Mailman vs Mailman3
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Mailman
Free software for managing electronic mailing lists
VS
Mailman3
Electronic mailing lists manager
| Feature | Mailman | Mailman3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Language | Python | |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 800 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | — |
| First released | 1998 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Groups | Google Groups |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailman or Mailman3 better?
Neither is universally better. Mailman has the larger community, while Mailman3 is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mailman and Mailman3 free and open-source?
Yes. Mailman is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Mailman3 under AGPL-3.0-or-later. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailman and Mailman3 with Docker?
Mailman: yes. Mailman3: check the project docs for container support.