Forward Email is a 100% open-source email service offering both alias forwarding and full hosted mailboxes. The entire platform, from DNS handling to webmail, is published on GitHub under the MIT license. A self-hosted install path is documented for those who want to run the stack on their own server.
Reviewed by Gabriel Bachmann
Forward Email
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Threat level
Covered
A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
The defining trait here is transparency: the code that processes your mail is the same code running on their servers, so there is nothing proprietary to trust blindly. A first independent security audit by Cure53 was published in 2026. Free alias forwarding for custom domains makes it easy to try, and paid plans unlock full mailboxes with IMAP support. The trade-off for choosing a US-based provider is that US legal jurisdiction applies, which is a real consideration compared to Swiss or German alternatives. Self-hosting removes that concern entirely, though it requires you to manage your own mail server infrastructure.
GitHub at a glance
forwardemail/forwardemail.net
Stars
1,617
+ 15 this week
Last commit
10d ago
healthy
Latest release
v2.9.1
13d ago
Stars, last 31d
Website at a glance
forwardemail.net
A+ score 115
Strong website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 14d ago
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
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addy.io addy.io is an open-source email aliasing service that lets you create unlimited aliases forwarding to your real inbox. Available on web, browser extensions for all major browsers, and Android/iOS apps. Self-hostable. Based in the United Kingdom.
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