Mail server software
Forward Email privacy rating
Self-hosted version of the Forward Email service, installed with a script that deploys Docker containers. It includes MX, SMTP, IMAP, POP3, CalDAV and CardDAV servers, encrypted SQLite mailboxes, a web interface and optional backups to S3-compatible storage.
Summary
Forward Email scores 85 out of 100 (grade B) on the mail server software criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no ads or data sales and independent audit. It partly meets no trackers or telemetry. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Score 85 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
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Yes
Open source Weight 3 of 3 Source-available
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
All code is public. Core mail storage and protocol code is MPL-2.0 and the rest is under the source-available Business Source License 1.1 (BUSL-1.1), which becomes MPL-2.0 four years after each release. BUSL-1.1 allows production use except offering the software as a hosted service that competes with Forward Email.
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Partial
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
The self-hosting guide states no information is sent outside the server. The forwardemail.net website runs first-party anonymized analytics by default, with no third-party analytics.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Free to self-host. The company is funded by paid plans of its hosted service, with no ads.
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Yes
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
Two independent Cure53 audits are published. The latest covers the full forwardemail.net code repository, including the self-hosting setup.
Installation is supported on Ubuntu and Debian servers. The self-hosting guide lists the components and system requirements.