msmtp vs Mailpit
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 | msmtp | Mailpit |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 290 | ★ 10,067 |
| First released | 2004 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Sendmail | Mailtrap, MailHog |
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
Frequently asked questions
Is msmtp or Mailpit better?
Neither is universally better. Mailpit has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are msmtp and Mailpit free and open-source?
Yes. msmtp is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Mailpit under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run msmtp and Mailpit with Docker?
msmtp: check the project docs for container support. Mailpit: yes.