SHSelfHostIndex

Maddy Mail Server vs RainLoop

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 RA RainLoop Simple, modern and fast web-based email client
FeatureMaddy Mail ServerRainLoop
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoPHP
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 6,060★ 4,120
First released20192013
ReplacesGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365Gmail, Outlook Web

Why pick each one

Choose Maddy Mail Server if…

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

Choose RainLoop if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
RainLoop details

Frequently asked questions

Is Maddy Mail Server or RainLoop better?

Neither is universally better. Maddy Mail Server has the larger community, while RainLoop is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Maddy Mail Server and RainLoop free and open-source?

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

Can I run Maddy Mail Server and RainLoop with Docker?

Maddy Mail Server: yes. RainLoop: yes.

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