MailHog vs WildDuck
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?
MailHog
Email testing tool with a fake SMTP server
VS
WildDuck
Scalable IMAP and POP3 mail server with REST API
| Feature | MailHog | WildDuck |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,107 | ★ 2,107 |
| First released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Mailtrap | Microsoft Exchange, Gmail |
Why pick each one
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 MailHog or WildDuck better?
MailHog is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider WildDuck if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MailHog and WildDuck free and open-source?
Yes. MailHog is licensed under MIT and WildDuck under EUPL-1.2. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MailHog and WildDuck with Docker?
MailHog: yes. WildDuck: yes.