Mautic vs OpenSMTPD
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
OpenSMTPD
Secure and simple SMTP server from OpenBSD
| Feature | Mautic | OpenSMTPD |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | ISC |
| Language | PHP | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,305 | ★ 579 |
| First released | 2014 | 2013 |
| Replaces | HubSpot, Marketo, Mailchimp | Sendmail, Postfix |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Mautic or OpenSMTPD better?
Neither is universally better. Mautic has the larger community, while OpenSMTPD is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mautic and OpenSMTPD free and open-source?
Yes. Mautic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OpenSMTPD under ISC. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mautic and OpenSMTPD with Docker?
Mautic: yes. OpenSMTPD: check the project docs for container support.