Mautic vs RainLoop
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?
Mautic
Open-source marketing automation platform
VS
RainLoop
Simple, modern and fast web-based email client
| Feature | Mautic | RainLoop |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,305 | ★ 4,120 |
| First released | 2014 | 2013 |
| Replaces | HubSpot, Marketo, Mailchimp | Gmail, Outlook Web |
Why pick each one
Choose RainLoop if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Mautic or RainLoop better?
Neither is universally better. Mautic has the larger community, while RainLoop is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mautic and RainLoop free and open-source?
Yes. Mautic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and RainLoop under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mautic and RainLoop with Docker?
Mautic: yes. RainLoop: yes.