DragonFly Mail Agent vs Nullmailer
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?
DragonFly Mail Agent
Tiny mail transfer agent for outbound delivery
VS
Nullmailer
Simple relay-only mail transfer agent
| Feature | DragonFly Mail Agent | Nullmailer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 16 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 263 | ★ 199 |
| First released | 2008 | 2000 |
| Replaces | Sendmail, Postfix | Sendmail |
Why pick each one
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 DragonFly Mail Agent or Nullmailer better?
Neither is universally better. DragonFly Mail Agent has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are DragonFly Mail Agent and Nullmailer free and open-source?
Yes. DragonFly Mail Agent is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Nullmailer under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DragonFly Mail Agent and Nullmailer with Docker?
DragonFly Mail Agent: check the project docs for container support. Nullmailer: check the project docs for container support.