Forward Emailvsnotifuse
Two self-hosted Mailchimp alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Forward Email | notifuse | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 62/100 | 58/100 |
| Rank in category | #18 of 106 in Email | #5 of 12 in Marketing Automation |
| GitHub stars | 1 694 | 2 265 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +48 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 89 | 25 |
| Latest release | v2.18.12 · 28 Oct 2026 | v42.1 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Forward Email scores 62/100 against 58/100 for notifuse, so it is the safer default.
Forward Email ships more often: 89 stable releases in the past year, against 25 for notifuse.
If you want the quickest setup, notifuse is easier to run; Forward Email needs more configuration.
notifuse is growing faster right now (+48 stars in 30 days).
Forward Email details →notifuse details → All Mailchimp alternatives →