Gmail vs Forward Email
Gmail is an MCP server published by Sallytion. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Forward Email is an MCP server published by forwardemail.net. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-16. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Gmail |  Forward Email |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:9d806c6ba375 Forks (GitHub): 9 Stars (GitHub): 12 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.7 Downloads/month (npm): 479 Downloads/week (npm): 80 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 2 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Gmail | Forward Email |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 12 (better) | 2 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 9 (better) | 5 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (yashtekwani/gmail-mcp) | On your machine (@forwardemail/mcp-server) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 3 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 6, secrets among them: 1 | 3, secrets among them: 2 |
| Licence | Not stated | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/sallytion/gmail-mcp | github.com/forwardemail/mcp-server |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Gmail
A Model Context Protocol server for Gmail operations using IMAP/SMTP with app password authentication. Supports listing messages, searching emails, and sending messages. To create your app password, visit your Google Account settings under Security > App Passwords. Or visit the link https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.
Forward Email
Privacy-focused email: domains, DNS verification, aliases, SMTP sending, mailboxes and calendars.
How to run each
Gmail As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "EMAIL_PASSWORD=<YOUR_EMAIL_PASSWORD>" --transport stdio gmail-mcp -- docker run -i --rm -e EMAIL_PASSWORD yashtekwani/gmail-mcpRequires: EMAIL_PASSWORD (secret)
Forward Email As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD=<YOUR_FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD>" --env "FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY=<YOUR_FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY>" --transport stdio forward-email -- npx -y @forwardemail/mcp-serverRequires: FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD (secret), FORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Forward Email publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Only Gmail asks for
EMAIL_ADDRESSEMAIL_PASSWORD (secret)IMAP_HOSTIMAP_PORTSMTP_HOSTSMTP_PORT
Only Forward Email asks for
FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_PASSWORD (secret)FORWARD_EMAIL_ALIAS_USERFORWARD_EMAIL_API_KEY (secret)
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Gmail · What it can do: Forward Email · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.