MailGuard
Fastmail
MailGuard vs Fastmail + 1Password: The High Cost of Integration
Fastmail's Masked Email feature is slick, but it requires two subscriptions. MailGuard offers more power for a fraction of the price.
MailGuard vs Fastmail: Do You Really Need Two Subscriptions?
Fastmail is one of the best email providers in the world. Their "Masked Email" feature, developed in partnership with 1Password, is a triumph of user experience. You go to a website, click a button in 1Password, and boom—a new email is generated.
But there is a catch. You need both. To use this seamless flow, you must be a paying customer of Fastmail ($5/mo+) AND a paying customer of 1Password ($3/mo+). That's nearly $100/year.
MailGuard offers a universal alternative.
The Freedom to Choose
Fastmail's integration locks you into their ecosystem. If you switch to Gmail, Outlook, or Proton tomorrow, you lose your masking workflow.
MailGuard is independent. We sit in front of your inbox.
- Love 1Password but use Gmail? MailGuard works.
- Love Bitwarden and use Outlook? MailGuard works.
- Love Apple Keychain and use Hey.com? MailGuard works.
We decouple your privacy layer from your email provider layer.
Feature Showdown
| Feature | Fastmail + 1Password | MailGuard (Pro) | The Winner? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | ~$100/year (Combined) | $24/year | MailGuard |
| Convenience | Extreme (Integration) | High (Type-to-create) | Fastmail |
| Provider Choice | Fastmail Only | Any Email Provider | MailGuard |
| Password Manager | Locked to 1Password | Any | MailGuard |
| Heuristic Filtering | No | Yes (Smart Scan) | MailGuard |
| Sender Lock | No | Yes (Automatic) | MailGuard |
| Smart Expiry | No | Yes (Time-based) | MailGuard |
Deep Dive: Where MailGuard Wins
1. The Cost Efficiency
Paying for email hosting (Fastmail) just to get masking features is overkill if you are happy with your current inbox (Gmail/iCloud). MailGuard allows you to keep your free (or paid) inbox where it is. We act as the bouncer at the door. You pay a small fee for the bouncer ($24/yr), not a large fee for the whole building.
2. Intelligent Firewalling
"Masked Email" in Fastmail is just a dumb alias. It forwards mail. If you start getting spammed on a Masked Email, your only option is to delete it. MailGuard gives you options:
- Sender Lock: Automatically lock the alias to the first sender. If the address is sold to a third party, their emails bounce.
- Time Limits: Create
conference.3d@my-domain.com. It works for the duration of the conference, then silently disappears.
3. Portability
What happens if you want to leave Fastmail? Migrating hundreds of "Masked Emails" is a nightmare.
With MailGuard, since we hold the MX records for your domain, you can switch your destination inbox from me@gmail.com to me@outlook.com in one click. Your thousands of aliases keep working without interruption.
Where Fastmail Wins
The API Integration.
There is no denying it: clicking a button inside 1Password to generate an email is magical. It is the gold standard of UX.
MailGuard approaches this with "Type-to-Create" (just typing anything@my-domain.com), which is faster than opening an app but requires you to invent a name on the spot.
Verdict
- Choose Fastmail + 1Password if: You are already a happy customer of both services and value the button-click integration over advanced filtering rules.
- Choose MailGuard if: You want to save money, keep your existing email provider, and have advanced firewall rules (Sender Lock, Smart Scan) that protect you better than a simple alias can.
Unbundle your privacy. Get MailGuard.