# Forward Email vs plunk

> Two self-hosted [Sendgrid alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/sendgrid), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Forward Email | plunk |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 62/100 | 68/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #18 of 106 in Email | #9 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 1 694 | 5 555 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +73 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 89 ✓ | 16 |
| Latest release | v2.18.12 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.17.0 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

plunk scores 68/100 against 62/100 for Forward Email, so it is the safer default.

Forward Email ships more often: 89 stable releases in the past year, against 16 for plunk.

If you want the quickest setup, plunk is easier to run; Forward Email needs more configuration.

plunk is growing faster right now (+73 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Forward Email](https://selfhost.directory/project/forward-email) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/forward-email.md)
- [plunk](https://selfhost.directory/project/plunk) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/plunk.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/forward-email-vs-plunk