Forward Email vs turboSMTP (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Forward Email grades higher than turboSMTP: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Forward Email grades higher on value for money and platforms. turboSMTP grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Forward Email
Open-source email forwarding and hosting for custom domains
turboSMTP
SMTP relay and email API on European infrastructure, with a free plan
Which one is for you
Pick Forward Email if
- Fits if you want email on your own domain and don't want to pay per mailbox
- Works for developers who want open-source software they can also self-host
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need to send mail on the free plan, because it only forwards
- Watch out: outbound limits on the $3 plan depend on your sending reputation, not a stated number
- Watch out: forget your mailbox password and the mailbox is gone unless you kept offline backups
- Tight if you need over 10 GB of storage, as extra is $3 a month per 10 GB
- Pricey if you want team controls and priority support, which start at $9 a month
Pick turboSMTP if
- Fits if you send a few thousand emails a month and want a free plan with no time limit
- Works for agencies that need subaccounts on Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you need webhooks or a dedicated IP, as both are Pro features
- Pricey if you want a dedicated IP at small volume, since Pro starts at 100,000 emails and $79.95 a month billed monthly
- Watch out: prepaid packages run from $49 for 50,000 emails and their credits expire after one year
- Watch out: listed prices exclude VAT where it applies
- Skip it if you need several sending domains on the free plan, which has 1
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAForward EmailGood | 2.2GPAturboSMTPFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$3 a month for unlimited domains and aliases, under the $6 that is 60% of the $10 where the cheaper quarter of sending services starts. It is mostly a mailbox and forwarding service, so the comparison is rough. | C$12.46 a month billed annually ($14.95 monthly) for 15,000 emails, between the cheaper quarter ($10) and the dearer quarter ($20). |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan forwards unlimited inbound mail with catch-all addresses, but it cannot send or store mail, so for the sending job nothing free works. | BUp to 200 emails a day by SMTP and API with SPF and DKIM and no time limit, which a small site can live on, though it allows only 1 sending domain. |
| Features | CForwarding, IMAP mailboxes, outbound SMTP and an API on paid plans, but sending is an add-on to a mailbox service and the listing names no tracking, templates or dedicated IPs. | CAn SMTP relay and web API, subaccounts, analytics and email validation credits, but webhooks, a dedicated IP and phone support are Pro only. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You point your domain's DNS at the service and create aliases, and the site warns that a forgotten mailbox password loses the mailbox. | CNo store rating on record. You verify a sending domain with DNS records and wire up SMTP credentials or an API key before the first email goes out. |
| Platforms and integrations | AApps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android plus the web, and a developer API with webhooks. | CA web dashboard, SMTP and an API; the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | email on your own domain without per-mailbox fees | SMTP relay with a free plan and a dedicated-IP step |
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: Forward Email and turboSMTP. How we grade
Price against what you get
Forward Email starts at $3 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. turboSMTP starts at $12.46 a month and scores 2.0.
Forward Email scores higher and starts $9.46 a month lower. Of the other email sending services on the chart, none scores higher than Forward Email for less, and 10 score higher than turboSMTP for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Forward Email is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- turboSMTP also covers email verification and transactional email.
At a glance
| Forward Email | turboSMTP | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3 per month for unlimited domains | $12.46 per month for 15,000 emails, billed annually ($14.95 monthly) |
| Free plan | Unlimited inbound forwarding, catch-all addresses and webhooks for unlimited domains. It cannot send mail or store mail. | Up to 200 emails a day by SMTP relay and web API, with SPF and DKIM authentication and chat and ticket support. No time limit. |
| Free trial | None listed | Pro plan free for 1 month |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Forward Email LLC | Edisplay srl |
| Price read from | forwardemail.net | serversmtp.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Forward Email
- The free plan cannot send mail, so it does not work as a sending service.
- Sending limits on Enhanced Protection are reputation-based rather than a fixed monthly count.
- The site says that if you forget your mailbox password you lose the mailbox unless you have offline backups.
