Forward EmailvsPostal
Two self-hosted Sendgrid alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Forward Email | Postal | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 62/100 | 72/100 |
| Rank in category | #18 of 106 in Email | #3 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 1 694 | 16 898 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +74 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 89 | 3 |
| Latest release | v2.18.12 · 28 Oct 2026 | 3.3.7 · 3 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | JavaScript | Ruby |
Which one should you pick?
Postal scores 72/100 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 3 for Postal.
Postal is growing faster right now (+74 stars in 30 days).
Forward Email details →Postal details → All Sendgrid alternatives →
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