Mailtrain vs smtp4dev
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?
Mailtrain
Self-hosted newsletter application
VS
smtp4dev
Fake SMTP server for development email testing
| Feature | Mailtrain | smtp4dev |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,743 | ★ 3,941 |
| First released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Mailchimp | Mailtrap |
Why pick each one
Choose Mailtrain if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.7k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailtrain or smtp4dev better?
Neither is universally better. Mailtrain has the larger community, while smtp4dev is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mailtrain and smtp4dev free and open-source?
Yes. Mailtrain is licensed under GPL-3.0 and smtp4dev under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailtrain and smtp4dev with Docker?
Mailtrain: yes. smtp4dev: yes.