- Prices are listed per month for unlimited domains; no yearly billing is shown on the page.
turboSMTP
- A dedicated IP, webhooks and phone support are Pro features; Basic and Free have none of them.
- Pay-as-you-go prepaid packages run from 50,000 emails for $49 to 1,000,000 for $790, and credits expire after one year.
- Listed prices exclude VAT where it applies, and Enterprise is billed the month after on usage.
- Pro starts at 100,000 emails a month, so a small sender wanting a dedicated IP still pays $79.95 monthly.
Key features
Forward Email
- Forwarding on custom domains
- Receive mail at your own domain and forward it to an existing address, with catch-all aliases, multiple recipients per alias and regex filtering.
- Outbound SMTP
- Enhanced Protection and above send through SMTP, with unlimited outbound on a reputation basis and 900 a day at the start of Team.
- Mailboxes with IMAP storage
- Paid plans include 10 GB of pooled storage; extra storage is $3 a month per 10 GB. The site says mailboxes are encrypted with your password.
- Developer API and webhooks
- A developer API comes with paid plans, and mail on any plan can be sent to webhooks.
- Open source and self-hosting
- The software is open source and a self-hosted Docker version is listed among the features.
turboSMTP
- SMTP relay and web API
- Mail can be sent through an SMTP relay or a web API on every plan, with interactive API docs and a setup guide.
- Dedicated IP on Pro
- A dedicated IP and automated IP routing start on Pro, and dedicated IP pools are an add-on there and included on Enterprise.
- Subaccounts
- Pro allows up to 100 subaccounts and Enterprise unlimited, for separating the mail of different customers or projects.
- Analytics and webhooks
- Analytics are kept for 30 days on Basic and 365 days on Pro and Enterprise. Webhooks and unlimited custom tracking domains start on Pro.
- Email validation credits
- Plans include email validation credits: 100 on Free and Basic, 3,000 a month on Pro and 10,000 a month on Enterprise.
Plans
Forward Email
Free$0
Email forwarding only: unlimited inbound mail, spam protection, 50 MB attachments, catch-all addresses and regex filtering. No sending.
Enhanced Protection$3
per month for unlimited domains
Adds unlimited aliases, 10 GB pooled storage, outbound SMTP with reputation-based limits, DMARC reporting and API access.
Team$9
per month for unlimited domains
Everything in Enhanced, plus unlimited team members, permission management and priority support. Outbound starts at 900 a day.
Enterprise$250
per month for unlimited domains
Adds unlimited API requests, a dedicated support chatroom, a contract by DocuSign and onboarding help.
turboSMTP
Free$0
Up to 200 emails a day, SMTP relay and API, 1 sending domain and 2 API keys. No dedicated IP.
Basic$12.46
per month for 15,000 emails, billed annually ($14.95 monthly)
30-day analytics, 2 sending domains. Price rises with volume: $24.96 a month yearly at 100,000 emails ($29.95 monthly).
Pro$66.63
per month for 100,000 emails, billed annually ($79.95 monthly)
Dedicated IP, webhooks, 365-day analytics, up to 100 subaccounts and phone support. $416.63 a month yearly at 1,000,000 emails.
EnterpriseCustom
Over 2.5 million emails a month, billed the month after on what you send, with unlimited subaccounts and IP pools.
Ways to pay less
Forward Email
No public discounts listed.
turboSMTP
- Annual discount
Two months free on yearly billing
Basic and Pro can be billed yearly at ten times the monthly price, which the page describes as two months free.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Forward Email or turboSMTP?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Forward Email is cheaper to start with: $3 a month, against $12.46 a month for turboSMTP. Forward Email starts at $3 per month for unlimited domains, and turboSMTP starts at $12.46 per month for 15,000 emails, billed annually ($14.95 monthly).
Which has a free plan, Forward Email or turboSMTP?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Forward Email and turboSMTP have a free plan.
Which platforms do Forward Email and turboSMTP run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Forward Email lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.