Forward Email
Privacy-focused encrypted email for everyone. All-in-one alternative to Gmail + Mailchimp + Sendgrid.
- Email Servers
- JavaScript
- BUSL-1.1
- Source-available
- Docker
- Actively maintained
GitHub stats
- GitHub stars
- 1,681
- Forks
- 207
- Open issues
- 53
- Commits, last 12 months
- 1,392
- Last commit
- Oct 5, 2026
- Latest release
- v2.18.1Oct 4, 2026
- Created
- Dec 17, 2019
- License
- BSL 1.1 (a few files MPL-2.0)Source-available
Data from the GitHub API, refreshed daily.
About Forward Email
Privacy-focused encrypted email for everyone. All-in-one alternative to Gmail + Mailchimp + Sendgrid. Forward Email is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (a few files MPL-2.0) and written mainly in JavaScript, so you can read the code, run it on your own hardware and keep full control of your data.
The project has 1,681 stars and 207 forks on GitHub, with 1,392 commits over the last year. It ships a Docker image, which makes it a good fit for a small VPS or a home server running Docker Compose.
Topics
- forwarding
- forwarder
- free
- custom
- domain
- send
- aes256
- chacha20
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Forward Email can replace these commercial products. Compare every option on each page.
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What is Forward Email?
Forward Email is a source-available app you can host on your own server, listed in our Email Servers category. Privacy-focused encrypted email for everyone. All-in-one alternative to Gmail + Mailchimp + Sendgrid. The source code lives at github.com/forwardemail/forwardemail.net, where it has 1,681 stars.
Is Forward Email free and open source?
Not by the OSI definition. Forward Email is source-available rather than open source: its code is public under the BSL 1.1 (a few files MPL-2.0), which is not an OSI-approved open-source license. The Business Source License lets you read, modify and self-host the code, but production use is limited to what its Additional Use Grant allows, and each release converts to an open-source license after a set date. Check the license in the repository before using it commercially.
Can I run Forward Email with Docker?
Yes. Forward Email provides a Docker image, so you can run it on any Linux server with Docker and Docker Compose installed. The project README lists the image name and the environment variables to set.
What are the best alternatives to Forward Email?
Popular self-hosted alternatives to Forward Email include docker-mailserver, Postal and Mail-in-a-Box. Forward Email itself is a self-hosted alternative to Mailgun.
Is Forward Email actively maintained?
The most recent commit to Forward Email was on Oct 5, 2026 with 1,392 commits in the past twelve months. The latest release is v2.18.1, published Oct 4, 2026. Check the open issues on GitHub to gauge how quickly maintainers respond.