aerc vs Cypht
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Cypht
Lightweight webmail aggregator for many accounts
| Feature | aerc | Cypht |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | LGPL-2.1 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,300 | ★ 1,735 |
| First released | 2019 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook | Gmail, Outlook Web |
What are aerc and Cypht?
aerc
aerc is an email client for the terminal designed for power users, with support for multiple accounts, embedded terminal, and a tab-based workflow. It handles IMAP, Maildir, JMAP, and notmuch backends.
- Terminal email client
- Multiple account support
- IMAP, JMAP, and notmuch
- Embedded terminal viewer
Cypht
Cypht is a webmail client that combines email from multiple IMAP, POP3, and SMTP accounts plus RSS feeds into a single unified interface. It is lightweight and privacy-conscious.
- Aggregates multiple email accounts
- Combined inbox view
- RSS feed integration
- Modular plugin system
aerc vs Cypht: key differences
Aerc is written in Go, while Cypht is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for aerc versus LGPL-2.1 for Cypht. Aerc is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Cypht. Cypht is the more established project (first released 2015), while aerc arrived in 2019. Cypht lists first-class Docker deployment; aerc does not.
Why pick each one
Choose aerc if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Cypht if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Watch out for
- Less polished than Roundcube
- Setup needs configuration
Frequently asked questions
Is aerc or Cypht better?
Neither is universally better. aerc has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are aerc and Cypht free and open-source?
Yes. aerc is licensed under MIT and Cypht under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run aerc and Cypht with Docker?
aerc: check the project docs for container support. Cypht: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, aerc or Cypht?
aerc has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Cypht. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.