Roundcube vs SnappyMail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Roundcube grades higher than SnappyMail: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Roundcube grades higher on the free plan and features. SnappyMail grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Roundcube if
- Fits if you run your own mail server and want a webmail screen for it
- Works for hosting companies and admins who give users webmail
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a mailbox, because it only reads mail from your own IMAP and SMTP servers
- Not for you if you do not run a server, since you install and update it yourself
- Tight if you want a calendar or two-factor sign-in without plugins, as both are third-party
- Watch out: the site warns about scam emails that pretend to come from Roundcube
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
| 2.0GPARoundcubeFair | 1.8GPASnappyMailWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe software costs nothing, but it is only free if you host it, which needs a server, PHP 8.1 or newer and a database. Software you host yourself is graded C. | 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 | BThe whole application is free with no user or message limit. You still pay for the server and mail service it runs on, so it is not free to a person with nothing. | 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 | CA mail client with an address book, shared folders, plugins and skins. It provides no mailbox, and calendar, two-factor sign-in and keyboard shortcuts come from third-party plugins. | 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 | DSelf-hosting, with a web server and database to set up and keep updated. No store rating on record. | CNo store rating on record. It needs PHP 8.2+ and the mbstring extension, so install and upgrades fall on you. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, in over 80 languages, with a responsive skin. Nextcloud is the only integration listed. | CWeb only. The listing names no apps and no integrations, and Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy are not supported. |
| Best for | webmail you host yourself | 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: Roundcube and SnappyMail. How we grade
Price against what you get
Roundcube has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SnappyMail has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than Roundcube for less, and none scores higher than SnappyMail 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
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableEmail client
At a glance
| Roundcube | SnappyMail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The whole application is free, with no limit on users or messages, but you host it yourself. | Free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license; you run it on your own PHP server. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Roundcube project | SnappyMail (open-source project) |
| Price read from | roundcube.net | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Roundcube
- It is a client only: it needs your own IMAP and SMTP servers and does not provide a mailbox.
- You install and update it yourself on a web server with PHP 8.1 or newer and a database.
- The site posts a warning about scam emails that pretend to come from Roundcube.
- Calendar, two-factor authentication and other extras come from third-party plugins.
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
Roundcube
- Full email client in the browser
- Drag-and-drop message management, threaded lists, MIME and HTML mail, spell checking and multiple sender identities.
- Address book
- Contacts with groups, find-as-you-type address entry and LDAP connectors.
- Shared folders and ACLs
- Supports shared and global IMAP folders and access control lists for them.
- Plugins and skins
- A plugin API and skin templates. Third-party additions listed include a calendar module, two-factor authentication and keyboard shortcuts.
- Security features
- Brute-force login prevention, XSS protection, OAuth login and support for PGP encryption.
- Multi-device interface
- A responsive skin, light and dark modes, three-column view and a translation into over 80 languages.
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
Roundcube
Roundcube Webmail$0
Free under the GPL with unlimited users and messages; you supply the web server, database and mail 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, Roundcube or SnappyMail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Roundcube and SnappyMail are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Roundcube or SnappyMail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Roundcube 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.