EmailRelay vs MailHog
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?
EmailRelay
A small and easy to configure SMTP and POP3 server for Windows and
VS
MailHog
Email testing tool with a fake SMTP server
| Feature | EmailRelay | MailHog |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 16,107 |
| First released | 2020 | 2014 |
| Replaces | — | Mailtrap |
Why pick each one
Choose EmailRelay if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose MailHog if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 16.1k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is EmailRelay or MailHog better?
MailHog is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider EmailRelay if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are EmailRelay and MailHog free and open-source?
Yes. EmailRelay is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MailHog under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EmailRelay and MailHog with Docker?
EmailRelay: check the project docs for container support. MailHog: yes.