Email alias services compared
Emcognito vs SimpleLogin, addy.io, Firefox Relay, DuckDuckGo, Apple Hide My Email & Proton Pass
Emcognito, SimpleLogin, addy.io, Firefox Relay, DuckDuckGo Email, Apple Hide My Email, and Proton Pass all hide your real address in different ways. They differ on what the free tier caps: SimpleLogin and Proton Pass allow 10 aliases and Firefox Relay 50, while DuckDuckGo, addy.io, and Emcognito allow unlimited free aliases — though addy.io's free tier holds you to 10 MB of forwarded mail a month, one recipient address, and no replies. Emcognito meters forwarded emails (100/month free) instead of aliases, needs no domain setup, and adds per-alias suspend plus reply support.
Verified — prices and limits drift; we re-check quarterly.
Swipe or scroll horizontally to compare all 9 columns
| Service | Free tier | Aliases on free | Reply from alias | Send new mail from alias | Custom domain | Jurisdiction | Open source | Paid from lowest tier, billed yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emcognito | 100 forwards/mo | Unlimited | Yes | Web form (Plus/Pro) | Not available | USA | No | $1.67/mo |
| SimpleLogin | 10 aliases | 10 | Yes | Reverse-alias (Premium) | Paid | Switzerland | Yes | $3.00/mo |
| addy.io | Unlimited + 10 shared | Unlimited (10 MB/mo, 1 recipient) | Paid only | Reverse-alias (paid) | Paid | Netherlands | Yes | $1.00/mo |
| Firefox Relay | 50 masks | 50 | Premium | No | Premium | USA | Yes (MPL-2.0) | $0.99/mo |
| DuckDuckGo Email | Unlimited @duck.com | Unlimited | Yes | Reverse-alias | No | USA | Partial | Free only |
| Apple Hide My Email | iCloud+ required | Sign in with Apple only | Yes | In Apple Mail only | iCloud Mail | USA | No | $0.99/mo |
| Proton Pass | 10 aliases | 10 | Yes | In Proton Mail (paid) | Paid | Switzerland | Yes (apps) | $1.99/mo |
The numbers that matter most differ by category. Most services cap the number of aliases you can make on the free tier; Emcognito instead caps forwarded emails (100/month free) and lets you create unlimited aliases on every plan. Which model is "more" depends entirely on how you use it.
A newer dividing line is sending brand-new mail from an alias, not just replying. Most services make you hand-type an encoded “reverse-alias” address in your own mail client (SimpleLogin, addy.io, DuckDuckGo) or keep you inside their own mailbox (Apple Mail; Proton Mail, on a paid plan); Firefox Relay can’t compose new mail at all. Emcognito is the only standalone alias service we know of where sending from an alias is a plain web form that still delivers to the inbox you already use — a Plus and Pro feature. See how compose from an alias works.
When a competitor is the better pick
- SimpleLogin — best if you want PGP encryption, an open-source codebase, and Proton-backed infrastructure under Swiss jurisdiction.
- addy.io — best for power users — GPG, a free API, rules/webhooks, and the cheapest custom-domain support, all open source.
- Firefox Relay — best if you live in Firefox and want the tightest browser integration, plus phone-number masking on Premium (US/CA).
- DuckDuckGo Email — best for the quickest zero-config free start and built-in tracker removal — if a @duck.com address and no custom domains are fine.
- Apple Hide My Email — best if you're all-in on the Apple ecosystem and already pay for iCloud+; it's seamless on iOS and macOS, and Sign in with Apple gives you free hidden addresses for apps you sign in to that way.
- Proton Pass — best if you want aliases inside the password manager you already use, with your mail in Proton — the free plan covers 10 aliases and replies, and Pass Plus lifts that to unlimited.
When Emcognito is the better pick
Choose Emcognito when you want unlimited aliases without an alias cap, reply from your alias, passwordless sign-in (magic link or passkey), and one-click suspend or delete so a leaked address has an instant shut-off — all forwarding to your real inbox, and no email bodies kept once they're delivered.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free email alias service?
It depends on the cap that limits you. DuckDuckGo, addy.io, and Emcognito all allow unlimited aliases free, while SimpleLogin (10), Proton Pass (10) and Firefox Relay (50) cap them — though addy.io's free tier adds a 10 MB monthly bandwidth limit, a single recipient address, and no replies. Emcognito differs by metering forwarded emails (100/month free) instead of aliases, needs no domain or DNS setup, and adds per-alias suspend on the free tier.
Which alias services let you reply from the alias on the free plan?
SimpleLogin, DuckDuckGo Email, Apple Hide My Email, Proton Pass, and Emcognito support replies that keep your real address hidden. addy.io and Firefox Relay reserve reply support for paid tiers.
Which alias services let you send a brand-new email from your alias?
SimpleLogin, addy.io, and DuckDuckGo support it through 'reverse-alias' addresses you type into your own mail client, Apple Hide My Email works only inside Apple Mail, Proton Pass only inside Proton Mail and only on a paid plan, and Firefox Relay can't compose new mail at all. Emcognito adds a plain web-form composer for Plus and Pro, so you write and send from your alias with no address trick and no need to move your mail, and replies come back to you as normal forwards.
Do any of these store my email content?
Most forward without persisting message bodies after delivery. Emcognito keeps no copy after delivery; over-cap mail accepted into a bounded hold may wait unread for up to 72 hours. Refused or expired mail is deleted and permanently missed. Always confirm each provider's current privacy policy.
What makes Emcognito different from the others?
Emcognito meters forwarded emails rather than capping aliases, so every plan — including free — allows unlimited aliases. It's passwordless by default (magic link or passkey), supports replies from aliases on every tier, and keeps no copy of a message once it's delivered.
Sources: each provider's official pricing and documentation, plus the community-maintained email-aliasing-comparison and Privacy Guides. Last verified 2026-07-27.