Comparison

MailCat vs SMS Forwarder

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MailCat

This app helps organize your inbox by automatically categorizing emails using machine learning and custom rules. It can filter spam and move messages to designated mailboxes, supporting IMAP accounts.

Highlights
  • Machine learning spam filtering
  • Rule-based email categorization
  • IMAP account support
  • Move emails to specified mailboxes
  • Blacklist and spam learning data
  • Multiple account switching
Features
Read full description

■MailCat is a Mail Categorizer: MailCat is a Mail Categorization App.
 MailCat has two kinds of categorization method --- a machine learning categorization and a rule based categorization.
MailCat can filter out spams from the incoming mail messages by the machine learning categorizer,
and move mail messages to the specified mailbox by rules. MailCat has no mail sending facility and has only support for IMAP. POP/SMS/MMS are not supported. ■How to connect to an IMAP mail server: To connect an IMAP mail server, just specify your full email address as your login name(username) and the password you log in to your account. If you don't know your login name/password, contact an organization or personnel in charge of the IMAP mail server to get a hostname, user id(name), password. ■Basic operation: * Pull down to Refresh/Long Press to reload&spam filtering * Push up to download older mails at the bottom of message lists *Tap/Swipe to switch accounts Tapping/Swiping the navigation bar of the Mailbox list switches the account if multiple accounts are available. * Tap/Swipe to move around mailboxes (among 'Quick View List') * Move/Delete/Mark mail messages by the toolbar on the navigation bar * Tap/Swipe the navigation bar to turn over mail messages * Add a mail to the blacklist/spam learning data by swiping *Tap a Tab bar to switch the rule view. There are 4 views to show the rules for ‘Sender’, ’Subject’, ‘Message’, ‘Compound’. ■Spam filtering: MailCat generates a spam filter by learning from spam and ham messages in INBOX. Just follow the steps, you can have your own spam filter. 1. Tap 'Edit' button in Monitor. 2. Pick up several mail messages by tapping each table cell. 3. Tap "SPAM" button on the command bar. 4. Likewise pick up mails, and "HAM" button on the command bar. 5. "Pull down to Refresh" or "Long press on the navigation bar" triggers Machine learning, then a spam filter will be generated. 6. Repeat the steps(1-5) until the number of spams and hams reaches about 16. 7. After learning 16 spams and 16 hams, MailCat starts judging which mail is spam or not. 8. Check the filtering result on Monitor. 9. Correct errors and 'Pull down to Refresh" or "Long press( 2sec) on the navigation bar", re-learning starts and your spam filter gets smarter. Repeat the steps(8-9) until no errors are found. ■Mail Rules: There are 4 conditional fields for mail rules --- sender, subject, message, compound. Mail rules are only applied for 'INBOX'. To edit or create a mail rule, tap 'Edit' button on the Mailbox list. The selection menu appears, choose 'Rule'. Mail rules for ‘Sender’ will appear. Tap a Tab bar to switch a view . ■Other usage: Please visit support page. http://www.seimitsusakufu.com/iOS/mailapps/en/support.html ■Support: To get a further support , contact through the following mail address. support_seimitsu@jcom.home.ne.jp

About

SMS Forwarder

Automatically forward SMS messages to various platforms like email, Telegram, Slack, and more. This app ensures you never miss important texts, including OTPs and 2FA codes, with on-device processing for complete privacy. Set up custom rules to filter and route messages to any device or service.

