mail.com vs Forward Email
In short: Forward Email wins on privacy, mail.com wins on price, and Forward Email wins on features. The full comparison is below, last checked 25 October 2026.
Which should you choose?
- Go for mail.com if you'd like email without paying for it; 65 GB of storage; and more years of history: it started in 1995.
- Forward Email suits you best if you want a company that isn't funded by advertising; an address on your own domain; and apps whose code is public.
| Feature | mail.com | Forward Email |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Privacy | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Price | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Features | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Cheapest plan | Free Free | Enhanced Protection $3 a month |
| Free plan | Yes, with adverts | Yes, forwarding only |
| Storage | 65 GB | 10 GB |
| Your own domain | No | ✓ Unlimited |
| End-to-end encryption | No | Optional (PGP or encrypted storage) |
| Company based in | United States | United States |
| Your data is kept in | United States | United States |
| Founded | 1995 | 2017 |
| Free trial | Free | Free plan |
| Funded by advertising | Yes, or its parent company is | No |
| Works in any mail app | ✓ IMAP and SMTP | ✓ IMAP and SMTP |
| Calendar and contacts | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Aliases | Up to 10 addresses | Yes |
| Open-source apps | No | ✓ Yes |
| Sign up without ID | No | No |
| White label | No | No |
| Reader offer | None | None |
| Last checked | 25 October 2026 | 25 October 2026 |
Want to add another? Open this in the compare tool.
How mail.com and Forward Email differ
- On price: mail.com Free at Free, against Forward Email Enhanced Protection at $3 a month.
- mail.com has a free plan (with adverts); Forward Email has a free plan (forwarding only).
- Space: mail.com gives 65 GB of storage, Forward Email 10 GB of storage.
- On encryption, mail.com doesn't encrypt mail end to end, whereas Forward Email offers optional encryption (PGP or encrypted storage).
- You can use your own domain with Forward Email, but not with mail.com.
- mail.com (or its parent company) makes money from advertising; Forward Email doesn't.
- Aliases: mail.com offers up to 10 addresses, Forward Email yes.
Questions people ask
Is mail.com more private than Forward Email?
Forward Email scores 2 out of 5 for privacy and mail.com 0. Forward Email gives you a company that isn't funded by advertising and apps whose code is public.
Is mail.com cheaper than Forward Email?
mail.com costs nothing to start (Free). Forward Email's cheapest plan, Enhanced Protection, is $3 a month. Forward Email has a free plan too: forwarding only.
Can I use my own domain with mail.com or Forward Email?
Only Forward Email does (Unlimited). With mail.com your address stays on its own domain.
Where is my email stored with mail.com and Forward Email?
Both keep it in the United States.
Recent price changes
Neither price has changed since my first check on 25 October 2026.
The latest headlines: mail.com news · Forward Email news.
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How to switch
Moving between any two providers works the same way. Pick your two providers for the steps.