Maddy Mail Server 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?
Maddy Mail Server
Composable, all-in-one mail server in Go
VS
Postal
Complete mail delivery platform for outgoing email
| Feature | Maddy Mail Server | Postal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,060 | ★ 16,724 |
| First released | 2019 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark |
Why pick each one
Choose Maddy Mail Server if…
- Drastically simpler than traditional stacks
- Low resource use
Frequently asked questions
Is Maddy Mail Server or Postal better?
Neither is universally better. Postal has the larger community, while Maddy Mail Server is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Maddy Mail Server and Postal free and open-source?
Yes. Maddy Mail Server is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Postal under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Maddy Mail Server and Postal with Docker?
Maddy Mail Server: yes. Postal: yes.