aerc vs Mail-in-a-Box
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
aerc
Efficient terminal-based email client
VS
Mail-in-a-Box
Turn a fresh server into a working mail server
| Feature | aerc | Mail-in-a-Box |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | CC0-1.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,300 | ★ 15,385 |
| First released | 2019 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
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
Frequently asked questions
Is aerc or Mail-in-a-Box better?
Mail-in-a-Box is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider aerc if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are aerc and Mail-in-a-Box free and open-source?
Yes. aerc is licensed under MIT and Mail-in-a-Box under CC0-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run aerc and Mail-in-a-Box with Docker?
aerc: check the project docs for container support. Mail-in-a-Box: check the project docs for container support.