msmtp vs DragonFly Mail Agent
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?
msmtp
Lightweight SMTP client for sending mail
VS
DragonFly Mail Agent
Tiny mail transfer agent for outbound delivery
| Feature | msmtp | DragonFly Mail Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 290 | ★ 263 |
| First released | 2004 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Sendmail | Sendmail, Postfix |
Why pick each one
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
Choose DragonFly Mail Agent if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is msmtp or DragonFly Mail Agent better?
Neither is universally better. msmtp has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are msmtp and DragonFly Mail Agent free and open-source?
Yes. msmtp is licensed under GPL-3.0 and DragonFly Mail Agent under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run msmtp and DragonFly Mail Agent with Docker?
msmtp: check the project docs for container support. DragonFly Mail Agent: check the project docs for container support.