chasquid vs Maddy Mail Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | chasquid | Maddy Mail Server |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 78 · Good | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 977 | ★ 6,091 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
What are chasquid and Maddy Mail Server?
chasquid
chasquid is an SMTP server written in Go with a focus on being easy to configure and maintain for small personal mail servers. It handles message submission and delivery securely.
- Easy-to-configure SMTP server
- Automatic TLS via certificates
- SPF and DKIM support
- Lightweight Go implementation
Maddy Mail Server
Maddy is a single-process mail server written in Go that replaces Postfix, Dovecot, and several other components. It is designed to be simple to configure while remaining flexible.
- Single binary replaces full stack
- SMTP, IMAP and submission in one
- Simple unified configuration
- Built-in DKIM and TLS management
chasquid vs Maddy Mail Server: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for chasquid versus GPL-3.0 for Maddy Mail Server. Chasquid is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Maddy Mail Server. Chasquid is the more established project (first released 2016), while Maddy Mail Server arrived in 2019. Maddy Mail Server has the considerably larger community, at 6,091 GitHub stars versus 977.
Why pick each one
Choose chasquid if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- SMTP only, needs IMAP separately
- Small personal-use focus
Choose Maddy Mail Server if…
- Drastically simpler than traditional stacks
- Low resource use
Watch out for
- Fewer features than mature stacks
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is chasquid or Maddy Mail Server better?
Neither is universally better. Maddy Mail Server has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are chasquid and Maddy Mail Server free and open-source?
Yes. chasquid is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Maddy Mail Server under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run chasquid and Maddy Mail Server with Docker?
chasquid: yes. Maddy Mail Server: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, chasquid or Maddy Mail Server?
chasquid has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Maddy Mail Server. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.