alot vs Sup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | alot | Sup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 74 · Good |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 749 | ★ 971 |
| First released | 2011 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Mutt | Mutt |
What are alot and Sup?
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
Sup
Sup is a console-based email client that provides a fast, tag-based interface inspired by web mail and search engines. It indexes large mailboxes and works well with self-hosted IMAP or Maildir accounts.
- Console threaded email client
- Fast tag-based search
- Handles large mailboxes
alot vs Sup: key differences
Alot is written in Python, while Sup is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for alot versus GPL-2.0 for Sup. Alot is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Sup. Sup is the more established project (first released 2007), while alot arrived in 2011.
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 Sup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Ruby
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is alot or Sup better?
Neither is universally better. Sup has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are alot and Sup free and open-source?
Yes. alot is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run alot and Sup with Docker?
alot: check the project docs for container support. Sup: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, alot or Sup?
alot has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Sup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.