Firefox Relay Alternative: Beyond Masked Email
The right Firefox Relay alternative depends on whether you want mail forwarded into your real inbox or kept in a separate inbox. Firefox Relay creates masks that forward messages to a verified email account. Inboxto creates a private, persistent inbox that you read directly without registering first. Choose Relay when tracker removal, Firefox integration, and masked replies matter. Choose Inboxto when your primary mailbox should not be part of the delivery path.
Firefox Relay and Inboxto at a glance
The facts below were checked against both public product pages on September 10, 2026. Pricing, limits, and regional availability can change.
| Question | Firefox Relay | Inboxto |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | Mask that forwards to a verified email account | Standalone inbox read directly |
| Registration | Firefox account with a verified email required | No registration required to start; optional sign-in for sync and Premium |
| Free address limit | 50 email masks | 3 persistent private addresses |
| Address life | Masks remain until disabled or deleted | Addresses remain until deleted |
| Message storage | Not a browsing inbox; temporary storage up to 3 days may occur during outages | Regular mail: 7 days Free, 90 days Premium; Starred mail can be saved permanently within plan limits |
| Tracker removal | Removes common trackers; account-level control | No tracker-removal claim; mail stays in a separate inbox |
| Reply | Premium can reply to forwarded mail within 3 months | Receive-focused; no reply-from-address workflow advertised |
| Custom naming | Premium subdomain under mozmail.com |
Custom address and bring-your-own custom domain on Premium |
| Email Premium price shown | $11.88 billed yearly, displayed as $0.99/month | $67.99 billed yearly or $6.99 billed monthly |
| Access | Browser extension plus Relay dashboard across browsers and mobile | Direct web inbox plus Telegram Mini App |
| Language and availability | Mozilla-localized experience; Premium offered only in listed countries | Site publishes 32 language versions |
Relay's email plan is cheaper, but the services are not interchangeable. Relay is a forwarding privacy layer. Inboxto includes the mailbox itself.
What Firefox Relay does well
Firefox Relay gives each website a masked address instead of your true one. Mail sent to the mask is forwarded to the verified address connected to your Firefox account. The sender sees the mask, while you continue reading messages in the mailbox you already use.
Mozilla now lists 50 free email masks, its browser extension, and removal of common email trackers. Mozilla warns that tracker removal can sometimes break images or formatting, and the setting applies to all masks rather than individual ones.
The email-only Premium plan currently lists unlimited masks, blocking for promotional mail, a unique Relay subdomain, and anonymous replies. The subdomain is not a bring-your-own domain: it creates addresses such as name@your-subdomain.mozmail.com. Premium users can reply to a forwarded email within three months of receiving it. Mozilla warns that adding CC or BCC exposes the original address, so the protected reply workflow has a clear boundary.
Where forwarding becomes the limitation
Forwarding is useful only if you want the destination mailbox in the flow. Relay requires an account with a verified email address, and every delivered message still ends up at that mailbox. This hides the address from the sender, but it does not create a separate place to read or retain the message.
Mozilla's FAQ is explicit that Relay is not a normal mail archive. During a rare service outage, it may temporarily store mail until forwarding resumes, but never for more than three days. Attachments are supported only when the forwarded message is 10 MB or smaller. Some websites may reject masks, including addresses with a custom mozmail.com subdomain.
Those limits become a mismatch when the goal is keeping newsletters, trials, or authorized test traffic outside a personal mailbox.
What a standalone Inboxto inbox changes
Inboxto removes the forwarding destination. It generates a private receiving address without mandatory registration, and messages appear in an inbox you open directly. Optional sign-in supports synchronization and Premium, but no external mailbox is required.
The address and message lifecycles are separate. An address stays active until you delete it. On the current free plan, regular messages remain for seven days and up to five Starred messages can be retained permanently. Premium lists unlimited persistent addresses, 90-day regular-message retention, unlimited permanent Stars, AI summaries, custom addresses, custom domains, and API access.
Unlike a ten-minute inbox, the address can receive a later verification or recovery message after earlier routine mail expires. Save only the records that matter.
Inboxto does not advertise Relay-style anonymous replies or tracker stripping. If replying from a mask is essential, Relay has the stronger email workflow. If you want to browse mail without a linked personal mailbox, Inboxto has the clearer boundary.
First-hand editorial check: follow one message
Inboxto editorial observation, September 10, 2026: We reviewed the live public flow and current feature pages before publishing. The shortest useful test is to draw one delivery path. Relay is
sender -> mask -> verified mailbox. Inboxto issender -> separate Inboxto inbox. Once that path is visible, most feature decisions become easier.
This also explains why the Relay dashboard is not a substitute for an inbox. Its public product page describes the dashboard as the place to create, label, and block masks, while messages are forwarded onward. Inboxto's product surface is the place where incoming messages are read.
For the broader category model, read anonymous email versus temporary email. The 2026 privacy email service comparison places forwarders, disposable inboxes, testing systems, and persistent private inboxes side by side.
Which service fits your workflow?
Choose Firefox Relay when:
- you want messages in your existing inbox;
- free tracker removal is a priority;
- 50 free masks are enough, or the low-cost unlimited email plan fits;
- you use Firefox and value its extension workflow; or
- Premium masked replies and a memorable
mozmail.comsubdomain solve the problem.
Choose Inboxto when:
- you do not want incoming mail forwarded into your primary inbox;
- you want to start without creating or linking an account;
- you need a persistent receiving address with selective message retention;
- direct web and Telegram inbox access is useful; or
- custom domains, AI summaries, or API access fit a legitimate private or testing workflow.
Relay Premium is not available everywhere, so check Mozilla's country list. Inboxto publishes 32 site languages, but delivery model and recovery matter more than language count.
The SimpleLogin and Inboxto comparison covers a more advanced alias service with open-source and self-hosting options. If you choose a direct inbox for mobile use, see how Inboxto works inside Telegram. Developers can review the Inboxto API and custom-domain guide.
Privacy and recovery limits
Do not use a masked or privacy address as the only recovery channel for banking, healthcare, government, legal, work, or a primary identity. Mozilla recommends a true address for important mail, identity verification, and critical attachments. A persistent inbox still requires protected access.
Neither product guarantees acceptance by every website. Do not rotate masks or domains to force a blocked signup through. Use addresses for legitimate activity and follow the destination service's terms.
Firefox Relay also sells separate phone-masking plans in limited regions. That does not make Inboxto an SMS alternative. Inboxto receives email only and does not provide phone numbers, calls, or text messages.
Honest verdict
Firefox Relay is excellent when you want a low-cost masking layer over a mailbox you already trust. Its 50-mask free tier, tracker removal, Firefox extension, Premium replies, and custom Relay subdomain are real strengths.
Inboxto is the better Firefox Relay alternative when "alternative" means a different architecture: a standalone persistent inbox rather than another forwarding route into your personal email. It trades Relay's reply and tracker features for direct separation, selective retention, Telegram access, and optional custom-domain and API tools.
Open a separate Inboxto inbox when mailbox isolation is the goal. Use Firefox Relay when forwarding into your normal inbox is the feature you actually want.