Overview

Forward sends custom-domain aliases to Gmail, Outlook, or another verified inbox, keeping incoming mail in accounts a team already uses. Routing by sender, subject, or localpart gives more control than forwarding every address alike, while catch-all delivery can cover typos and addresses that have not been created. The trade-off is that teams need to choose destinations and rules carefully, especially when a domain handles broad or operationally important traffic.

Forward also supports sending as a domain from Gmail, apps, and workflows. Multiple recipients, delivery logs, and outbound or reply mail make it useful beyond basic inbound forwarding, although the daily forwarding allowance and log-retention window vary by plan.

Key features

Routing and automation

The API can manage domains, aliases, and forwarding logs on Creator, Pro, and Business, so Starter users do not get that programmatic control. A hosted MCP endpoint can inspect domains, manage aliases, and connect routing to workflows. Forward also mentions CRM and Slack workflows, making it a plausible fit for teams that want branded mail to feed existing processes rather than another mailbox.

Security and account control

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 and follow plan retention limits. Owners and admins can change workspace settings, while members can read shared data but cannot alter domains, aliases, credentials, team membership, or billing. This separation suits shared workspaces, though account export requires a request to support rather than a self-serve action.

Users can remove domains, aliases, SMTP credentials, API keys, and team members. Typical support replies are under 24 hours during weekday business hours, and confirmed security issues receive a response within 48 hours.

Pricing

Forward has a free tier and four paid tiers priced per month with annual billing. Paid plans advertise annual savings, but the listed monthly price is tied to yearly billing.

Plan	Price and terms	Limits and inclusions
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 a sensible starting point for one domain and light traffic, but 25 aliases, 500 daily forwards, and a single seat leave little room for a growing team. Starter raises those caps and adds basic SMTP, yet remains limited to one seat and 200 aliases, with no API access. Creator is the first listed plan with API access and unlimited aliases; its three seats and 10,000 daily forwards suit small teams with automation needs. Pro and Business mainly buy more domains, traffic headroom, log history, and, at Business, more seats. Choose by peak forwarding volume and how long delivery history must remain useful, not just alias count.

Platforms

Forward is available on the web and through an API. Its integrations and hosted MCP endpoint extend routing into workflows, while mail is delivered to Gmail, Outlook, or another verified destination.

Who it's for

Forward fits founders, agencies, operators, and automation teams that want branded addresses without additional full mailboxes. It is a particularly good fit when sender- or subject-based rules, catch-all coverage, or domain-based sending matter. It is less compelling for a solo user who needs extensive alias capacity on the free tier, or a team that requires self-serve exports or more than one seat on Starter.

Pros and cons

Pros

Routes custom-domain mail into existing verified inboxes, avoiding another mailbox to host.
Sender, subject, and localpart rules plus catch-all coverage handle both targeted routing and uncreated addresses.
Domain-based sending, API access on Creator and above, and a hosted MCP endpoint support outbound and automated workflows.
Plan-based log retention extends to 365 days on Business, with workspace roles separating administrative changes from read access.

Cons

Free is capped at 25 aliases, 500 forwards per day, and one seat, which can constrain even modest shared use.
API access starts at Creator, so the less expensive Starter tier is not the choice for API-managed routing.
All paid prices are presented with yearly billing, and daily forwarding caps still apply at every tier.
Account export is not self-serve and must be requested from support.

Alternatives

Email Forwarding Services is a useful place to compare more forwarding options. Choose Forward Email if open-source software and broader platform coverage, including self-hosted and desktop options, are priorities. Haltman mail-forwarding-core is a better fit for users who want a free, forwarding-only service with unlimited rules, users, addresses, domains, and emails. DNSExit Email Forwarding may suit users who want a free tier for domains registered through DNSExit or an annual plan for five forwarding addresses. EForw is worth considering for its free unlimited catch-all aliases and stated SPF, DKIM, and DMARC pass support. ImprovMX has a free plan with one domain, 25 aliases, 500 forwarded emails per day, seven-day logs, and API access, so it is an alternative for users who want API access on the free tier. InboxMail may suit users seeking a broader email setup that combines aliases with AI actions, campaigns, and agent inboxes. KaiMail is another freemium option for users comparing custom-domain email services. Mailcast is a fit to consider if a free tier without sending from the domain is sufficient.

Verdict

Choose Forward if you need branded domain routing into existing inboxes, with catch-all coverage, rule-based delivery, and domain-based sending that can connect to workflows. Its plan ladder offers meaningful headroom for domains, daily traffic, and log history, but smaller plans have tight seat and alias limits, API access begins at Creator, and account export requires support. Look elsewhere if those constraints outweigh the convenience of routing without another mailbox.

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

Forward vs Haltman mail-forwarding-core

Forward

Haltman mail-forwarding-core