Highlights
  • Forward SMS to Email
  • Forward OTP & 2FA codes
  • Business SMS forwarding
  • Forward SMS while traveling
  • Remote work & multi-device support
  • Forward to 8 platforms
  • Smart SMS filtering & rules
Features
Read full description

SMS Forwarder is the easiest text message forwarding app for iPhone. Automatically forward SMS to Email, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, another phone number, or any custom webhook. Set up once and receive text messages on any device, anywhere. 100% PRIVATE — ON-DEVICE SMS FORWARDING Your messages never leave your iPhone. SMS Forwarder processes everything on-device with zero data stored on external servers. No tracking, no analytics — you stay in full control of your data. WHY CHOOSE SMS FORWARDER? - Forward SMS to Email Automatically forward text messages to your inbox. Perfect for keeping records of bank notifications, order confirmations, and important texts. - Forward OTP & 2FA Verification Codes Receive one-time passwords and 2FA verification codes on your laptop or work computer. Never miss time-sensitive SMS codes again. - Business SMS Forwarding Forward client messages to Slack, Discord, or Microsoft Teams instantly. Keep your team in the loop without sharing your personal phone number. - Forward SMS While Traveling Access text messages from your second phone or local SIM card while abroad. Stay connected to important SMS notifications globally. - Remote Work & Multi-Device Forward text messages to any device. Receive important SMS notifications on your computer, tablet, or another phone wherever you are. FORWARD SMS TO 8 PLATFORMS Email • Telegram • Slack • Discord • Microsoft Teams • WhatsApp • Another Phone • Custom API/Webhook SMART SMS FILTERING & FORWARDING RULES • Create unlimited text message forwarding rules • Filter SMS by sender name, phone number, or message content • Schedule forwarding for specific days and time ranges • Test SMS forwarding before activating POPULAR SMS FORWARDING USE CASES • Forward bank SMS notifications to email for record-keeping • Receive 2FA verification codes on your work computer • Auto forward delivery and order updates to Telegram • Route customer text messages to your Slack workspace • Forward OTP codes to another device while traveling abroad • Share appointment reminders with family via WhatsApp • Integrate SMS into business automation via webhooks and API HOW SMS FORWARDING WORKS 1. Create a forwarding rule — choose which text messages to forward and where 2. Set filters — filter by sender, message content, or schedule (optional) 3. Set up iOS Shortcuts — follow our simple video guide, and you're done PRICING Free: Try SMS forwarding with a limited number of messages Premium: Unlimited text message forwarding to all platforms Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled 24+ hours before the period ends. Manage in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Download SMS Forwarder now and stop missing important text messages. Video tutorials and support available in-app. Privacy Policy: https://smsforwardingapp.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://smsforwardingapp.com/terms

Screenshots

MailCat4 screens
SMS Forwarder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SMS Forwarder at Free against MailCat's $3.99. SMS Forwarder also leads on rating (4.4 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). MailCat's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

SMS Forwarder is free to download; MailCat costs $3.99 up front. SMS Forwarder sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. MailCat asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SMS Forwarder holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SMS Forwarder has 46 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of MailCat's written reviews are positive against 30% of SMS Forwarder's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MailCat ships an update every 4 months, SMS Forwarder every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
MailCat versus SMS Forwarder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMailCatSMS Forwarder
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.4 (46 ratings) — better
Positive reviews13.0% of reviews30.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings146 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.616.6
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeimitsusakufu LLCAlexey Sakharov

Customer experience

MailCat

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive13.0%
Neutral13.0%
Negative73.9%

SMS Forwarder

All ratings36 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative13.9%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

None

MailCat

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

SMS Forwarder

Subscriptions4
  • Pro Version3 Days trial2 variants$7.997 Days
  • Pro Version7 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Pro Version7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Version7 Days trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is MailCat free?
MailCat costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SMS Forwarder free?
SMS Forwarder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MailCat or SMS Forwarder?
SMS Forwarder is rated higher. MailCat averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SMS Forwarder averages 4.4 from 46 ratings.
Do MailCat or SMS Forwarder have ads?
Neither MailCat nor SMS Forwarder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MailCat or SMS Forwarder?
MailCat ships an update every 4 months, and SMS Forwarder every 2 weeks. Most recently, MailCat was updated on November 1, 2026 and SMS Forwarder on November 9, 2026.

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