Dittofeed vs Mail-in-a-Box

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?
FeatureDittofeedMail-in-a-Box
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseMITCC0-1.0
LanguageTypeScriptPython
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdockerbare-metal, one-click
GitHub stars★ 2,888★ 15,385
First released20262014
ReplacesGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365

Why pick each one

Choose Dittofeed if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
  • Written in TypeScript
Dittofeed details

Choose Mail-in-a-Box if…

  • Very beginner-friendly
  • Opinionated, complete stack
Mail-in-a-Box details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dittofeed or Mail-in-a-Box better?

Mail-in-a-Box is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Dittofeed if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Dittofeed and Mail-in-a-Box free and open-source?

Yes. Dittofeed is licensed under MIT and Mail-in-a-Box under CC0-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dittofeed and Mail-in-a-Box with Docker?

Dittofeed: yes. Mail-in-a-Box: check the project docs for container support.

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