Open WebMail review
A free, focused webmail option for administrators running their own mail servers.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Open WebMail is a free, open-source webmail system for administrators operating self-hosted mail servers. It provides browser-based email access with message composition, folders, attachments, full-content search with regular-expression support, filtering rules, a vCard-compatible address book, and a calendar with reminders and notifications. Its unified inbox support and ability to retrieve mail from multiple POP3 accounts make it suited to basic centralized mail access through a browser.
Deployment is aimed at administrators rather than individual users looking for a hosted mailbox. Open WebMail supports Apache with CGI and Perl, can relay messages through SMTP, and connects with external SpamAssassin and ClamAV services. Its integration surface also includes LDAP, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and PAM. These options fit environments where mail delivery, authentication, storage, and filtering are already managed across self-hosted infrastructure. The setup model is therefore a better match for technically managed servers than for teams seeking a ready-to-use cloud client.
The product’s strength is focused coverage: email, search, filtering, attachments, contacts, calendar tools, and server-side integrations are combined in a web interface. That scope should suit self-hosters who want straightforward open-source webmail without a commercial plan structure. It is less suitable for people who need a desktop or mobile application, offline access, or send-later workflows. Buyers seeking a broader multi-platform email client should choose a product built around those capabilities instead, while administrators prioritizing browser access on their own mail servers may find Open WebMail a practical fit.
Open WebMail pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free and open source under the GNU General Public License
- Search, filters, attachments, address book, and calendar tools
- Integrates with POP3, SMTP, SpamAssassin, ClamAV, LDAP, and databases
- Where it doesn't
- Requires a self-hosted mail server and administrator-managed deployment
- Browser-based access does not provide desktop or mobile clients
- Focused webmail scope lacks offline and send-later features
Open WebMail fact sheet, pricing and score →
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