Email Monster vs Forward Email: features and pricing
Last reviewed: 25 September 2026
Forward Email wins if you already own a domain and want fully open source forwarding with the ability to send from it. Email Monster wins if you do not own a domain and want a ready made personal subdomain with unlimited aliases and a newsletter digest included.
Forward Email routes mail sent to your own custom domain into your real inbox, and requires you to bring that domain yourself. Email Monster instead gives you a ready made subdomain of eml.monster, so you can start creating aliases immediately without owning or configuring a domain.
Feature comparison
| Criteria | Email Monster | Forward Email |
|---|---|---|
| Price (paid) | $6.99/year or $2.99/month | $3/month for send and receive |
| Free tier | Yes, 40 forwarded emails a month | Yes, receive only, cannot send |
| Alias limit | Unlimited, made up on first use | Unlimited on your own domain |
| Custom domain | No, personal subdomain only | Required, you must own a domain |
| Reply from alias | No | Yes, via SMTP on the paid plan |
| Sender blocking | Yes, per alias | Yes, spam protection per alias |
| Newsletter digest | Yes, weekly or daily | No |
| Browser extension | No | No, desktop and mobile apps instead |
| Open source | No | Yes, fully open source |
| Jurisdiction | Not published | Forward Email LLC, exact headquarters not disclosed |
| Best for | People without their own domain | People who already own a domain |
Facts verified on 25 September 2026 against Forward Email's public pricing page.
Where Forward Email wins
Forward Email is fully open source and, on its Enhanced Protection plan at $3 a month, lets you send and reply as your own domain through SMTP, something Email Monster does not support at any price. If you already own a domain and want to run your own branded addresses, Forward Email is built for that.
Where Email Monster wins
Email Monster needs no domain purchase or DNS setup; you get a subdomain immediately and start making aliases. Its free plan supports 40 forwarded emails a month, and Premium at $6.99 a year adds a newsletter digest, a feature Forward Email does not offer.
Who should pick which
Pick Forward Email if you already own a domain, want open source code, and want to send mail as that domain. Pick Email Monster if you do not want to buy or manage a domain and just want disposable aliases with a newsletter digest, ready in minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my own domain to use Forward Email?
Yes, Forward Email requires you to own a domain before you can create addresses on it. Email Monster gives you a ready made subdomain, so no domain purchase is required.
Can I send email, not just receive it, with Forward Email's free plan?
No, Forward Email's free plan only receives mail. Sending and replying requires the $3 a month Enhanced Protection plan. Email Monster's free plan also only forwards, not sends, at 40 emails a month.
Which is more open, Forward Email or Email Monster?
Forward Email describes itself as 100% open source. Email Monster is not open source. If open source code is a requirement for you, Forward Email is the better fit.
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No credit card required. Unlimited aliases on your own subdomain.