The Horde Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Horde in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Horde
The Insider’s Guide
Free open-source webmail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from Horde’s own pages.
Made by Horde Project · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Horde’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Horde’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 54 of the 122 other email apps we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Horde, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You install and maintain it yourself, on top of a mail server.
- 1
Best for free webmail and groupware you host yourself
Horde is a free webmail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite that you install yourself.
- 2
It is free
Horde has no paid plan at all. The whole suite is free to download and run yourself; the project sells no paid tier.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Webmail client
IMAP and POP3 mail with 3-pane and 3-column layouts, conversation view, filtering, searching and a WYSIWYG composer.
- 5
Message security
Encrypting and signing messages with S/MIME and PGP, plus quota support and shared IMAP folders.
- 6
Calendars, contacts and tasks
Shared calendars, address books, task lists and notepads, with unlimited resources per user.
- 7
A 2.4 GPA, above 54 of 122
That is against the other email apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Horde is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Horde at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Horde Project
- Category
- Email Apps
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Free, but only if you host it yourself, so there's a server to pay for. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The whole suite is free under open-source licences, with no paid tier. You supply the server. |
| Features | B | Webmail, calendar, contacts, tasks, CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the groupware job. |
| Ease of use | D | You install and maintain it yourself, on top of a mail server. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | A web interface with sync to other clients over CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync. No apps of its own. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
Good for
- Admins who want a free groupware suite with webmail on their own server
- Organizations that need shared calendars and address books without licensing fees
- Developers who want to reuse Horde's PHP libraries
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Horde is free to use.
Free, but only if you host it yourself, so there's a server to pay for.
Horde Groupware
$0
Free LGPL and GPL software you host yourself. Paid support comes from third-party sponsors such as B1 Systems.
The free plan
The whole suite is free to download and run yourself; the project sells no paid tier.
Read from horde.org on Nov 13, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Free open-source webmail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, notes, tasks, calendar, email client.
Webmail, calendar, contacts, tasks, CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- CalDAV
- CardDAV
- ActiveSync
Horde is made by Horde Project.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
54/122
Other email apps it is graded above
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
- BFree plan and trialAbove 69 of 122
- BFeaturesAbove 79 of 122
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 122
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 57 of 122
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 107 email apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Horde is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Roundcube, SOGo, Zimbra, SnappyMail and Kopano
The 5 tools Horde is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Roundcube
Free
Free open-source webmail client you host yourself.
- Horde also covers notes, tasks and calendar.
- 2.2GPA
SOGo
Free
Open-source groupware with webmail, calendars and contacts.
- Horde also covers notes and tasks.
Zimbra
Paid
Self-hosted email, calendar and file sharing for organizations.
- Horde has a free plan. Zimbra does not.
- Only Zimbra lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Horde also covers notes.
- 1.8GPA
SnappyMail
Free
Open-source webmail client you install on your own server.
- Horde also covers notes, tasks and calendar.
- 2.2GPA
Kopano
Free trial
Container-based business email and calendar for hosting providers.
- Horde has a free plan. Kopano does not, though it has a free trial.
- Horde is open source, according to its own site.
- Horde also covers notes.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Horde free?
Yes. Horde is free to use.
How much does Horde cost?
Horde lists one plan. Horde Groupware: $0.
What platforms does Horde work on?
Horde is available on Web.
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.
What does Horde integrate with?
Horde's listing names CalDAV, CardDAV and ActiveSync. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Horde?
Horde is made by Horde Project.
What are the alternatives to Horde?
The closest alternatives to Horde in our directory are Roundcube, SOGo, Zimbra, SnappyMail and Kopano.
How does Horde compare with other email apps?
Horde's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 54 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 19.
Is Horde good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Horde C for value for money. Horde has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Horde?
Horde is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Horde’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Horde Project. Prices change, so check horde.org before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Horde, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/horde
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Horde: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/horde
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/horde/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after Horde, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 126 email apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft Outlook Insider's GuideMicrosoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web3.6 GPA
- AOL Mail Insider's GuideFree webmail with news and weather in a companion mobile app3.2 GPA
- BlueMail Insider's GuideCross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Horde’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Horde is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Horde Project. Prices and plans change: check horde.org before you buy.