Mailpile vs Mailu
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?
Mailpile
Privacy-focused, searchable email client
VS
Mailu
Simple yet full-featured Docker mail server
| Feature | Mailpile | Mailu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,825 | ★ 7,443 |
| First released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Gmail | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
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
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailpile or Mailu 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 Mailpile and Mailu free and open-source?
Yes. Mailpile is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mailu under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailpile and Mailu with Docker?
Mailpile: check the project docs for container support. Mailu: yes.