Overview

Forward sends custom-domain aliases to Gmail, Outlook, or another verified inbox, with rules that can route messages by sender, subject, or localpart. Catch-all forwarding also covers addresses that were never created, including typos. This keeps domain mail in existing inboxes rather than adding a separate mailbox to manage.

Forward also supports sending as a domain from Gmail, apps, and workflows. Its API manages domains, aliases, and forwarding logs, while a hosted MCP endpoint can be used to inspect domains, manage aliases, and connect routing to workflows. The combination makes it more than a basic alias forwarder, particularly for teams automating their mail handling.

Key features

Routing and sending

Sender-, subject-, and localpart-based rules provide more control than sending every address to the same destination. Catch-all routing is useful for broad domain coverage, but it also means teams should choose verified destinations and routing rules carefully. Multiple recipients, delivery logs, and outbound or reply mail are supported.

API, MCP, and integrations

The API is available on Creator, Pro, and Business, not Starter or Free. That makes Creator the entry point for teams that need programmatic domain and alias management. The hosted MCP endpoint offers a workflow-oriented way to inspect and manage routing; the homepage also mentions CRM and Slack workflows, alongside destinations such as Gmail and Outlook.

Security and administration

Forward uses TLS in transit, encryption at rest for sensitive data, access controls, authentication, and DKIM, SPF, and SRS controls. Message content is processed transiently rather than stored long-term; troubleshooting logs focus on delivery metadata, with retention governed by plan limits. Owners and admins can change workspace settings, while members have read access but cannot change domains, aliases, credentials, membership, or billing. Domains, aliases, SMTP credentials, API keys, and team members can be removed, but account export requires a support request rather than self-service.

Typical support replies are under 24 hours during Monday-to-Friday business hours; confirmed security issues receive a response within 48 hours.

Pricing

Forward is freemium, with paid plans from 2.00 USD per month. The paid prices below are shown per month with annual billing savings; compare the daily forwarding caps, log retention, and seats as closely as the domain and alias ceilings.

Plan	Price and terms	Included limits
Free	0.00 USD per free; always free	1 domain, 25 aliases, 500 forwards/day, 7 days of logs, 1 team seat
Starter	2.00 USD per month; bill yearly and save $5/year	3 domains, 200 aliases, 2,000 forwards/day, 30 days of logs, basic SMTP, 1 team seat
Creator	5.00 USD per month; bill yearly and save $11/year	20 domains, unlimited aliases, 10,000 forwards/day, 90 days of logs, SMTP, 3 team seats
Pro	12.00 USD per month; bill yearly and save $25/year	100 domains, unlimited aliases, 50,000 forwards/day, 180 days of logs, SMTP, 3 team seats
Business	29.00 USD per month; bill yearly and save $58/year	300 domains, unlimited aliases, 200,000 forwards/day, 365 days of logs, SMTP, 10 team seats

Free is suitable for a single domain and low-volume personal or small-team routing, but its 500 daily forwards, seven-day logs, and one seat leave little room for shared operations. Starter raises capacity to three domains and 2,000 forwards daily, but keeps one seat, caps aliases at 200, and offers only basic SMTP; it does not include API access. Creator is the practical starting point for API users, with unlimited aliases, three seats, and 90-day logs. Pro mainly buys more domains, daily volume, and retention while retaining three seats. Business expands those limits substantially and raises the team cap to ten, fitting broader deployments that need longer log history. For needs beyond these published tiers, pricing is custom.

Platforms

Forward is available through web and API. The API is limited to Creator, Pro, and Business plans, so teams on the two cheapest tiers can use the service on the web but cannot build against that API.

Who it's for

Forward fits founders, agencies, operators, and automation teams routing branded domain mail into existing verified inboxes. It is especially relevant when catch-all coverage, send-as support, or workflow-connected routing matters. It is a weaker fit for teams that require self-serve account export, need API access on a low-cost tier, or expect multiple teammates on Starter.

Pros and cons

Pros: Catch-all delivery, rules by sender, subject, or localpart, and send-as support cover both inbound routing and outbound domain identity.
Pros: Creator and higher plans include API access, and the hosted MCP endpoint can connect routing management to workflows.
Pros: Transient message processing and metadata-focused troubleshooting logs limit long-term retention of message content.
Cons: Free and Starter cap aliases at 25 and 200 respectively, and neither includes the API.
Cons: Starter has one seat and only basic SMTP, limiting its usefulness for shared or more automated workflows.
Cons: Account export must be requested from support, an important operational constraint for teams planning a transition away.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Email Forwarding Services.

Choose Forward Email if open-source software and wide platform coverage, including self-hosted, desktop, mobile, and web options, matter more than Forward's plan structure.

ImprovMX is another freemium web and API option; its free plan offers one domain, 25 aliases, 500 forwarded emails a day, seven-day log retention, API access, and a 99% uptime guarantee.

InboxMail is a freemium web and API alternative for teams comparing email routing with campaign and agent-inbox capabilities.

Mailcast is a freemium web and API alternative with a free trial; its free plan is limited to one domain and 25 aliases and does not support sending from the domain.

MailerZ is a freemium web and API alternative whose free plan has one domain, three aliases, one seat, and disables send-as, SMTP, and API access.

EForw is a web-only freemium option; its free plan offers one domain and unlimited catch-all aliases.

Cloudflare Email Routing is worth considering for free inbound routing; its Workers Paid plan also includes 3,000 outbound emails per month.

Delivery Machine is another freemium alternative.

Verdict

Forward is a strong fit for teams that want custom-domain routing, catch-all coverage, and send-as support without adding hosted mailboxes. Its clearest advantage is combining flexible routing with API and workflow options on higher plans. Look elsewhere if self-serve export is essential, or if your team needs API access or multiple seats on a cheaper plan.

	Forward	polkit
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	$2/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Web	api, Linux
Free plan	Yes	—
Paid from	2 /mo	—
Custom domain	Yes	—
Alias limit	200	—
Catch-all forwarding	Yes	—
Multiple recipients	Yes	—
Outbound or reply mail	Yes	—
Delivery logs	Yes	—
API access	Yes	—

Forward vs polkit

Forward

polkit