Mailpile vs SimpleLogin
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
SimpleLogin
Open source email alias solution to protect your email address
| Feature | Mailpile | SimpleLogin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,825 | ★ 6,896 |
| First released | 2013 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Gmail | — |
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
Choose SimpleLogin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailpile or SimpleLogin 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 SimpleLogin free and open-source?
Yes. Mailpile is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SimpleLogin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailpile and SimpleLogin with Docker?
Mailpile: check the project docs for container support. SimpleLogin: yes.