alot vs meli
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | alot | meli |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 77 · Good |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 749 | ★ 891 |
| First released | 2011 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Mutt | Mutt, NeoMutt |
What are alot and meli?
alot
alot is a terminal mail user agent built on the notmuch tagging mail system, offering a thread-centric interface for reading and composing email. It is well suited to self-hosted mail setups using notmuch.
- Terminal mail agent for notmuch
- Thread-centric interface
- Tag-based mail navigation
meli
meli is a terminal mail user agent written in Rust, supporting IMAP, Maildir, mbox, and notmuch backends with a configurable, modern interface. It works with any self-hosted mail server.
- Terminal mail client in Rust
- IMAP, Maildir, mbox, notmuch
- Configurable modern interface
alot vs meli: key differences
Alot is written in Python, while meli is built with Rust. Alot is the more established project (first released 2011), while meli arrived in 2017.
Why pick each one
Choose alot if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose meli if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is alot or meli better?
Neither is universally better. meli has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are alot and meli free and open-source?
Yes. alot is licensed under GPL-3.0 and meli under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run alot and meli with Docker?
alot: check the project docs for container support. meli: check the project docs for container support.