Afterlogic WebMail vs SnappyMail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Afterlogic WebMail grades higher than SnappyMail: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Afterlogic WebMail grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
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 SnappyMail if
- Fits if you already run an IMAP server and want a light web front end for it
- Works for hosts who like open-source software and are happy to run PHP themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a mail server, because it sends and receives nothing on its own
- Not for you if you don't have a server, since there is no hosted version in the listing
- Too light for anyone who wants calendars, tasks or team sharing built in
- Watch out: it needs PHP 8.2 or newer with the mbstring extension
- Watch out: Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy don't work with it
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAAfterlogic WebMailGood | 1.8GPASnappyMailWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 under the AGPL-3.0 licence, but only if you host it, and that needs a PHP server. Self-hosted free is a C for value, not an A. |
| 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. | CFree outright, no plan limits. The catch is that you need your own server first, so it is a B and not an A. |
| Features | CCalendar, tasks, files, branded mobile apps, many languages and an ActiveSync option. It is still webmail for an IMAP server you provide. | DIt does the webmail job fully: IMAP, OpenPGP, plugins. It is a smaller job though, since it sends and receives nothing without a separate mail server. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a script you install on your server, so it takes setup. | CNo store rating on record. It needs PHP 8.2+ and the mbstring extension, so install and upgrades fall on you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, plus branded mobile apps on Pro. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations. | CWeb only. The listing names no apps and no integrations, and Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy are not supported. |
| Best for | webmail with calendar and files for a small IMAP server | a self-hosted webmail page for your IMAP server |
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 SnappyMail. How we grade
Where they differ
- Afterlogic WebMail also covers calendar.
At a glance
| Afterlogic WebMail | SnappyMail | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license; you run it on your own PHP server. |
| Free trial | 30-day full-featured trial download of WebMail Pro PHP | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Afterlogic Corp. | SnappyMail (open-source project) |
| Price read from | afterlogic.com | github.com |
| 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.
SnappyMail
- It is a webmail front end only; you still need a separate mail server to send and receive mail.
- Needs PHP 8.2 or newer and the mbstring extension, per the GitHub readme.
- Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy are not supported.
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.
SnappyMail
- Light page weight
- The project site says the mobile page boots with roughly 138 KB of download using Brotli compression.
- No database needed
- The GitHub readme lists simple installation and upgrades, and says no database is required.
- OpenPGP support
- The readme says the fork ships OpenPGP.js v5 and has much better PGP support than the RainLoop code it came from.
- Plugins
- Features such as password change are built as plugins, and plugins can be loaded as .phar files.
- Broad IMAP support
- The readme lists support for many more IMAP standards than the original RainLoop client.
- Live demo
- A demo of the client is published on the project site.
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.
SnappyMail
Free$0
Open source under AGPL-3.0. You host it yourself on a server running PHP 8.2 or newer.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Afterlogic WebMail or SnappyMail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Afterlogic WebMail starts at $49 one-time for 5 users, first year of support included, and SnappyMail is free.
Which has a free plan, Afterlogic WebMail or SnappyMail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Afterlogic WebMail and SnappyMail 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.