SHSelfHostIndex

Maddy Mail Server vs MailCatcher

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 MailCatcher Catch-all SMTP server for inspecting test email
FeatureMaddy Mail ServerMailCatcher
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageGoRuby
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 6,060★ 6,774
First released20192010
ReplacesGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365Mailtrap

Why pick each one

Choose Maddy Mail Server if…

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

Choose MailCatcher if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
MailCatcher details

Frequently asked questions

Is Maddy Mail Server or MailCatcher better?

MailCatcher is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Maddy Mail Server if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

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

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

Can I run Maddy Mail Server and MailCatcher with Docker?

Maddy Mail Server: yes. MailCatcher: yes.

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