Apple Hide My Email and MyShield both help you avoid giving websites your real inbox address. The difference is mostly in scope and control.
What Apple Hide My Email Is
According to Apple's iCloud+ support documentation, Hide My Email is part of iCloud+ and is available across Apple devices and on iCloud.com. It creates unique random addresses that forward to your personal inbox.
Apple also documents related use in:
- Safari form fields
- Mail compose on Apple platforms and iCloud.com
- Sign in with Apple
- supported third-party apps
For Sign in with Apple, the relay addresses use @privaterelay.appleid.com.
What MyShield Is
MyShield is a dedicated aliasing service. In the current product:
- Free includes 3 aliases
- Pro includes 20
- Business includes 50
- labels, pause/resume, reply-from-alias, and custom domains are paid features
- custom domains are available on Pro and Business
The Practical Difference
Apple's feature is deeply tied to the Apple ecosystem and iCloud+ subscription.
MyShield is designed as a standalone web service that sits in front of whatever inbox you already use.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Apple Hide My Email | MyShield Free | MyShield Pro | MyShield Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uses random relay addresses | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works without exposing real inbox on signup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alias count published by product | Apple support docs do not present a small fixed alias cap in the same way | 3 | 20 | 50 |
| Pause/resume aliases | Not described by Apple as a native pause toggle | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reply from alias | Supported in Apple's flow | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domains | Available separately through iCloud+ features | No | Yes | Yes |
Pricing Context
Apple's current US support page for iCloud+ lists plans starting at $0.99/month for 50 GB as of May 7, 2026.
MyShield's product pricing in the app is:
- Free: 3 aliases
- Pro: R75/month
- Business: R149/month
Which One Fits Better
Choose Apple Hide My Email if you are already committed to iCloud+ and want Apple's built-in privacy workflow.
Choose MyShield if you want a standalone alias service with explicit alias caps, pause/resume controls, and custom-domain support inside the product itself.
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