Cleanbox vs Forward Email.
Forward Email is a fully open-source email forwarding service that also offers IMAP and SMTP access on paid plans. It supports unlimited aliases, catch-all addresses, and spam protection. The entire codebase is available on GitHub.
Feature comparison
| Feature |  Cleanbox |
Forward Email |
|---|---|---|
| Email aliases | ||
| Spam filtering | ||
| Contact management | ||
| Custom domains | ||
| MX relay (gateway) | ||
| Virus scanning (ClamAV) | ||
| IP blacklist checking | ||
| Shield protection | ||
| Custom filter rules | ||
| Quarantine zone | ||
| Delivery scheduling | ||
| Rate limiting | ||
| One-click unsubscribe | ||
| Contact categories (20) | ||
| Cloud attachment storage | ||
| Team collaboration | ||
| REST API | ||
| Open source | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Catch-all addresses | ||
| Free tier | 3 aliases, 50/week | Unlimited domains, forwarding only |
| Paid from | $5/month | $3/month |
Where Forward Email wins
- 100% open source (entire codebase on GitHub)
- Unlimited domains and aliases on free plan
- IMAP and SMTP access on paid plans
- Spam protection included
- Team plan with permission management ($9/mo)
Where Cleanbox wins
- Yes: Bayesian training or crowd-sourced reputation
- Yes: contact management or categorization
- Yes: Shield features
- Yes: MX relay with virus scanning
- Yes: per-alias spam thresholds
Who should choose Forward Email?
Privacy-focused users who want open-source email forwarding with optional IMAP/SMTP hosting. Good budget option with spam protection.
Who should choose Cleanbox?
Cleanbox is the better choice if you need spam filtering before delivery, contact management with 20 automatic categories and 5 contact states, Shield protection (rate limiting, delivery scheduling, gatekeeper), or MX relay for existing business email addresses with virus scanning.
Try Cleanbox free
3 aliases, spam filtering, contact management, and Shield — no credit card required.
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