Afterlogic WebMail vs Horde (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Afterlogic WebMail grades higher than Horde: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Afterlogic WebMail grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Horde grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Afterlogic WebMail
Webmail front end for an existing IMAP mail server
Which one is for you
Pick Afterlogic WebMail if
- Fits if you run a small IMAP server and want calendar and files beside the mail
- Works for hosting providers, since there is a per-server licence at $299 for cPanel, Plesk or DirectAdmin
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a mail server too, because it only fronts an IMAP server you provide
- Pricey if you keep updates going: Pro maintenance after the first year costs 100% of the licence price every year
- Tight if you want help included, as extended support and remote installation are $99 each
- Watch out: the Lite pages on afterlogic.org gave server errors when read, so Lite details come from GitHub
- Not for you if you need a desktop app, as none is listed
Pick Horde if
- Fits if you already run a mail server and want webmail in front of it
- Works for people who like open-source suites and don't need a company behind it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run and update a server
- Skip it if you want a support contract, as support is the community or a third-party sponsor
- Watch out: Horde 6 and IMP 7 shipped with rough edges and a security fix soon after
- Watch out: no vendor means no service-level guarantee
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAAfterlogic WebMailGood | 2.4GPAHordeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $49 once for 5 users or $99 for 100, below a year of this category's middle price. But upkeep after year one is 100% of the price a year, and extended support and installation are $99 each. | CFree, but only if you host it yourself, so there's a server to pay for. |
| Free plan and trial | BLite is free and open source, and Pro has a 30-day trial download. Both are installed on your own server, so a B and not an A. | BThe whole suite is free under open-source licences, with no paid tier. You supply the server. |
| Features | CCalendar, tasks, files, branded mobile apps, many languages and an ActiveSync option. It is still webmail for an IMAP server you provide. | BWebmail, calendar, contacts, tasks, CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the groupware job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a script you install on your server, so it takes setup. | DYou install and maintain it yourself, on top of a mail server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, plus branded mobile apps on Pro. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations. | BA web interface with sync to other clients over CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync. No apps of its own. |
| Best for | webmail with calendar and files for a small IMAP server | free webmail and groupware you host yourself |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Afterlogic WebMail and Horde. How we grade
Where they differ
- Horde also covers notes and tasks.
At a glance
| Afterlogic WebMail | Horde | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $49 one-time for 5 users, first year of support included | Free |
| Free plan | WebMail Lite PHP is free and open source under AGPL-3.0 on GitHub; WebMail Pro adds the paid features. | The whole suite is free to download and run yourself; the project sells no paid tier. |
| Free trial | 30-day full-featured trial download of WebMail Pro PHP | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Afterlogic Corp. | Horde Project |
| Price read from | afterlogic.com | horde.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Afterlogic WebMail
- Pro maintenance after the first year costs 100% of the software price per year.
- The Lite pages on afterlogic.org returned server errors when read, so Lite details come from its GitHub page.
- Extended support ($99) and remote installation ($99) are separate purchases.
Horde
- You install and maintain it yourself; it is a client and groupware layer that needs your own mail server.
- Support is community-based; the project points to B1 Systems for paid hosting and support.
- The project blog describes recent releases (Horde 6, IMP 7) with rough edges and a security fix shortly after launch.
- It is community-maintained with no vendor behind it, so there is no service-level guarantee.
Key features
Afterlogic WebMail
- Webmail for your IMAP server
- WebMail Pro is a webmail front end for an existing IMAP server, written with an AJAX interface and available in PHP and ASP.NET.
- Calendar and tasks
- Pro includes a personal calendar with recurring events and reminders, tasks, and can act as a CalDAV server.
- Files
- Pro adds cloud file storage with DAV sync, backed by local or S3-compatible storage.
- Branded mobile apps
- The vendor offers iOS and Android apps for email and files that it can adjust to a customer's branding.
- Languages
- The page lists more than 30 languages and right-to-left support for Hebrew and Arabic.
- ActiveSync option
- ActiveServer is a premium add-on that brings ActiveSync support to WebMail Pro.
Horde
- Webmail client
- IMAP and POP3 mail with 3-pane and 3-column layouts, conversation view, filtering, searching and a WYSIWYG composer.
- Message security
- Encrypting and signing messages with S/MIME and PGP, plus quota support and shared IMAP folders.
- Calendars, contacts and tasks
- Shared calendars, address books, task lists and notepads, with unlimited resources per user.
- Sync with other clients
- CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync support, plus responsive, basic and mobile interfaces.
- Wider app suite
- Applications for files, bookmarks, time tracking and more can be added, and the PHP libraries underneath are reusable.
- Translations
- The groupware pages say it is translated into 41 languages, including right-to-left scripts.
Plans
Afterlogic WebMail
WebMail Lite PHP$0
Open-source webmail for an existing IMAP server; you host it yourself.
Pro, 5 users$49
one-time, per-user license
Perpetual license with first year of standard support and updates.
Pro, 100 users$99
one-time, per-user license
Same Pro license sized for 100 mailboxes.
Pro, 1000 users$299
one-time, per-user license
Same Pro license sized for 1,000 mailboxes.
Pro, 25000 users$999
one-time, per-user license
Largest listed per-user tier; unlimited users is by contacting sales.
Pro, 1 server$299
one-time, per-server license
Offer for shared-hosting providers on cPanel, Plesk or DirectAdmin servers.
Horde
Horde Groupware$0
Free LGPL and GPL software you host yourself. Paid support comes from third-party sponsors such as B1 Systems.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Afterlogic WebMail or Horde?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Afterlogic WebMail starts at $49 one-time for 5 users, first year of support included, and Horde is free.
Which has a free plan, Afterlogic WebMail or Horde?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Afterlogic WebMail and Horde have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.