# Alternatives to Forward Email Forward Email is a fully open-source email forwarding provider that lets users send and receive mail as unlimited aliases on their own custom domains, with IMAP/POP3/SMTP support. It is popular in privacy and self-hosted communities as a transparent, auditable alternative to closed-source alias tools, and it can be deployed on your own infrastructure. Forward Email ranks #2 of 10 in Email alias services, with an Alt Score of 90. It is licensed under BUSL-1.1, freemium from $3/mo and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Web. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/forward-email/ Category: Email alias services ## Where Forward Email stands out - **PGP encryption** — 2 of 5 apps with a verified answer have this - **Self-hostable** — 4 of 9 apps with a verified answer have this ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Individuals, freelancers, small businesses, and larger organizations (education, government, nonprofits) who want to send and receive email at their own custom domain without running their own mail server. It is used for free forwarding-only setups as well as paid, full inbox hosting for teams. - **What you get**: Unlimited custom domains with catch-all addresses and regex-based forwarding rules on the free tier; paid tiers add unlimited aliases, full IMAP/POP3/SMTP mailbox hosting with pooled encrypted storage, outbound SMTP sending, a developer REST API, and OpenPGP/WKD end-to-end encryption support. The full codebase (BUSL-1.1, converting to MPL-2.0 after four years, with some files already MPL-2.0) is published on GitHub and can be self-hosted via a Docker-based install. - **How it works**: Users point their domain's MX (and related SPF/DKIM/DMARC) DNS records at Forward Email; incoming mail is matched against per-alias forwarding, catch-all, or regex rules and either forwarded to an existing inbox, delivered to Forward Email's own encrypted IMAP storage, or sent to a webhook. Paid plans additionally allow outbound sending directly from the alias address over SMTP or the API, and mail can optionally be PGP-encrypted using an uploaded key or WKD lookup before delivery. ## Profile - **License**: BUSL-1.1 (verified 2026-07-30) - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-30) - **Starts at**: $3/mo (verified 2026-07-30) - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-30) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [SimpleLogin](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/simplelogin.md) | 100 | AGPL-3.0 | Web, Browser extension, iOS, Android | | 2 | [addy.io](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/addyio.md) | 90 | AGPL-3.0 | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension | | 3 | [Firefox Relay](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/firefox-relay.md) | 75 | MPL-2.0 | ? | | 4 | [33mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/33mail.md) | 60 | ? | Web | | 5 | [AliasVault](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aliasvault.md) | 60 | AGPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS | | 6 | [ImprovMX](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/improvmx.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web | | 7 | [Apple Hide My Email](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-hide-my-email.md) | 45 | Proprietary | iOS, macOS, Web | | 8 | [DuckDuckGo Email Protection](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/duckduckgo-email-protection.md) | 40 | Proprietary | Web, Browser extension, iOS, Android | | 9 | [Burner Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/burnermail.md) | 30 | ? | Web, Browser extension | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Email alias services checklist | Forward Email | SimpleLogin | addy.io | Firefox Relay | 33mail | AliasVault | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | | Starts at | $3/mo | $36/year | ? | ? | $1/mo | Free | | License | BUSL-1.1 | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 | ? | AGPL-3.0 | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Web, Browser extension, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension | ? | Web | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Browser extension | | Unlimited aliases (paid) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | Custom domains | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | Reply from alias | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | Browser extension | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | | Self-hostable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? | Yes | | Open source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | | PGP encryption | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? | No | | Free tier limits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Catch-all support | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | ## Sources Sources for Forward Email. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Free forwarding-only tier plus paid Enhanced Protection ($3/mo), Team ($9/mo), and Enterprise ($250/mo) tiers. - Quote: “$0/month for unlimited domains” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-30) - Quote: “v0.12.31Jul 30, 2026 2:58 AM” - **License**: BUSL-1.1 — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Dual-licensed: most files are BUSL-1.1 (converts to MPL-2.0 four years after publish), a small set of model files (e.g. app/models/attachments.js) are MPL-2.0. GitHub badge reads 'BUSL 1.1 AND MPL 2.0 - Quote: “All other files are licensed under the [Business Source License 1.1](#business-source-license-11) below.” - **Starts at**: $3/mo — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Enhanced Protection plan; cheapest paid tier that allows sending/receiving as you@yourdomain.com. - Quote: “$3/month for unlimited domains” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Event feed changelog also shows recent fix(ios) and fix(android) release entries, plus a fix(web) entry; desktop app is cross-platform (Tauri) covering Windows/macOS/Linux. - Quote: “code-sign our open-source desktop app” - **Unlimited aliases (paid)**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Included in Enhanced Protection ($3/mo) and higher tiers. - Quote: “Unlimited aliases ($0/user)” - **Custom domains**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Quote: “Custom Domain Email Address” - **Reply from alias**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Free plan supports 'Send Mail As with Gmail' workaround only; direct send/receive as the alias requires Enhanced Protection ($3/mo) or higher. - Quote: “Send outbound SMTP email” - **Browser extension**: No — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: FAQ's PGP setup table only points users to third-party extensions (Mailvelope/FlowCrypt); no first-party Forward Email browser extension was found on the site. - Quote: “You can download the open-source browser extension Mailvelope or FlowCrypt.” - **Self-hostable**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Quote: “Fully open source, self-hosted email solution that gives you complete control, transparency, and privacy.” - **Open source**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Codebase is BUSL-1.1/MPL-2.0 (source-available with a delayed open-source conversion), not an OSI-approved permissive/copyleft license, though the vendor markets it as '100% open-source'. - Quote: “100% open-source codebase on GitHub” - **PGP encryption**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Quote: “Yes, we support OpenPGP, end-to-” - **Free tier limits**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Free plan is forwarding-only with a 50 MB attachment limit; no sending, storage, or SMTP access. - Quote: “Email forwarding only, which means you cannot send mail” - **Catch-all support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-30) - Note: Available even on the Free plan. - Quote: “Catch-all email addresses” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/