FlareMail vs Reccado is hosted versus a Durable Object mailbox in your account. Reccado is self-hosted, MIT, with 4 GitHub stars. It uses Workers, one Durable Object per mailbox, R2, D1, and Queues. FlareMail does not ask you to create that layout. The codebase is not public.
Short answer: FlareMail is a web inbox for Cloudflare-powered email — a hosted inbox, while Reccado is a self-hosted Durable Object mailbox with an MCP that can draft but not send.
Cloudflare email inbox in your browser. First three domains free. Pro is $10/month for 12 domains, then $1 per extra domain. Agency is $60/month unlimited.
3 DOMAINS FREE · $10/MO PRO
Hosted inbox or a stack you operate
FlareMail is for people who already run on Cloudflare and do not want to provision the mail stack. You create an account, open the app, and connect a domain. The setup guide says about five minutes. One step sits outside the app: an Email Routing rule to the flaremail-api Worker. FlareMail operates the Worker, D1, and R2.
Reccado is the self-hosted path in this comparison. You clone it and you keep it running. That can be the right trade when the mail must live in your Cloudflare account, or when a feature below is the reason you are here.
Side by side
Same job, different operator. Price on the FlareMail side is the domain plan, not a claim that self-hosting is free.
| FlareMail | Reccado | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Hosted. Create an account and open the app. | Self-hosted. You deploy and operate it. |
| Who operates Worker, D1, and R2 | FlareMail operates the Worker, D1, and R2. | You do. |
| Setup | Connect a domain in the app. The setup guide says about five minutes, with one step outside the app: an Email Routing rule to the flaremail-api Worker. | Self-hosted. The Deploy to Cloudflare button does not seed the first mailbox. |
| Inbox | Browser inbox: read, folders, search, compose, attachments, labels, and privacy controls. | One Durable Object per mailbox, realtime WebSockets, FTS5, and multi-domain routing rules. |
| Send | Send from your domain in the same app. | Human confirm-before-send. MCP at /mcp is read, search, and draft only, with no send tool. A scoped transactional API is the exception. Arbitrary-recipient sending needs Workers Paid. Optional Telegram bridge. |
| Price | First 3 domains free. Pro is $10/month for 12 domains, then $1 per extra domain. Agency is $60/month unlimited. | You pay Cloudflare, including Workers Paid when you need arbitrary-recipient sending. 4 GitHub stars, MIT. |
What the FlareMail screen actually is
The inbox list above is the web app from this product, with obviously fake mail so the screenshot does not use a customer account. The sign-in form at app.sendwithflare.com is only the account door. It is not the inbox.
What Reccado is actually good at
Reccado’s interesting parts are realtime and restraint. WebSockets are realtime. Search uses FTS5. Routing rules are multi-domain. MCP at /mcp is read, search, and draft only, with no send tool. A human confirms before send. A scoped transactional API is the documented exception. An optional Telegram bridge is there.
The Deploy to Cloudflare button does not seed the first mailbox. Arbitrary-recipient sending needs Workers Paid. You still operate the stack after the button. That confirm-before-send split is a real design choice, not a missing button.
Which one to pick
Pick Reccado when you want the bits in your account and you will operate them. Pick FlareMail when you want the inbox without becoming the person who provisions Worker, D1, and R2.
Start on onboarding and use the setup guide. First three domains are free. Pro is $10/month for 12 domains, then $1 per extra domain. Agency is $60/month unlimited.
Other FlareMail comparisons
The same hosted-versus-self-host question, for the rest of the field:
- FlareMail vs Mailflare
- FlareMail vs Agentic Inbox
- FlareMail vs Quickinbox
- FlareMail vs Orange Inbox
- FlareMail vs Email Explorer
- FlareMail vs Postern
- FlareMail vs Doota
- FlareMail vs cf-mail
- FlareMail vs cloudflare-email
- FlareMail vs AgentBox
Create an account on onboarding, then follow the setup guide. The guide’s outside step is an Email Routing rule to the flaremail-api Worker.
FlareMail is free for your first three domains. Pro is $10/month for 12 domains, then $1 per extra domain. Agency is $60/month unlimited.
3 DOMAINS FREE · $10/MO PRO
Sources and context
- Cloudflare Email Service routes incoming emails to custom addresses, Workers, or external destinations.
- Cloudflare routing rules can send mail to an email address, send it to a Worker, or drop it.
- Cloudflare Workers can send email through send_email bindings.
- Cloudflare documents sending and routing as related but separate email setup paths.
- Cloudflare Email Routing can route mail to Workers for custom handling.
FAQ
Can Reccado’s MCP send mail?
No. MCP at /mcp is read, search, and draft only. There is no send tool. A human confirms before send, with a scoped transactional API as the exception.
Does the deploy button create the first mailbox?
No. The Deploy to Cloudflare button does not seed the first mailbox.
What does FlareMail cost?
First three domains are free. Pro is $10/month for 12 domains, then $1 per extra domain. Agency is $60/month unlimited.
Three domains free. Pro is $10/month for 12 domains, then $1 per extra domain. Agency is $60/month unlimited.
3 DOMAINS FREE · $10/MO PRO