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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Posthorn, self-hosted mail gateway

Introducing Posthorn, a self hosted email gateway. One docker container (or Go binary) between every self hosted app on your VPS and your transactional email provider. Set up Posthorn once, point your apps to it, done. I was trying to deploy Ghost on a DigitalOcean droplet and found that DO and many different VPS services have started to block the default SMTP ports to try to combat the various types of abuse they get. To actually configure my app, I had to hack together a Postfix relay. In another project, I had a static site which had a contact form, but my free Formspree account was…

Posthorn is a self-hosted email gateway that runs as a single Docker container or Go binary, allowing applications on a VPS to send mail through a transactional email provider. It sits between self-hosted apps and… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

  1. 1
    Mailforge▲627

    Cold email infrastructure sorted in minutes

    2024 · mailforge.ai · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Everything you need to start sending newsletters, drip campaigns, transactional emails. Mailcoach is a fully featured email marketing platform built for growing creators, developers, and businesses.

    2020 · mailcoach.app · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    Cold email infrastructure + dedicated IP sorted In minutes

    2024 · infraforge.ai · its alternatives →

  4. 4
    Mailtrain▲323

    Self hosted newsletter app (Mailchimp clone)

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    Self-hosted personal email guardian with one-step deployment - fterh/heimdall

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6
    PostHog▲458

    An all-in-one product analytics suite you can self-host

    2021 · posthog.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7
    MailCue▲82

    Run as a fully hardened production email server.

    Apr 2026 · olib-ai.github.io · its alternatives →

  8. 8
    Listmonk▲320

    Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager

    2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Create unlimited email aliases for free. Protect your real email from spam by using a different address for each service. Privacy friendly, anonymous replies.

    2019 · anonaddy.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    It's a self-hosted mailbox for all emails coming to your own domains, with Web interface and CLI included. Notes: - all emails share the same inbox, as long as set your DNS correctly - Web client via self-hosted Docker or Cloudflare Pages - need additional access controls, may use Basic Auth or Forward Auth with Cloudflare deployment

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11
    Mailway▲56

    OSS and self hostable catch-all incoming email routing

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    ohai! I've released Lightwhale 3, which is possibly the easiest way to self-host Docker containers. It's a free, immutable Linux system purpose-built to live-boot straight into a working Docker Engine, thereby shortcutting the need for installation, configuration, and maintenance. Its simple design makes it easy to learn, and its low memory footprint should make it especially attractive during these times of RAMageddon. If this has piqued your interest, do check it out, along with its easy-to-follow Getting Started guide. In any event, have a nice day! =)

    Apr 2026 · lightwhale.asklandd.dk · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    Hi HN! I just released version 1.0 of Posting, an open source terminal application I've been working on which you might find useful if you work with, test, or develop HTTP APIs! Posting (https://github.com/darrenburns/posting) is an HTTP client, not unlike Postman and Insomnia. However, as a TUI application, it works over SSH and enables efficient keyboard-centric workflows. Your requests are stored locally in simple readable YAML files, meaning they're easy to read and version control. Some other features include: - "Jump mode" navigation - Environments/variables…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    I've spent the last few months working on something I wish I'd had years ago. I kept running into the same issue: CI green, production mail broken. TLS handshake failures, DKIM alignment mismatches, SPF soft-fails ... the stuff that only surfaces when real mail servers are involved. Most test tools (Mailpit, MailHog) are catch-alls. They confirm "an email was sent" but don't validate the protocol. They also aren't designed for network-exposed environments: no auth, unprotected Web UI, easy to enumerate messages. VaultSandbox is my attempt at fixing that. It's a self-hosted SMTP gateway…

    Jan 2026 · vaultsandbox.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    A fast SOCKS5 proxy that tunnels your traffic through what looks like normal SMTP email, bypassing Deep Packet Inspection firewalls. How it works: - Client runs a local SOCKS5 proxy (127.0.0.1:1080) - Traffic is sent to server disguised as SMTP (EHLO, STARTTLS, AUTH) - DPI sees legitimate email session, not a VPN/proxy Features: - One-liner install on any Linux VPS - Multi-user with per-user secrets and IP whitelists - Auto-generated client packages (just double-click to run) - Auto-reconnect on connection loss - Works with any app that supports SOCKS5 Tech: Python/asyncio, TLS…

    Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16PI

    Full featured solution for your email server. Native implementation of the latest anti-spam methods, webmail and easy administration included.

    2015 · poste.io · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    The email layer that ships with your deploy

    Jul 2026 · posthawk.dev · its alternatives →

  18. 18AF

    This is a side project of mine. Use this as your SMTP server in a test environment to guarantee that your users don't receive test emails. Looking for feedback, especially on the security side.

    2024 · fakemail.stream · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Send out self-hosted newsletters affordably

    2020 · mailcoach.app · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Turnkey containers launched from inside Postgres

    2022 · docs.crunchybridge.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21
    zero▲94

    One command to deploy Docker containers to your own server

    Apr 2026 · shipzero.sh · its alternatives →

  22. 22MM
  23. 23
    Mailcheap▲123

    Email hosting, dedicated email servers, API-first platform

    2018 · mailcheap.co · its alternatives →

  24. 24
    Sparrow▲61

    Self-hosted webhook delivery. One binary, just Postgres.

    6d ago · sarathsp06.github.io · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →