ForwardThis
ForwardThisvscarly

ForwardThis vs Carly

Carly and ForwardThis both work by email, but they solve different problems. Carly is an assistant you CC into a thread: she handles the scheduling back-and-forth, manages your calendar, and runs agents that keep working after you stop. ForwardThis is not an assistant. You forward an email, write what you need done in your business apps, and it happens once, with a confirmation and an undo. If you want your meetings booked and a helper in your threads, you probably want Carly. If you want one-off admin done safely in the tools you already run, you want ForwardThis.

ForwardThis and Carly, side by side

How it works

CarlyYou CC Carly on a thread, or email her agents
ForwardThisYou forward an email with instructions. Nothing is built

Setup

CarlyConnect calendars, then configure agents for more
ForwardThisNone. Sign up, verify your email, forward

Runs without you

CarlyYes. Agents watch inboxes and run on schedules
ForwardThisNo. It only acts on emails you send it

Meeting scheduling

CarlyCore strength: books meetings over email and SMS
ForwardThisCreates calendar events; does not negotiate times

Pricing unit

CarlyPer credit: AI work draws down a monthly allowance
ForwardThisPer action: one email is one action, back-and-forth included

Free plan

Carly10 simple workflows and calendar tools, no credits
ForwardThis10 actions a month, every feature

Paid from

Carly$35 a month for 200 credits
ForwardThis$15 a month for 100 actions

Apps

Carly258+
ForwardThis144+

Undo

CarlyNone advertised once an agent has acted
ForwardThisUndo for 24 hours on reversible work

Carly pricing and limits checked 1 September 2026.

Which one fits how you work?

Choose Carly if

  • You want the meeting booked for you. Carly handles the whole back-and-forth over email and SMS until a time is found.

  • You want an assistant who takes part in your threads. CC her on an email and she replies to the other people on it.

  • You want work that continues after you stop. Carly's agents watch inboxes, run on schedules and follow up with leads.

  • You want to build a custom agent with its own name, email address and permissions, and teach it your policies.

Choose ForwardThis if

  • Your job is a one-off with consequences: log the deal, file the contract, update the record. ForwardThis does it once and confirms.

  • You want nothing running unattended. The only trigger is the email you forward, so nothing acts on your accounts overnight.

  • You want a way back. ForwardThis can undo reversible work for 24 hours after it is done.

  • You'd rather count jobs than credits. One forwarded email is one action, however long the exchange gets, and the free plan has every feature.

What a single forwarded email does

The trigger is the email you forward. There is no editor and nothing to design in advance. This whole job is one email.

You forward

Tom Okafor

Enquiry: office refurb, budget around £40k

refurb-brief.pdf

Your instructions

Add this to Pipedrive as a new lead with the budget, save the brief to the leads folder, and set a follow-up task for Thursday.

  • Pipedrive

    Create the lead

    Office refurb, £40k budget

  • Google Drive

    File refurb-brief.pdf

    Leads / Okafor Partners

  • Todoist

    Set the follow-up task

    Thursday 3 September

You receive a confirmation email once complete, with an undo button that works for 24 hours.

Get started

Setup in 30 seconds.

What is ForwardThis?

ForwardThis is an AI email assistant that turns email into action in 144+ of the apps you use every day.

  • Works with any email

    Compatible with any personal or professional email provider. Gmail, Outlook and more.

  • 144+ apps

    Works across the apps you already use, with more added every month.

  • Setup in seconds

    Nothing to install and no workflows to build. Sign up, forward an email, and it runs.

  • Secure & private

    ForwardThis only acts on the emails you send it, and the email is deleted within 24 hours of the work being done.

Try it with a real email.

Forward any email to the address below to see what ForwardThis can do. No signup required.

Occasional product emails may follow.

Workflows from this page, ready to run

FAQs

Is ForwardThis a Carly alternative?
For the ops side of your inbox, yes. The enquiry above becomes a lead with its budget, a filed brief and a follow-up task from one forwarded email, with undo on reversible work. For scheduling, no. Carly negotiates meeting times over a thread and ForwardThis deliberately does not.
Can ForwardThis schedule meetings like Carly does?
Not in the way Carly means it. Forward an email that contains a time and ForwardThis will put the event in your calendar. It will not email the other person, offer slots, or handle the back-and-forth until a time is agreed. That negotiation is Carly's home ground.
How does the pricing actually compare?
The units differ. Carly's Personal plan is $35 a month and includes 200 credits, which AI work draws down. A ForwardThis action is one email from you, however many things it asks for, at $15 a month for 100 actions. Carly's free tier covers simple workflows and calendar tools without the assistant; the ForwardThis free plan is 10 full actions a month with every feature.
Does either tool watch my inbox?
Carly can. Her agents monitor incoming email, sort it, and act on schedules, which is much of her value. ForwardThis never sees your inbox at all. It only receives the individual emails you choose to forward, and nothing else reaches it.
Which one has more integrations?
On the raw count, Carly lists 258+ against 144+ for ForwardThis. Carly wins on count. ForwardThis covers the everyday tools; if one app decides it for you, look it up on both sites.
Can I use both?
Yes, and the split is natural. Carly for scheduling and for agents that work your inbox and pipeline on their own. ForwardThis for the one-off jobs you want done deliberately, with a confirmation email and 24 hours of undo. They act on different emails, so they never collide.

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