SHSelfHostIndex

Chatmail vs Chatmail Relay

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
CH Chatmail Minimal, instant-onboarding mail server for Delta Chat VS CH Chatmail Relay Minimal email server tuned for Delta Chat messaging
FeatureChatmailChatmail Relay
CategoryMail ServersChat & Communication
LicenseMPL-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguagePythonPython
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 476★ 476
First released20232023
ReplacesWhatsAppWhatsApp, Signal

Why pick each one

Choose Chatmail if…

  • Released under the MPL-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Python
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Chatmail details

Choose Chatmail Relay if…

  • Uses open email standards
  • Hard to censor
Chatmail Relay details

Frequently asked questions

Is Chatmail or Chatmail Relay better?

Neither is universally better. Chatmail has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Chatmail and Chatmail Relay free and open-source?

Yes. Chatmail is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Chatmail Relay under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Chatmail and Chatmail Relay with Docker?

Chatmail: yes. Chatmail Relay: yes.

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