Chatmail vs Postal
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?
Chatmail
Minimal, instant-onboarding mail server for Delta Chat
VS
Postal
Complete mail delivery platform for outgoing email
| Feature | Chatmail | Postal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 476 | ★ 16,724 |
| First released | 2023 | 2017 |
| Replaces | SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark |
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
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatmail or Postal better?
Neither is universally better. Postal has the larger community, while Chatmail is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Chatmail and Postal free and open-source?
Yes. Chatmail is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Postal under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chatmail and Postal with Docker?
Chatmail: yes. Postal: yes.