Postfix vs Mailpit
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?
Postfix
Fast, secure and reliable mail transfer agent
VS
Mailpit
Email and SMTP testing tool with web UI
| Feature | Postfix | Mailpit |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | IPL-1.0 | MIT |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 563 | ★ 10,067 |
| First released | 1998 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Exchange | Mailtrap, MailHog |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Postfix or Mailpit better?
Mailpit is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Postfix if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Postfix and Mailpit free and open-source?
Yes. Postfix is licensed under IPL-1.0 and Mailpit under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Postfix and Mailpit with Docker?
Postfix: yes. Mailpit: yes.