# Roundcube review (2026): is it any good? > Free open-source webmail client you host yourself Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Roundcube is a browser-based IMAP client with a desktop-style interface, an address book and folder management. It is free software released under the GPL that you install on your own web server and connect to an existing mail server. Since 2023 it has been hosted by Nextcloud. - **Category:** Email Apps - **Made by:** Roundcube project - **Website:** https://roundcube.net - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a mailbox, because it only reads mail from your own IMAP and SMTP servers. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Roundcube is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The whole application is free, with no limit on users or messages, but you host it yourself. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Roundcube Webmail | $0 | Free under the GPL with unlimited users and messages; you supply the web server, database and mail servers. | Read from https://roundcube.net/about/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Roundcube before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Hosting companies and admins who want to give their users webmail - Self-hosters who already run an IMAP and SMTP server - Organizations that want to brand and extend their own webmail ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Roundcube is free webmail software under the GPL, with no limit on users or messages. But it is only a client: you supply the web server, a database and your own IMAP and SMTP servers, you install and update it yourself, and calendar and two-factor sign-in come from third-party plugins. - **Value for money: C.** The 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. - **Free plan and trial: B.** The 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. - **Features: C.** A 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. - **Ease of use: D.** Self-hosting, with a web server and database to set up and keep updated. No store rating on record. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, in over 80 languages, with a responsive skin. Nextcloud is the only integration listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Roundcube's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among email apps - Roundcube's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 3 of the 70 other email apps we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 47 of 70) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Roundcube has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/email ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Roundcube is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 59 of the 70 other email apps grade higher. - You could not: An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Nextcloud **Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable, Email client ## Alternatives - [Zimbra](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zimbra): Self-hosted email, calendar and file sharing for organizations. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/roundcube-vs-zimbra) - [Thunderbird](https://toolgpa.com/tools/thunderbird): Free, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/roundcube-vs-thunderbird) - [Mailspring](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailspring): Open-source desktop email client for Mac, Windows and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mailspring-vs-roundcube) - [Fastmail](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fastmail): Paid, ad-free email with calendar, contacts and custom domains. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fastmail-vs-roundcube) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://roundcube.net/ - https://roundcube.net/about/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/roundcube Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).