Firefox Relay

Firefox Relay creates masked email addresses and phone numbers for sign-ups, forwarding communications while concealing a user's real contact details. Email masks send messages on to the user's actual inbox. Its dashboard lets users create and label masks, then block calls, texts, or emails from masks that receive too much spam. Relay also removes common trackers from forwarded emails. The free plan costs nothing and includes five email masks, a browser extension, and tracker removal. Premium options are waitlist-based and have no listed price; features include unlimited masks, promotional email blocking, anonymous email replies, custom Relay email domains, and phone masks in some plans. Premium users can reply to a forwarded email within three months, but adding CC or BCC exposes the original email address. Attachments larger than 10 MB are not forwarded. Users can generate masks on other browsers or mobile devices by signing in to the dashboard. Relay is available free in most countries, while Premium availability is limited to listed countries. Settings include an option to opt out of collecting which sites are associated with masks.

Firefox Relay offers masked email and phone details, with basic email protection on its free plan. Note the attachment limit and the disclosure risk when replying with CC or BCC.

Firefox Relay may suit people who want to use masked contact details for sign-ups and manage incoming messages from one dashboard. The free plan is suited to users who need up to five email masks.

Overview

Firefox Relay puts an email address or phone number between you and online sign-ups, forwarding incoming messages, calls, and texts to your real contact details. It is a strong fit for people who want to cut down on unwanted contact and keep sign-up addresses disposable. The free plan covers basic email masking, with a five-mask ceiling that makes it best for selective use.

Key features

Relay’s dashboard lets users create and label masks, then block calls, texts, or emails from masks that draw too much spam. That makes it easier to identify which sign-up is generating noise and shut off that route without changing a real phone number or inbox. Relay also removes common trackers from forwarded email, adding some protection to messages that pass through it.

Email masking has practical limits. Relay will not forward attachments larger than 10 MB, so it is a poor fit for accounts that routinely send larger files. Premium users can reply to a forwarded email for up to three months after receiving it, but adding CC or BCC reveals the original email address. Keep replies one-to-one if concealing that address matters.

Premium promotional blocking may catch important mail, and blocked messages cannot be recovered. It is a risky setting for an inbox where missed receipts, account notices, or other messages would cause trouble. Relay also records which websites are associated with masks; users can turn off that collection in settings. During an outage, emails may be stored temporarily for no longer than three days.

Users can generate masks through the dashboard in other browsers and on mobile devices. The extension is available on Firefox for Android, and Firefox Password Manager can integrate with Relay to generate or reuse masks from email fields. Free Relay works in most countries; Premium is offered in the countries on its pricing page.

Pricing

Limited email protection costs nothing and includes five email masks, the browser extension, and email tracker removal. It is enough for a small number of sign-ups, but users who want a separate address for many accounts will run into the cap.

Email protection has custom pricing and is billed Join the waitlist. It adds unlimited email masks, promotional email blocking, a custom Relay email domain, and anonymous email replies to the free plan’s extension and tracker removal. It suits users who need more masks or want replies to stay anonymous, though promotional blocking carries the risk of permanently losing wanted messages.

Add VPN protection also has custom pricing, billed monthly through Join the waitlist. It includes the email protection features plus a phone mask and Mozilla VPN access, making it the option for people seeking both contact masking and VPN access.

Email & phone protection has custom pricing, billed monthly through Join the waitlist. It includes the email protection features and a phone mask, without Mozilla VPN access. Choose it if phone masking matters but VPN access does not. The paid plans are not a fit for buyers who need a published price before joining a waitlist.

Platforms

Relay is available on Android, iOS, the web, and as a browser extension. Users can make masks in other browsers by signing in to the dashboard, and Firefox for Android has a Relay extension listing. Firefox Password Manager integration can generate or reuse masks from email fields.

Who it's for

Relay suits people who want to reduce exposure of their personal email address or phone number when signing up for services, and who value the option to disable a mask that starts attracting spam. Firefox users may find the Password Manager integration especially useful. People who receive large attachments, need to include CC or BCC in masked replies, or cannot risk losing blocked mail should look elsewhere or keep those workflows outside Relay.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free email masking includes five addresses, tracker removal, and a browser extension, giving occasional users a useful starting point at no cost.
• Pros: The dashboard can label masks and block calls, texts, or emails individually, which helps users respond to spam at its source.
• Pros: Dashboard access supports mask generation in other browsers and on mobile devices.
• Cons: The free plan stops at five email masks, limiting how broadly users can separate sign-ups.
• Cons: Attachments over 10 MB are not forwarded, and CC or BCC on a Premium reply exposes the real address.
• Cons: Promotional blocking can permanently discard wanted messages, while paid-plan prices require joining a waitlist.

Alternatives

addy.io is a better match for users who want unlimited standard aliases on its free plan, with 10 active shared-domain aliases, one recipient, and two available alias domains.

iCloud Backup is an iOS-only alternative for readers looking for device backup and sync, including a free plan with 5 GB of storage.

SimpleLogin is worth considering for readers who want a free alias service with 10 aliases or prefer a service whose components can be self-hosted.

AliasVault combines email aliases with password management, a built-in 2FA authenticator, and full offline mode on its free plan.

DuckDuckGo Email Protection offers free email forwarding, tracker removal, and personal Duck Addresses across Android, iOS, desktop, and web platforms.

OPC Mail is a free, open-source option for users who have a domain and can use Cloudflare MX; it supports unlimited aliases per domain.

anon.li is another free-plan choice, with 10 email aliases and a maker that describes its platform code as open source.

33Mail may suit users comfortable with tighter free limits: its Lite plan allows 10 MB of monthly bandwidth and no more than five aliases per 30-minute period.

For a broader comparison, see Email Alias Services or Mobile Browser Software.

Verdict

Firefox Relay is a sensible choice for people who want a small set of email and phone masks, control over noisy masks, and tracker removal without paying for basic email protection. The five-mask free limit is manageable for selective sign-ups, but the 10 MB attachment cap and reply disclosure risk narrow its usefulness for heavier email. Choose a paid plan only if its added features suit your needs and the waitlist pricing works for you.