SHSelfHostIndex

Stalwart Mail Server vs msmtp

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?
ST Stalwart Mail Server Modern all-in-one mail server in a single binary VS MS msmtp Lightweight SMTP client for sending mail
FeatureStalwart Mail Servermsmtp
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageRustC
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB32 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metalbinary, source
GitHub stars★ 14,059★ 290
First released20202004
ReplacesMicrosoft Exchange, Google WorkspaceSendmail

Why pick each one

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

  • Single modern binary
  • Strong security defaults
Stalwart Mail Server details

Choose msmtp if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in C
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
msmtp details

Frequently asked questions

Is Stalwart Mail Server or msmtp better?

Neither is universally better. Stalwart Mail Server has the larger community, while msmtp is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Stalwart Mail Server and msmtp free and open-source?

Yes. Stalwart Mail Server is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and msmtp under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Stalwart Mail Server and msmtp with Docker?

Stalwart Mail Server: yes. msmtp: check the project docs for container support.

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