Nextcloud Mail 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?
Nextcloud Mail
IMAP webmail client integrated into Nextcloud
VS
Mailpit
Email and SMTP testing tool with web UI
| Feature | Nextcloud Mail | Mailpit |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,014 | ★ 10,067 |
| First released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Gmail | Mailtrap, MailHog |
Why pick each one
Choose Nextcloud Mail if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Nextcloud Mail 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 Nextcloud Mail and Mailpit free and open-source?
Yes. Nextcloud Mail is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mailpit under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nextcloud Mail and Mailpit with Docker?
Nextcloud Mail: check the project docs for container support. Mailpit: yes.