Notes 
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
forwardemail.net 3 ratings so far*
Rate Forward Email: No account needed
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 aes256chacha20customdomainemailencryptedforwarderforwardingfreeimapmailnewsletterpopprivacysendsmtpsqlite
Stars
1,702
+8 this week
Forks
206
13 watching
Last commit
today
healthy
Latest release
v2.19.0
today, 100+ total
Star history
Issues
74% closed
57
open
161
closed
+6 / -2
opened / closed, last 4 weeks
Opened vs closed, last 12 weeks
Commits, last 26 weeks
606 commits, active 25 of 26 weeks
40 contributors since Dec 2019
Languages
- JavaScript 85.8%
- Pug 9.6%
- Shell 2.2%
- Other 2.4%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 22, 2026.
Website at a glance
forwardemail.net
A+ score 125
Strong website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 2d 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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