Cypht vs Mailpile
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?
Cypht
Lightweight webmail aggregator for many accounts
VS
Mailpile
Privacy-focused, searchable email client
| Feature | Cypht | Mailpile |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,672 | ★ 8,825 |
| First released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook Web | Gmail |
Why pick each one
Choose Cypht if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Choose Mailpile if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 8.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cypht or Mailpile better?
Neither is universally better. Mailpile has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cypht and Mailpile free and open-source?
Yes. Cypht is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Mailpile under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cypht and Mailpile with Docker?
Cypht: yes. Mailpile: check the project docs for container support.