Mailu 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?
Mailu
Simple yet full-featured Docker mail server
VS
SimpleLogin
Open source email alias solution to protect your email address
| Feature | Mailu | SimpleLogin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,443 | ★ 6,896 |
| First released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | — |
Why pick each one
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 Mailu or SimpleLogin better?
Neither is universally better. Mailu has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mailu and SimpleLogin free and open-source?
Yes. Mailu is licensed under MIT and SimpleLogin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailu and SimpleLogin with Docker?
Mailu: yes. SimpleLogin: yes.