Mailspring vs Betterbird
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?
Mailspring
Cross-platform desktop email client
VS
Betterbird
Community-enhanced fork of the Thunderbird email client
| Feature | Mailspring | Betterbird |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,730 | ★ 948 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Outlook, Apple Mail | Microsoft Outlook |
Why pick each one
Choose Mailspring if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 17.7k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Betterbird if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailspring or Betterbird better?
Neither is universally better. Mailspring has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mailspring and Betterbird free and open-source?
Yes. Mailspring is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Betterbird under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailspring and Betterbird with Docker?
Mailspring: check the project docs for container support. Betterbird: check the project docs for container support.