Horde review (2026): is it any good?
Free open-source webmail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite
Horde report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for free webmail and groupware you host yourself
Horde is a free webmail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite that you install yourself. It needs your own mail server, there's no vendor behind it, and the project's blog describes recent releases as rough with a security fix soon after.
Who Horde is for
- 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
Who Horde is not for
- 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
Why Horde gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyFree, but only if you host it yourself, so there's a server to pay for.
- BFree plan and trialThe whole suite is free under open-source licences, with no paid tier. You supply the server.
- BFeaturesWebmail, calendar, contacts, tasks, CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the groupware job.
- DEase of useYou install and maintain it yourself, on top of a mail server.
- BPlatforms and integrationsA web interface with sync to other clients over CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync. No apps of its own.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from the Horde project's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/horde#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/horde.svg" alt="Horde: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Horde stands among email apps
Horde's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 54 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 19.
It stands best on features (B, above 79 of 122) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Horde has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 123 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Horde’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 13 of 122, level with 53
- BFree plan and trialAbove 69 of 122, level with 27
- BFeaturesAbove 79 of 122, level with 43
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 122, level with 19
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 57 of 122, level with 54
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 107 email apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Horde, or make your own?
Keep it
Horde is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could make
- Calendar, tasks and notes: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Horde’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Horde?
Horde is a free, community-maintained groupware suite you install on your own server. Its Webmail Edition bundles an IMAP and POP3 client with calendars, contacts, tasks, notes and files, and it syncs with CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync clients. The project is licensed under LGPL and GPL terms and is not backed by a paid enterprise tier.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Horde pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Horde is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The whole suite is free to download and run yourself; the project sells no paid tier.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Horde Groupware | $0 | Free LGPL and GPL software you host yourself. Paid support comes from third-party sponsors such as B1 Systems. |
Read from horde.org on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Horde before you buy.
Works with
- CalDAV
- CardDAV
- ActiveSync
Horde alternatives
- Horde vs SOGo
Free
- Horde vs Zimbra
Paid
- Horde vs Kopano
Free trial
Common questions
Does Horde have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Horde is listed for Web.
Does Horde have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Horde is listed for Web.
Is Horde open source?
Yes. Horde is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.