AnonAddy vs RainLoop
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
RainLoop
Simple, modern and fast web-based email client
| Feature | AnonAddy | RainLoop |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,789 | ★ 4,120 |
| First released | 2026 | 2013 |
| Replaces | — | Gmail, Outlook Web |
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 RainLoop if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is AnonAddy or RainLoop better?
Neither is universally better. AnonAddy has the larger community, while RainLoop is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AnonAddy and RainLoop free and open-source?
Yes. AnonAddy is licensed under MIT and RainLoop under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AnonAddy and RainLoop with Docker?
AnonAddy: yes. RainLoop: yes.