Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Surfer VS ForthWrite

Compare Surfer VS ForthWrite and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Surfer logo Surfer

Surf News, Fantasy Surfer, Photos, Video and Forecasting.

ForthWrite logo ForthWrite

Email that sounds like you, and gets measurably more like you every week. Drafts in Gmail, Outlook, and the browser. Free to start.
Visit Website
  • Surfer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-24
  • ForthWrite Landing Page
    Landing Page //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Dashboard
    Dashboard //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite In Gmail
    In Gmail //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Pricing
    Pricing //
    2026-06-19

ForthWrite is an AI email writing assistant for Gmail and Outlook that learns your writing style from your real sent mail. The more you use it, the more it sounds like you. Get smart drafts in seconds, auto-draft replies before you open your inbox, and maintain your personal voice at scale. Free to start, no credit card required. Works inside Gmail and Outlook on the web.

How it works

ForthWrite captures your tone, sentence rhythm, and sign-offs from your actual sent emails, then uses that profile to generate drafts that match how you write, not a generic AI voice. Every draft you edit or send improves the model over time.

Key features

  • Auto-draft: replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Voice matching from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Recipient-aware drafts that adapt to who you are emailing
  • Prompt Lab for version-controlling and A/B testing your persona prompt
  • BYOK support: bring your own API key for Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Works in Gmail and Outlook on the web, plus a standalone browser widget
  • Training data export and full data portability

Who uses it

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, founders, and anyone who wants their inbox handled without sounding like a chatbot wrote it.

Pricing

Free tier includes 10 drafts per week with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $12/month and include unlimited drafts, custom persona prompts, and auto-draft.

Surfer

Website
github.com
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

ForthWrite

$ Details
freemium $12.0 / Monthly (Standard plan)
Platforms
Web
Release Date
2026 June
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
City
San Diego
Founder(s)
Curtis Boortz
Employees
1 - 9

Surfer features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Surfer provides a clean and intuitive web interface which makes it easy for users to upload, manage, and share files effortlessly.
  • Self-Hosted
    Being a self-hosted solution, Surfer gives users full control over their data, ensuring that sensitive information is kept private and secure.
  • Open Source
    Surfer is open source, allowing users to review, modify, and contribute to the codebase, thereby fostering community collaboration and transparency.
  • Integrated Authentication
    Surfer supports Cloudronโ€™s authentication system, providing seamless user management and secure access to the application.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    The application is built to work smoothly across various platforms and devices, enhancing accessibility and usability.

Possible disadvantages of Surfer

  • Dependency on Cloudron
    Surferโ€™s integration with Cloudron can be a limitation for users who do not utilize Cloudron, potentially adding an extra layer of dependency.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some commercial file-sharing and management tools, Surfer may lack certain advanced features and customizations.
  • Resource Requirement
    As a self-hosted solution, running Surfer requires server resources, making it less ideal for users with limited server capacity or technical expertise.
  • Initial Setup and Maintenance
    Setting up and maintaining Surfer might require a basic understanding of server management and Linux commands, posing a challenge for novice users.
  • Scalability Concerns
    While suitable for small to medium setups, Surfer might face scalability issues when handling a large number of users and files.

ForthWrite features and specs

  • Voice Matching
    Learns from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Auto-draft replies
    Replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Batch-drafting
    Draft replies for your entire inbox with one click
  • Works in browser
    Gmail, Outlook, and web browsers
  • BYOK support
    Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Prompt Lab
    Version control and A/B test your persona prompt
  • Free tier
    10 drafts per week, no credit card required

Analysis of Surfer

Overall verdict

  • Surfer is considered a good tool for those looking for a minimalistic and efficient way to serve static files. Its open-source nature allows for customization and contributions from the community, which can be a significant advantage for users needing specific features or improvements.

Why this product is good

  • Surfer is a self-hosted static file server that is commonly praised for its simplicity, ease of use, and lightweight nature. It allows users to easily deploy and serve static files effortlessly. Additionally, its support for directory listings and file metadata adds to its functionality, making it a convenient tool for developers who need a straightforward solution for serving static files.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a simple and efficient static file server.
  • Teams needing a lightweight self-hosted solution for serving static assets.
  • Individuals or organizations prioritizing open-source tools that can be customized or enhanced as needed.

Analysis of ForthWrite

Overall verdict

  • I don't have verified information about a product called ForthWrite (forthwrite.ai). I cannot confirm its features, quality, or reputation, so I'm unable to provide an accurate assessment of whether it's good.

