Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Postfix VS msmtp

Compare Postfix VS msmtp and see what are their differences

Postfix logo Postfix

Postfix is a mail transfer agent (MTA) that routes and delivers electronic mail.

msmtp logo msmtp

msmtp is an SMTP client.
  • Postfix Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-15
  • msmtp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-28

Postfix features and specs

  • Security
    Postfix is known for its robust security features, including strong defenses against spam and malware.
  • Performance
    Postfix is designed to be efficient under heavy loads, making it suitable for both small and large-scale email servers.
  • Compatibility
    Postfix is compatible with various mail protocols such as SMTP, making it versatile for different email infrastructures.
  • Reliability
    Postfix is highly reliable, offering consistent performance and uptime, which is critical for mail servers.
  • Configuration
    Postfix offers a flexible and understandable configuration system, allowing administrators to fine-tune the server settings as per their needs.
  • Community Support
    There is a strong community and extensive documentation available, providing support and resources for troubleshooting and advanced configurations.
  • Lightweight
    Postfix is relatively lightweight, ensuring that it doesn't consume excessive system resources.

Possible disadvantages of Postfix

  • Complexity
    Despite its powerful features, setting up and configuring Postfix can be complex, especially for beginners who are not familiar with mail servers.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a learning curve associated with understanding its configuration files and parameters, which can be daunting for new users.
  • Limited GUI Options
    Postfix does not come with a built-in graphical user interface, making it less accessible for users who prefer GUI-based management.
  • Dependency on Other Software
    Postfix often relies on additional software (like Dovecot for IMAP/POP) for full functionality, which can complicate setup and maintenance.
  • Debugging Complexity
    Debugging issues with Postfix can be complicated due to its extensive feature set and numerous configuration options.

msmtp features and specs

  • Lightweight
    msmtp is a simple and lightweight SMTP client, making it easy to install and use without adding unnecessary overhead.
  • Configurable
    It offers extensive configuration options, allowing users to tailor its behavior to their specific needs and integrate with various mail systems.
  • Scriptable
    Being script-friendly, msmtp can be easily integrated into scripts and automated workflows for sending emails programmatically.
  • SMTP Server Support
    msmtp supports numerous SMTP features, including authentication methods, ensuring compatibility with various mail servers.
  • Log Support
    Provides detailed logging capabilities, which can help troubleshoot and monitor email sending activities.

Possible disadvantages of msmtp

  • Lacks Advanced Features
    Unlike full-featured email clients, msmtp doesn't offer advanced features like a user interface or mail retrieval capabilities.
  • Requires Configuration
    It requires manual configuration through text files, which might be cumbersome for non-technical users.
  • No Email Management
    msmtp is only an SMTP client and doesn't handle email management tasks such as organizing or archiving emails.
  • Limited Documentation
    While it has some documentation, users might find it insufficient or difficult to understand if they encounter complex configuration issues.

Analysis of Postfix

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Postfix is considered good due to its reliability, security, and scalability. It is widely used in the industry and is continually maintained and updated, which ensures it remains a dependable choice for mail server needs.

Why this product is good

  • Postfix is recognized for its robust architecture, strong security features, and ease of administration. With its efficient handling of large volumes of email, it is a preferred choice for many system administrators. Additionally, Postfix has comprehensive documentation and an active community for support, making it accessible even for those who might be new to email servers.

Recommended for

    Postfix is ideal for businesses, educational institutions, or individual users who need a robust and secure email server. It is especially recommended for environments requiring high-performance and stable email systems, as well as those looking for a solution that can handle large-scale email distribution efficiently.

Postfix videos

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msmtp videos

mutt Email + OfflineIMAP and msmtp - See your email offline!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Postfix and msmtp)
Email
82 82%
18% 18
SMTP Server
81 81%
19% 19
Self-hosted Email
100 100%
0% 0
MTA
71 71%
29% 29

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Postfix and msmtp

Postfix Reviews

10 Microsoft Exchange Server Alternatives
Postfix is an MTA that allows the user to receive and deliver electronic mail. The platform is open-sourced that is easy to administer, attempts to be fast, and a secure way for the usage of EM. It is also known by the names of IBM Secure Mailer and VMailer. Many of the systems that support Postfix runs such as AIX, BSD, HP-UX, LINUX, macOS, Solaris, Tru64 UNIX, etc. The...
15 Best iRedMail Alternatives 2021
Postfix is very emphatic when it comes to security. Like iRedMail, it is able to encrypt your sessions and perform certificate-based authentication to keep your mail services secure, private, and protected. Postfix also offers stress adaptive features and various content inspection methods to choose from.

msmtp Reviews

We have no reviews of msmtp yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Postfix seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Postfix mentions (1)

  • OVH VPS Postfix can't receive external emails
    Read the documentation on postfix.org and/or buy one of the many available Postfix books (it really helps to understand the Postfix philosophy). Source: about 4 years ago

msmtp mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of msmtp yet. Tracking of msmtp recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Postfix and msmtp, you can also consider the following products

Zimbra - Zimbra is trusted by over 500 million users to increase productivity with a complete set of collaboration tools while maintaining total control over security and privacy.

sSMTP - sSMTP is a simple MTA to deliver mail from a computer to a mail server.

iRedMail - A fully fledged, free email server solution, an open source project (GPL v2).

Sendmail - Sendmail is a general purpose internetwork email routing facility that supports many kinds of...

mailcow - An open source mailserver suite.

mailsend-go - mailsend-go is a command line tool to send mail via SMTP protocol, written with golang.