# SnappyMail review (2026): is it any good? > Open-source webmail client you install on your own server Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. SnappyMail is a web-based email client that you host yourself. It is a fork of RainLoop rebuilt for current browsers, and its project site describes it as simple, modern, lightweight and fast. It connects to an existing mail server and needs no database. - **Category:** Email Apps - **Made by:** SnappyMail (open-source project) - **Website:** https://snappymail.eu - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a mail server, because it sends and receives nothing on its own. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, SnappyMail is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license; you run it on your own PHP server. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Open source under AGPL-3.0. You host it yourself on a server running PHP 8.2 or newer. | Read from https://github.com/the-djmaze/snappymail on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SnappyMail before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Admins who want a small self-hosted webmail front end - Hosts that already run an IMAP mail server - Users who prefer open-source software ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. SnappyMail is a small webmail page you put in front of a mail server you already have, and it needs no database. But it is only the front end, it needs PHP 8.2 or newer on a server you run, and there are no phone or desktop apps. - **Value for money: C.** Free 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: C.** Free outright, no plan limits. The catch is that you need your own server first, so it is a B and not an A. - **Features: D.** It 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: C.** No store rating on record. It needs PHP 8.2+ and the mbstring extension, so install and upgrades fall on you. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only. The listing names no apps and no integrations, and Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy are not supported. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SnappyMail's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among email apps - SnappyMail's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 2 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on ease of use (C, above 20 of 122) and worst on features (D, above 0). - SnappyMail 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.** SnappyMail 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: 112 of the 122 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. **Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable, Email client ## Alternatives - [Roundcube](https://toolgpa.com/tools/roundcube): Free open-source webmail client you host yourself. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/roundcube-vs-snappymail) - [Horde](https://toolgpa.com/tools/horde): Free open-source webmail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/horde-vs-snappymail) - [SOGo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sogo): Open-source groupware with webmail, calendars and contacts. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/snappymail-vs-sogo) - [Cypht](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cypht): Open-source webmail that combines many accounts in one inbox. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cypht-vs-snappymail) - [Afterlogic WebMail](https://toolgpa.com/tools/afterlogic-webmail): Webmail front end for an existing IMAP mail server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/afterlogic-webmail-vs-snappymail) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://snappymail.eu - https://github.com/the-djmaze/snappymail Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/snappymail Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).