Alternatives roundup
The Best Firefox Relay Alternatives in 2026, Honestly Compared
Emcognito, an email-forwarding alias service, is the best paid Firefox Relay alternative for most people in 2026 because Relay's alias count is capped and its replies are Premium-only and limited to 3 months after a message arrives (per Relay's FAQ), while Emcognito has unlimited aliases, replies from the alias with no 3-month limit, and passwordless signup, from $1.67/mo billed yearly with a 7-day trial on Pro. Relay remains operational but has announced no new features in 2026, and masks stay on @mozmail.com. If you already pay for Proton, SimpleLogin is the better pick; if open source matters most, or you want to stay free, choose addy.io - Emcognito is closed source and has no free plan.
Verified - we re-check quarterly.
Which Firefox Relay alternative avoids browser lock-in?
Of the main options, only DuckDuckGo Email Protection ties sign-up to its own browser or extension. Firefox Relay works in any browser through its dashboard, per Mozilla's FAQ, though its Chrome extension no longer gets updates. What lock-in remains is the alias domain and the account behind it. Emcognito fits if you want unlimited aliases from any browser: the web dashboard works in any modern browser, and the extension is Chrome only. If you need a custom domain, choose addy.io or SimpleLogin.
| Emcognito | Firefox Relay | SimpleLogin | DuckDuckGo Email Protection | addy.io | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create aliases from any browser's website | Yes - web dashboard | Yes - Relay dashboard | Yes - web dashboard | Not documented outside its browser or extension | Yes - web dashboard |
| Sign-up requires a specific browser or extension | No - sign in with an email link | No | No | Yes - DuckDuckGo browser or extension | No |
| Official browser extensions | Chrome only | Firefox; the Chrome version no longer gets updates | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge | Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera | Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari |
| Alias domain you can take with you (custom domain) | No | No - Premium adds a subdomain of mozmail.com | Premium only | No - @duck.com addresses | Paid plans |
| Account you must hold | Emcognito account, no password | Mozilla account | SimpleLogin account | DuckDuckGo Email Protection | addy.io account |
How we checked
Checked . We read each claim in this table from the vendor's own website or help pages on the date above, and link every page we used below. Cells marked "Not documented" are things the vendor does not say either way.
- Emcognito browser extension (Chrome only)
- Firefox Relay FAQ - other browsers, mozmail.com subdomains, replies
- Mozilla Support - Install the Firefox Relay extension on Google Chrome
- Mozilla Support - Add Firefox Relay to the Firefox password manager (Mozilla account)
- SimpleLogin - website and browser extensions
- SimpleLogin pricing - custom domains on Premium
- DuckDuckGo Help - What is Email Protection? (where you can sign up)
- DuckDuckGo Help - How do I generate Private Duck Addresses?
- addy.io - extensions, plans and custom domains
The short list, ranked with the catches included
Emcognito
Our serviceFull disclosure: Emcognito is our service, and yes, we ranked it first. Every number below is checkable, several of these tools are genuinely better fits for some people - we say which - and the comparison table has the receipts.
Best for unlimited aliases with replies on every plan: Plus is $2.50/mo, Pro has a 7-day trial, and it strips tracking pixels from forwarded mail on every plan. The catches: closed source, no custom domains, and no free plan.
- Free tier
- None. Pro has a 7-day trial
- Paid from
- $1.67/mo billed yearly
Best for Proton users: free unlimited replies and open source, though the free tier stops at 10 aliases and Premium now ships as a Proton Pass bundle.
- Free tier
- 10 aliases, unlimited replies
- Paid from
- $3.00/mo billed yearly
Best minimal-footprint free option: unlimited @duck.com aliases with built-in tracker stripping, but little alias management.
- Free tier
- Unlimited @duck.com aliases
- Paid from
- Free (no paid email tier)
Best open-source pick: self-hostable, unlimited standard aliases free, and custom domains available on paid plans.
- Free tier
- Unlimited standard aliases, 10MB/mo
- Paid from
- $1/mo billed yearly
Why people are leaving Firefox Relay
None of these are dealbreakers for everyone. They were for the people who searched this page.
- Per Relay's own FAQ, replying from a mask requires Premium - and even then only works within 3 months of receiving the original message.
- Relay masks live on @mozmail.com and cannot be moved, so your addresses are not portable if you ever leave.
- Mozilla's public blog and release channels show no new Relay feature announcements in 2026, which has some users questioning long-term investment in the product.
Firefox Relay to Emcognito migration checklist
- Keep existing Relay masks alive for accounts that still work - there is no forced deadline.
- Point new signups at your new service so you stop accumulating @mozmail.com addresses.
- Move high-value accounts (banking, password manager recovery) one at a time and confirm password-reset delivery before retiring each mask.
- Migrate high-spam senders early so you can suspend them independently.
Frequently asked questions
Can you reply to emails with Firefox Relay for free?
No. Per Relay's FAQ, replies require Relay Premium, and replies only work within 3 months of receiving the message. SimpleLogin includes replies on its free tier. Emcognito includes them on both of its plans (from $1.67/mo billed yearly), with no 3-month limit.
Is Firefox Relay still maintained in 2026?
Relay is operational, but Mozilla's public blog and release channels show no new Relay feature announcements in 2026.
Can I use my own domain with Firefox Relay?
No - masks live on @mozmail.com. To be fair, Emcognito does not offer custom domains yet either; if a custom domain is essential today, addy.io or SimpleLogin are the right picks.
What is the best Firefox Relay alternative without browser lock-in?
It depends on the lock-in. Firefox Relay already works in any browser through its dashboard; DuckDuckGo is the one that needs its own browser or extension to sign up. Emcognito is the pick for unlimited aliases from any browser. Choose addy.io or SimpleLogin if you need a custom domain.
Does Firefox Relay only work in Firefox?
No. Per Relay's FAQ, you can create masks in other browsers or on your phone by signing in to the Relay dashboard. Mozilla also offers a Chrome extension, but its support page says that extension no longer receives updates since Chrome's move to Manifest V3, and recommends Firefox for continued support.
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Plans from $1.67 a month, billed yearly. Pro starts with a 7-day trial, and sign-in is passwordless.
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