// comparison · RadMail × Forward Email

RadMail vs Forward Email. Different layers.

Forward Email is an excellent open-source, privacy-focused email host and forwarder — it delivers, stores, and sends your mail privately, and you can self-host it. RadMail is a different layer: the agent-safety and intelligence layerthat sits on top of an inbox — two-axis triage plus a business-email-compromise hard-stop. So they're adjacent, not rivals: Forward Email moves mail privately; RadMail decides what's safe to act on — and it works with open hosts like Forward Email.

Honest framing: RadMail is pre-release, with its engine live in a two-business test bed; Forward Email is an established, generally available product with a real open-source moat. This is a respectful category contrast — not a teardown and not a benchmark. The only numbers on this page are Forward Email's own public facts; there are no invented ratings, user counts, or "#1" claims on either side.

Two layers, stacked.

RadMail is designed to run on top of whatever delivers your mail. A Forward Email mailbox can be the private transport underneath; RadMail provides the brain and the brakes above it.

stack --inspect :: agent → RadMail → inbox
  • RadMailagent-safety + intelligencetriage · why-surfaced · follow-through · BEC hard-stop
  • Forward Email (or any inbox)private host + relayopen-source · forward · store · send · standards

Is RadMail an alternative to Forward Email?

Not really — they're different layers, and they work well together. Forward Email is an open-source, privacy-focused email host and forwarder: it delivers, stores, and sends your mail privately, and you can even self-host it. RadMail is the agent-safety and intelligence layer that sits on top of an inbox — it ranks what matters, follows through on commitments, and refuses the dangerous send. If you want private hosting, Forward Email is an excellent, established choice; if you also want the inbox to triage and to stop business-email-compromise fraud, that's RadMail's lane, and it can run on top of a Forward Email mailbox.

tl;dr Different layers, not rivals: Forward Email hosts the mail; RadMail decides what's safe to act on, on top of it.

Capability comparison.

capability comparison :: RadMail vs Forward Email
Honest, structural capability comparison between RadMail and Forward Email. RadMail is pre-release; the comparison is capability-based, not a benchmark.
capabilityRadMailForward Email
Open-source, self-hostable privacy email host + forwardingNot a host — RadMail sits on top of the inbox you already have, including a Forward Email mailbox.Core strength — open-source, privacy-first hosting, forwarding, and SMTP, self-hostable via Docker.
Email-standards depth (SPF / DKIM / DMARC / ARC / MTA-STS / DANE / BIMI) + setup-guide libraryConsumes good auth; not a standards reference or a host. RadMail benefits from a well-configured sender like Forward Email.Core strength — deep standards coverage (including ARC so signed forwards don't trip filters) and 100+ DNS-provider setup guides.
Two-axis triage (importance × urgency) + per-sender learning + 'why surfaced'Yes — this is the inbound brain: it ranks what's in the box and explains why each message surfaced.Out of scope by design — a host/forwarder moves and stores mail privately; ranking the inbox isn't its job.
Autonomous follow-through on commitmentsYes — extracts what's owed (by you and to you), drafts the reply the day it's due, escalates if overdue.Out of scope — a privacy host delivers and stores mail; it doesn't track per-thread commitments.
MCP / automation postureMCP exposes read / triage / why-surfaced / list-commitments / search / draft only — there is no tool that auto-sends money, changes banking, or makes first contact.Ships an MCP server and a developer API that can send and manage mail — automation convenience, by design.
Enforced BEC hard-stop (the irreversible stays human-only)Enforced by design — no such tool exists, so an agent literally cannot use RadMail to wire money or change banking on its own.Sending is a first-class feature, so it isn't framed as an agent-safety boundary — a different layer's job.
// the one real contrast
mcp --posture[ hard-stop ]

Their MCP can send. RadMail's MCP refuses the irreversible.

Both ship an MCP server — and they make opposite choices on purpose. Forward Email's MCP and developer API can send and manage mail; that's automation convenience, which fits an infrastructure product. RadMail's MCP deliberately exposes only read, triage, why-surfaced, list-commitments, search, and draft tools. Three actions are human-only, forever:

  • Auto-send a payment, wire, ACH, or any movement of money.
  • Auto-send or change banking / wire instructions or a new account.
  • Auto-send a first-contact / cold message to a new third party.

No tool exists to do those, so an agent literally cannot use RadMail to wire money to a spoofed vendor or quietly change banking details — a defense against business-email-compromise (BEC) fraud. To be clear, this isn't "better vs worse": it's an automation layer versus a safety layer. It is a tool, not a guarantee — not "fraud-proof" and never a promise that nothing bad can ever happen.

// credit where it's due

What Forward Email does well.

// common questions

Is RadMail an alternative to Forward Email?

Not really — they're different layers, and they work well together. Forward Email is an open-source, privacy-focused email host and forwarder: it delivers, stores, and sends your mail privately, and you can even self-host it. RadMail is the agent-safety and intelligence layer that sits on top of an inbox — it ranks what matters, follows through on commitments, and refuses the dangerous send. If you want private hosting, Forward Email is an excellent, established choice; if you also want the inbox to triage and to stop business-email-compromise fraud, that's RadMail's lane, and it can run on top of a Forward Email mailbox.

tl;dr Different layers, not rivals: Forward Email hosts the mail; RadMail decides what's safe to act on, on top of it.

Forward Email has an MCP server too — what's the difference?

Both expose an MCP server, but they make opposite choices about sending, on purpose. Forward Email's MCP and developer API can send and manage mail — that's automation convenience, which fits an infrastructure product. RadMail's MCP deliberately exposes only read, triage, why-surfaced, list-commitments, search, and draft tools; it has no tool that auto-sends money, changes banking details, or makes first contact with a new party. Those stay human-only, forever, as a defense against business-email-compromise (BEC) fraud. The contrast isn't 'better vs worse' — it's an automation layer versus a safety layer.

tl;dr Their MCP can send; RadMail's MCP refuses the irreversible — money, changed banking, and first contact are human-only.

Can I use RadMail with Forward Email?

Yes — that's the intended shape. RadMail is built to sit on top of the inbox you already have, so a Forward Email mailbox (self-hosted or hosted) can be the private transport while RadMail provides the triage, the 'Right Now' lane, the follow-through, and the BEC hard-stop. RadMail consumes well-configured email auth (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, and ARC on forwards), which is exactly what Forward Email is strong at, so the two compose cleanly.

tl;dr RadMail runs on top of any inbox, including a Forward Email mailbox.

Which one should I choose?

Choose by the layer you need. If your question is 'where does my mail live and how does it get delivered privately?', that's a host — Forward Email is open-source, Cure53-audited, and self-hostable, and it's a strong answer. If your question is 'what in my inbox needs me right now, what did I promise, and how do I stop an agent from wiring money to a spoofed vendor?', that's RadMail. Many teams want both. RadMail is pre-release, with its engine live in a two-business test bed; Forward Email is established and generally available.

tl;dr Need private hosting → Forward Email. Need triage + an agent-safety hard-stop on top → RadMail. Often: both.

Want the safety layer on your inbox? Connect RadMail's free sandbox MCP server to an agent in one step — no account, no credentials — or start the full product free, no card.

› Connect RadMail (MCP)
radmail@inbox:~$ vs forward-email --layers