AnonAddy vs Mailpile
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?
AnonAddy
Email forwarding service for creating aliases
VS
Mailpile
Privacy-focused, searchable email client
| Feature | AnonAddy | Mailpile |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,789 | ★ 8,825 |
| First released | 2026 | 2013 |
| Replaces | — | Gmail |
Why pick each one
Choose AnonAddy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Choose Mailpile if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 8.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is AnonAddy or Mailpile better?
Neither is universally better. Mailpile has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AnonAddy and Mailpile free and open-source?
Yes. AnonAddy is licensed under MIT and Mailpile under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AnonAddy and Mailpile with Docker?
AnonAddy: yes. Mailpile: check the project docs for container support.