RainLoop vs Himalaya
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?
RainLoop
Simple, modern and fast web-based email client
VS
Himalaya
Modern command-line email client written in Rust
| Feature | RainLoop | Himalaya |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,120 | ★ 6,962 |
| First released | 2013 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Gmail, Outlook Web | Mutt, Outlook |
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)
Choose Himalaya if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 7k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is RainLoop or Himalaya better?
Neither is universally better. Himalaya 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 RainLoop and Himalaya free and open-source?
Yes. RainLoop is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Himalaya under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RainLoop and Himalaya with Docker?
RainLoop: yes. Himalaya: check the project docs for container support.