NeoMutt vs SimpleLogin
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?
NeoMutt
Feature-rich terminal email client
VS
SimpleLogin
Open source email alias solution to protect your email address
| Feature | NeoMutt | SimpleLogin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,799 | ★ 6,896 |
| First released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Outlook | — |
Why pick each one
Choose NeoMutt if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (3.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose SimpleLogin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is NeoMutt or SimpleLogin better?
Neither is universally better. SimpleLogin has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are NeoMutt and SimpleLogin free and open-source?
Yes. NeoMutt is licensed under GPL-2.0 and SimpleLogin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run NeoMutt and SimpleLogin with Docker?
NeoMutt: check the project docs for container support. SimpleLogin: yes.