Claws Mail vs Betterbird
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Claws Mail | Betterbird |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 983 |
| First released | 2001 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Outlook | Microsoft Outlook |
What are Claws Mail and Betterbird?
Claws Mail
Claws Mail is a fast, lightweight, and highly configurable email client built with GTK. It supports IMAP, POP3, and a wide range of plugins for extending its functionality.
- Fast lightweight client
- IMAP and POP3 support
- Extensive plugin system
- Highly configurable
Betterbird
Betterbird is a fine-tuned fork of Mozilla Thunderbird that ships additional features and fixes ahead of upstream. It is a desktop email, calendar, and contacts client that connects to your own mail servers.
- Thunderbird-based client
- Extra features and fixes
- Email, calendar, and contacts
- Cross-platform
Claws Mail vs Betterbird: key differences
Claws Mail is written in C, while Betterbird is built with Shell. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Claws Mail versus MPL-2.0 for Betterbird. Claws Mail is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Betterbird. Claws Mail is the more established project (first released 2001), while Betterbird arrived in 2022. Betterbird has the considerably larger community, at 983 GitHub stars versus 200.
Why pick each one
Choose Claws Mail if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Betterbird if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Claws Mail or Betterbird better?
Neither is universally better. Betterbird has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Claws Mail and Betterbird free and open-source?
Yes. Claws Mail is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Betterbird under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Claws Mail and Betterbird with Docker?
Claws Mail: check the project docs for container support. Betterbird: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Claws Mail or Betterbird?
Claws Mail has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Betterbird. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.