aerc vs SnappyMail
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
SnappyMail
Lightweight, fast and modern webmail client
| Feature | aerc | SnappyMail |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,300 | ★ 1,697 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook | Gmail, Outlook Web |
What are aerc and SnappyMail?
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
SnappyMail
SnappyMail is a simple, modern webmail client that is a maintained fork of RainLoop. It connects to any IMAP and SMTP server and is fast and easy to deploy.
- Fast, modern interface
- Works without a database
- Plugin support
- Connects to any IMAP/SMTP server
aerc vs SnappyMail: key differences
Aerc is written in Go, while SnappyMail is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for aerc versus AGPL-3.0 for SnappyMail. Aerc is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for SnappyMail. Aerc is the more established project (first released 2019), while SnappyMail arrived in 2021. SnappyMail 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 SnappyMail if…
- Very lightweight
- Actively maintained RainLoop fork
Watch out for
- Fewer plugins than Roundcube
- Webmail only
Frequently asked questions
Is aerc or SnappyMail better?
Neither is universally better. aerc has the larger community, while SnappyMail is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are aerc and SnappyMail free and open-source?
Yes. aerc is licensed under MIT and SnappyMail under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run aerc and SnappyMail with Docker?
aerc: check the project docs for container support. SnappyMail: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, aerc or SnappyMail?
aerc has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for SnappyMail. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.