Comparison

The best Firefox Relay alternative

Firefox Relay is Mozilla's email-masking service with strong brand trust and an open-source codebase. But it lacks server-side encryption, real custom domains, sender-risk monitoring, and the exposure intelligence that EmailAlias is built around.

Why users switch from Firefox Relay to EmailAlias

  • Real Custom Domains, Not Just Subdomains

    Firefox Relay Premium gives you a custom subdomain on @mozmail.com — e.g. yourname@mozmail.com. EmailAlias Premium lets you add up to 5 fully custom domains with full SPF, DKIM, and DMARC verification, so your aliases live on a domain you actually own.

  • Suspicious Sender Intelligence

    Firefox Relay forwards mail without analysing the sender. EmailAlias scores every incoming sender on risky TLDs, typosquatting patterns, and phishing keyword signals — and alerts you the moment a high-risk sender hits one of your aliases.

  • AES-256 Encrypted Storage

    Mozilla doesn't publicly document at-rest encryption for Relay's alias-mapping database. EmailAlias encrypts every alias mapping and metadata record with AES-256, with documented key-management practices on our security page.

  • Exposure Intelligence Dashboard

    EmailAlias gives you per-alias risk scores, an exposure events feed, and a forwarding activity timeline so you can see exactly which services are leaking your address. Firefox Relay shows only basic forward / block counts.

  • Cross-Browser Extension

    Firefox Relay's deepest integration is in Firefox itself (with a Chrome extension as a secondary option). EmailAlias ships first-class extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera — all from a single codebase, with site-to-alias memory and Manifest V3 throughout.

  • API Access for Automation

    EmailAlias Premium includes a full REST API and an MCP server for Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed, and other AI assistants — so you can manage aliases from your terminal, scripts, or LLM. Firefox Relay has no public API.

Feature comparison

Feature
EmailAlias
Firefox Relay
Email Alias Forwarding
AES-256 Encryption at Rest
Zero-Knowledge Architecture
Real Custom Domains
Suspicious Sender Detection
Exposure Intelligence Dashboard
Real-Time Sender Risk Alerts
Send & Reply from Alias
SPF / DKIM / DMARC
Spam Blocking
Catch-All Aliases
API Access (Premium)
Cross-Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera)
Phone Number Masking
Open Source
7-Day Free Trial

A fair note about Firefox Relay

Firefox Relay is built and operated by Mozilla, an organisation with a long-standing reputation for user privacy. The service is open source, integrates tightly with Firefox, and offers an optional phone-number masking add-on that EmailAlias does not. If those factors outweigh server-side encryption, real custom domains, and sender-risk monitoring for your use case, Relay is a reasonable choice. EmailAlias optimises for users who want the deeper privacy posture and the visibility into who is sending to which alias.

Pricing side-by-side

Both providers run a free tier and a paid tier. Relay also bundles an optional phone-masking add-on. EmailAlias adds a 7-day trial and bundles exposure analytics into the price.

Free plan

Detail
EmailAlias
Firefox Relay
Price
$0
$0
Aliases / masks included
10
5
Custom domain
Send & reply from alias
Phone-number masking
Exposure / sender-risk alerts
Weekly digest (high-risk only)

Paid plan

Detail
EmailAlias
Firefox Relay
Monthly price
$4 / mo
Paid plan (monthly billing)
Yearly price
$35 / yr (save 27%)
Paid plan (yearly billing)
Aliases / masks included
Unlimited
Unlimited
Custom domain
Up to 5 real custom domains
1 subdomain on @mozmail.com
Send & reply from alias
Included
Reply included
Phone-number masking
Available on Email + Phone bundle
Exposure / sender-risk alerts
Real-time (any score ≥ 15)
Free trial
7 days

Competitor pricing reflects publicly listed tiers and may change — verify on the provider's site before switching.

How to switch from Firefox Relay in 5 steps

Most users can cut over in under 15 minutes. Relay's @mozmail.com masks aren't portable — you'll be issuing fresh aliases per service.

  1. 1

    Create your EmailAlias account

    Sign up at emailalias.io with the same destination inbox you use today. Premium starts with a 7-day free trial — you'll need it active to add real custom domains.

