Open Source
Open Source
FreeCustom.Email follows an open-core model. Core components are open source and available for inspection and self-hosting. The hosted platform includes additional infrastructure, performance optimizations, and advanced developer tooling.
01 — Our Repositories
Two repositories that provide the functional foundation for our community edition. Explore the core email receiving and UI code.
Backend · Maildrop
DishIs/fce-backend
The core engine powering FreeCustom.Email. A multi-service Node.js + TypeScript application that handles everything from receiving emails via a custom Haraka SMTP server to managing user accounts, real-time WebSocket updates, and API requests.
Stack
Node.js · TypeScript · Docker · Haraka SMTP · MongoDB · Redis · WebSockets
Highlights
High-performance smtp-fast engine
Microservices architecture
Docker Compose one-command deploy
Public REST API at /api/playground
Frontend · UI
DishIs/fce-frontend
The open-source Next.js frontend powering FreeCustom.Email's UI. Blazing fast, fully ad-free, and built to score near-perfect on PageSpeed. Plug it into our public API or your own self-hosted backend.
Stack
Next.js · TypeScript · Tailwind CSS · NextAuth.js · React
Highlights
95–100 PageSpeed score out of the box
Zero ads, zero trackers
Connect to public API or self-host
Fully customisable branding & themes
02 — How We Compare
Most temp mail services treat privacy as an afterthought — or worse, as a product to monetise. Here's how FreeCustom.Email stacks up against the most popular alternatives.
| Feature | FCE | Mailinator | Guerrilla | temp-mail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Open Core Architecture Core UI and basic inbox logic are public on GitHub. | ||||
Zero Ads No ad networks, no tracking pixels for advertising. | ||||
No User Tracking We collect only aggregate, non-identifiable analytics. | ||||
No Data Selling We explicitly do not sell personal information (CCPA compliant). | ? | |||
Self-Hostable Deploy your own instance with Docker Compose. | ||||
Public REST API Available at freecustom.email/api and /api/playground. | ||||
Custom Inbox Names Pick your own inbox name, no random strings. | ||||
Real-Time Updates WebSocket-powered live inbox — no manual refresh. |
Competitor data is based on publicly available information and our best assessment at the time of writing. Features may change — always verify with each provider directly.
03 — Open Core Architecture
🔓 Community Edition
- Frontend UI
- Basic inbox & email receiving
- Simple OTP extraction
- Self-hostable setup
🔒 Hosted Platform
- Auth Flow Debugger (timeline + events)
- Real-time WebSocket updates
- OTP intelligence (confidence + parsing)
- Insights & failure detection
- Scalability & infra optimizations
Important Note: The open-source repositories provide a functional foundation. The hosted platform extends this with production-grade infrastructure and advanced debugging capabilities designed for developers and teams.
Want to contribute?
Bug reports, pull requests, and ideas are all welcome. Check the contributing guide in each repository to get started.