at $30/year, or get it free by upgrading to Proton Plus or Proton Unlimited.
For cost-conscious users with basic aliasing needs: Firefox Relay Premium at $12/year.
For users who want to self-host: addy.io self-hosted on a small VPS.
For Apple users with light needs: Apple Hide My Email is sufficient and free with iCloud+.
For DuckDuckGo browser users with very light needs: DuckDuckGo Email Protection is free and adequate for occasional use.
SimpleLogin | addy.io | Firefox Relay
Related: SimpleLogin is the email aliasing service worth paying for, The day I left Gmail