Forward Email vs Spark Mail: privacy compared
Forward Email and Spark Mail are both rated in email clients against the same 8 public criteria. Forward Email does better on open source, no trackers or telemetry, independent audit, OpenPGP support, connects directly and blocks remote content. Spark Mail does better on works with any provider. Forward Email is based in the United States (Five Eyes); Spark Mail is based in Ireland.
| Criterion | Forward Email Our pick | Spark Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Grade B B (81/100) | Grade F F (17/100) |
| Jurisdiction | United States Five Eyes | Ireland Outside Eyes |
| Open source Is all the source code needed to run the product public? | Yes source | No |
| No trackers or telemetry Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default? | Partial source | No source |
| No ads or data sales Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Independent audit Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years? | Yes source | No |
| OpenPGP support Can the app encrypt and sign mail with OpenPGP, built in or through an official add-on? | Yes source | No |
| Connects directly Does the app connect directly to your mail server, without passing mail or passwords through the vendor's servers? | Yes source | No source |
| Blocks remote content Are remote images and tracking pixels blocked by default? | Partial source | No |
| Works with any provider Does the app work with any standard IMAP and SMTP provider? | No source | Yes source |
Summaries
Forward Email. Forward Email scores 81 out of 100 (grade B) on the email clients criteria. It meets 5 of 8 criteria: open source, no ads or data sales, independent audit, OpenPGP support and connects directly. It partly meets no trackers or telemetry and blocks remote content. It does not meet works with any provider. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Spark Mail. Spark Mail scores 17 out of 100 (grade F) on the email clients criteria. It meets 2 of 8 criteria: no ads or data sales and works with any provider. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, independent audit, OpenPGP support, connects directly and blocks remote content. It is based in Ireland: Not in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes; EU member (GDPR).