meli vs Sup
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?
| Feature | meli | Sup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 877 | ★ 970 |
| First released | 2017 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Mutt, NeoMutt | Mutt |
Why pick each one
Choose meli if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Sup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in Ruby
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is meli or Sup better?
Neither is universally better. Sup has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are meli and Sup free and open-source?
Yes. meli is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run meli and Sup with Docker?
meli: check the project docs for container support. Sup: check the project docs for container support.