MailHog vs Mailpit
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A fake mail server for testing: catches outgoing email and shows it in a web inbox.
Open source · MIT
A local fake mail server that catches test emails and shows them in a web UI.
The short answer
Choose MailHog if you need…
- Developers testing sign-up, password reset, or notification emails locally
- QA or teams who want to inspect outgoing email without sending it to real inboxes
- Projects that need an automated way to check sent messages through the HTTP API
- Anyone who wants a simple alternative to heavier mail testing setups
Choose Mailpit if you need…
- Developers testing signup, password reset, or notification emails locally
- Teams writing automated integration tests that need to check sent email
- Developers who used MailHog and want a maintained alternative
- People who want a single binary with no extra dependencies to install
Side-by-side
| MailHog | Mailpit | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 16.2k | 10.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Go | Go |
| Last code update | 3 years ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
MailHog
MailHog is a small testing tool that acts as a stand-in mail server during development. Your application sends email to it instead of a real provider, and MailHog stores those messages so you can view them in a web interface or fetch them through an API. It can also forward messages to a real SMTP server when you choose to.
Mailpit
Mailpit is a small email testing tool. It runs an SMTP server that catches emails your application sends, so they never reach real inboxes, and shows them in a web interface where you can read, search, and check them. It also has a REST API so automated tests can look up captured messages.
Best for
MailHog
- Developers testing sign-up, password reset, or notification emails locally
- QA or teams who want to inspect outgoing email without sending it to real inboxes
- Projects that need an automated way to check sent messages through the HTTP API
- Anyone who wants a simple alternative to heavier mail testing setups
Mailpit
- Developers testing signup, password reset, or notification emails locally
- Teams writing automated integration tests that need to check sent email
- Developers who used MailHog and want a maintained alternative
- People who want a single binary with no extra dependencies to install
Strengths
MailHog
- Simple setup with defaults: SMTP on port 1025 and web UI on port 8025
- Runs as a single portable binary with no installation required, per the README
- Supports both a web UI and an HTTP API for checking messages
Mailpit
- Runs from a single static binary, and the README describes it as zero-dependency
- Includes a web UI, SMTP server, and REST API in one tool
- Actively maintained, with a recent release (v1.32.0) and a 2026 last push
Not ideal for
MailHog
- Production email delivery, since MailHog is a testing tool and does not deliver mail to real recipients by default
- People who need persistent, large-scale mail storage; the README lists in-memory storage by default, with MongoDB or file storage as options
- Teams needing active maintenance guarantees, since the last push shown is February 2024 and the README references older Go versions
Mailpit
- Anyone needing to deliver mail to real recipients, since it is a test catcher and not a production mail server
- Teams wanting hosted shared inboxes or team features; the README points to a separate commercial product (Mailtrap) for those
- Users who need a full mail transfer agent with delivery queues and bounce handling, as the README does not describe that
Trade-offs
MailHog
- Default in-memory storage means captured messages are lost when it stops
- The README's build and install notes reference older Go versions and the last push shown is from 2024
- Documentation is brief in the README, so advanced options require reading linked docs
Mailpit
- Many advanced features (HTML check, spam check, relaying) depend on additional docs or external services such as SpamAssassin
- Its default behavior keeps only the most recent 500 emails unless configured otherwise
- Features and options are spread across an external documentation site, so the README alone gives limited detail
Getting started
MailHog
macOS install via Homebrew
brew update && brew install mailhogGo install (Go 1.17 or newer)
go install github.com/mailhog/MailHog@latestMailpit
Install on Mac with Homebrew
brew install mailpitInstall on Linux or Mac with the install script
sudo sh < <(curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/axllent/mailpit/develop/install.sh)Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between MailHog and Mailpit?
MailHog: A fake mail server for testing: catches outgoing email and shows it in a web inbox. Mailpit: A local fake mail server that catches test emails and shows them in a web UI. MailHog suits developers testing sign-up, password reset, or notification emails locally, while Mailpit suits developers testing signup, password reset, or notification emails locally.
Are MailHog and Mailpit free?
MailHog: Free and open source. Mailpit: Free and open source.
Is MailHog or Mailpit more popular?
MailHog has more GitHub stars (16.2k) than Mailpit (10.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.