Why this product is good

  • No reliable data available on this specific product in my knowledge base
  • This may be a newer product, a niche tool, or possibly a fictional/hypothetical name
  • Providing details without verified information could result in inaccurate or fabricated claims

Recommended for

  • Unable to determine without verified product information
  • Consider checking the official website, user reviews on platforms like G2 or Trustpilot, and independent tech review sites for accurate details

Surfer videos

Pro Surfer Reviews Surf Movies, from 'Blue Crush' to 'Point Break' | Vanity Fair

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Surfer SEO Review 2020 [๐ŸšจFULL Tutorial & ๐Ÿ‘‰ How to SkyRocket Your Rankingsโ—๏ธ]
  • Review - Surfer Girl Haircare Routine

ForthWrite videos

No ForthWrite videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Surfer and ForthWrite)
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Email
0 0%
100% 100
Simulation Software
100 100%
0% 0
Email Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Surfer and ForthWrite.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Next.js, React, Supabase, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Stripe, Vercel, Chrome Extensions API

What makes your product unique?

ForthWrite's answer:

ForthWrite learns your writing style from your actual sent mail, not a generic prompt. Every draft sounds like you wrote it because it was trained on how you actually write. It also auto-drafts replies before you open your inbox, so your email is partially handled before your day starts.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

ForthWrite's answer:

Most AI email tools give you a blank box and a "write for me" button. ForthWrite builds a voice profile from your sent history and gets more accurate with every draft you edit or send. Unlike ChatGPT or Gemini, it works natively inside Gmail and Outlook with no copy-paste. Unlike Lavender, it writes the draft, not just scores it.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email and cannot afford to sound generic: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, consultants, and founders managing their own inbox.

What's the story behind your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Built out of frustration with AI writing tools that produce text that sounds nothing like the person sending it, and as a way to handle large amounts of daily email. The core insight was that your sent mail is the best training data you already have, and no tool was using it.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Surfer and ForthWrite

Surfer Reviews

We have no reviews of Surfer yet.
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ForthWrite Reviews

  1. curtisboortz
    ยท Founder at ForthWrite ยท
    I built ForthWrite to fix generic AI email, and I still use it every day

    I built ForthWrite because I kept sending emails that sounded like they came from the same generic AI as everyone else. After launching it, I still use it for my own inbox every day, which is about the most honest endorsement I can give.

    The Chrome extension lives inside Gmail and Outlook on the web. Open a thread, hit Alt+Shift+D, and a draft comes back in your voice, not a template. The free tier is real: 10 drafts per week, no API key, no credit card. Voice matching is included on free, because that is the point.

    What keeps it useful compared to Gemini or a chat tab: it learns from what you actually send. Every edit you make before hitting send becomes a signal. Over time the drafts drift closer to how you really write, and the dashboard shows the improvement curve so you can see it happening.

    The web compose surface lets you draft from forthwrite.ai without installing anything, useful for people who want to try before committing to the extension.

    Standard adds recipient-aware and intent-aware drafting plus AI coaching. Pro adds auto-draft (replies waiting when you open Gmail), batch replies, and Prompt Lab for version-controlling your prompts. Teams adds a shared persona and seat-level analytics.

    ForthWrite is not for everyone. If you just need quick replies and tone does not matter, Gemini is free and already in your inbox. ForthWrite is for people where tone does matter: client communication, relationship-driven threads, external correspondence where sounding off costs something real.

    Disclosure: I am the founder and use it daily. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Jace.ai, Fyxer, Mailmeteor
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Drafts land inside gmail and outlook; no copy-pasting from a chat window|Voice matching is on the free tier, not paywalled behind paid plans|No api key, no credit card to start; free tier runs on a server-side proxy|Learns from every edit you make before sending; drafts improve over time|Full keyboard flow: alt+shift+d to draft in any thread, no mouse required|Byok on paid plans, 9 providers supported, keys encrypted at rest|Web compose at forthwrite.ai works without installing the extension at all
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    10 free drafts/week is enough to evaluate, not enough for a heavy inbox|Auto-draft, batch replies, and prompt lab all require the pro tier|Early-stage product; fewer third-party integrations than mature inbox tools|No mobile app: the extension and add-in are desktop-only (chrome on web, or the outlook desktop add-in)

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Surfer seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Surfer mentions (1)

  • How to host a static website on Kubernetes with Nginx Ingress?
    I used Surfer for a little while to do static file hosting on Digital Ocean K8s. Set the backend file hosting up on spaces, with nginx as the ingress. Source: almost 4 years ago

ForthWrite mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ForthWrite yet. Tracking of ForthWrite recommendations started around Jun 2026.

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