SHSelfHostIndex

Maddy Mail Server 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?
MA Maddy Mail Server Composable, all-in-one mail server in Go VS MA Mailpile Privacy-focused, searchable email client
FeatureMaddy Mail ServerMailpile
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoPython
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcebare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 6,060★ 8,825
First released20192013
ReplacesGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365Gmail

Why pick each one

Choose Maddy Mail Server if…

  • Drastically simpler than traditional stacks
  • Low resource use
Maddy Mail Server details

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
Mailpile details

Frequently asked questions

Is Maddy Mail Server 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 Maddy Mail Server and Mailpile free and open-source?

Yes. Maddy Mail Server is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Mailpile under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Maddy Mail Server and Mailpile with Docker?

Maddy Mail Server: yes. Mailpile: check the project docs for container support.

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