Mox vs MailCatcher
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?
Mox
Modern, secure all-in-one mail server
VS
MailCatcher
Catch-all SMTP server for inspecting test email
| Feature | Mox | MailCatcher |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,771 | ★ 6,774 |
| First released | 2023 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | Mailtrap |
Why pick each one
Choose MailCatcher if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Mox or MailCatcher better?
Neither is universally better. MailCatcher has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mox and MailCatcher free and open-source?
Yes. Mox is licensed under MIT and MailCatcher under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mox and MailCatcher with Docker?
Mox: yes. MailCatcher: yes.