  2. 2

    Inventory your Firefox Relay masks

    Open relay.firefox.com → Email masks and list each one with the site it was given to. Relay doesn't ship a bulk export, so you'll typically copy them out manually or use the dashboard's filter view.

  3. 3

    Re-create the aliases on EmailAlias

    Mint a fresh alias on @emailalias.io for each service. If you want real custom domains (instead of Relay's @mozmail.com subdomain), add yourdomain.com to EmailAlias, verify DNS (SPF + DKIM + DMARC), and create the aliases there instead.

  4. 4

    Confirm your forwarding destination

    Verify your destination inbox in EmailAlias and send a test email to one new alias. Premium supports unlimited verified destinations if you split mail across multiple inboxes.

  5. 5

    Cut over and disable Firefox Relay masks

    Update each service's contact email from the @mozmail.com mask to the new EmailAlias alias. Leave Relay forwarding active for 2–4 weeks as a safety net, then disable each mask once your dashboard shows zero inbound traffic.

Tip: overlap both services for 2–4 weeks. Leave Relay forwarding on while you update each service to the new alias — anything you forgot still gets delivered, and you can disable old masks once the dashboard shows zero traffic.

Frequently asked questions

The questions we get most often from people moving over from Firefox Relay.

Can I move my aliases between providers?

Aliases on a shared provider domain (e.g. @emailalias.io) aren't portable — they live on our domain and stay with us. Aliases on a custom domain (yourdomain.com) are fully portable: you keep the domain, point its MX records at a new provider, re-create the same local-parts on their side, and the addresses keep working — provided the new provider supports custom local-parts (most do; some only issue random codes). Custom domains are a Premium feature on EmailAlias, but for anyone who plans to use aliases long-term, it's vendor-independence insurance worth having.

What does Premium include?

Unlimited aliases, up to 5 custom domains, unlimited verified forwarding inboxes (so each alias can route to the right mailbox), send & reply from any alias, real-time leak detection with exposure analytics, and priority processing — all for $4/month or $35/year (save 27%).

What happens if a service I signed up for gets breached?

Because each service has its own unique alias, you'll know exactly which service leaked your data — when spam or phishing hits that alias, the source is obvious. Our exposure intelligence engine also flags suspicious senders in real time. Disable the affected alias and your real email stays safe.

Is EmailAlias open source like Firefox Relay?

No — EmailAlias is closed-source, hosted SaaS. Firefox Relay is open-source and operated by Mozilla, which carries strong brand trust around user privacy. EmailAlias optimizes for a different trade-off: a fully managed service with real custom domains, sender-risk scoring, exposure intelligence, and a curated dashboard out of the box. If the open-source and Mozilla-trust factors are your priority, stay on Relay; if you want real custom domains and leak detection bundled in, switch.

What's the difference between a real custom domain and Relay's @mozmail.com subdomain?

Firefox Relay Premium gives you a subdomain — e.g. yourname@mozmail.com — where Mozilla still owns the parent domain. EmailAlias Premium lets you bring a domain you actually own (yourdomain.com) and create aliases on it with full SPF, DKIM, and DMARC verification. The practical difference: if you ever leave the provider, real custom domains stay with you (re-point MX, keep working). Subdomain aliases die when you leave Mozilla's service.

Does EmailAlias offer phone-number masking like Relay's Email + Phone bundle?

No. Firefox Relay's standout feature beyond email masking is its phone-number masking add-on (US/Canada). EmailAlias is email-only — we don't issue masked phone numbers. If phone masking is a hard requirement, you'd need to keep Relay or pair EmailAlias with a separate number-masking service.

Can I migrate my existing Firefox Relay masks?

Masks on Mozilla's shared domain (e.g. @mozmail.com) can't be ported — those addresses belong to Mozilla. You'll need to issue fresh @emailalias.io aliases (or aliases on your own custom domain) and update each service's contact email one at a time. If you used a Relay custom subdomain, the same applies: the subdomain is hosted by Mozilla, so the cutover is per-service.

More questions? See the full FAQ.

More than masking — full exposure intelligence

Real custom domains, sender-risk scoring, encrypted forwarding, and a cross-browser extension — all in one place. Try EmailAlias free for 7 days.