AnonAddy vs MailCatcher
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
MailCatcher
Catch-all SMTP server for inspecting test email
| Feature | AnonAddy | MailCatcher |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,789 | ★ 6,774 |
| First released | 2026 | 2010 |
| Replaces | — | Mailtrap |
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 MailCatcher if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is AnonAddy or MailCatcher better?
MailCatcher is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider AnonAddy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are AnonAddy and MailCatcher free and open-source?
Yes. AnonAddy is licensed under MIT and MailCatcher under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AnonAddy and MailCatcher with Docker?
AnonAddy: yes. MailCatcher: yes.