---
title: "Reloop vs Postal"
description: "Reloop vs Postal compared honestly: two open-source, self-hosted email platforms. Architecture, requirements, sending API, inbound mail, webhooks, marketing features and when each one is the right pick."
canonical: "https://reloop.sh/compare/postal"
---

# Reloop vs Postal

> For the site documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Docs index: [llms-docs.txt](/llms-docs.txt). Marketing corpus: [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt). Docs corpus: [llms-full-docs.txt](/llms-full-docs.txt). Product skill: [skill.md](/skill.md). Prefer markdown URLs (append `.md`) when available.

> Reloop vs Postal compared honestly: two open-source, self-hosted email platforms. Architecture, requirements, sending API, inbound mail, webhooks, marketing features and when each one is the right pick.

HTML: https://reloop.sh/compare/postal
Markdown: https://reloop.sh/compare/postal.md
Canonical pricing: https://reloop.sh/pricing.md

Reloop vs Postal compared honestly: two open-source, self-hosted email platforms. Architecture, requirements, sending API, inbound mail, webhooks, marketing features and when each one is the right pick.

Reloop is the email service / infrastructure (ESP + MTA). It is not a multi-ESP connector that sits on SendGrid, Mailgun, Resend, or SES.

## Reloop vs Postal

| Feature | Reloop | Postal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| License | Apache 2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript (Bun) | Ruby |
| Hosted option | Yes (free tier, from $10/mo) | No, self-host only |
| Self-host | Yes, one-command installer | Yes, Docker + CLI |
| Sending engine | KumoMTA | Postal's own MTA |
| Database | PostgreSQL | MariaDB 10.6+ |
| HTTP send API | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP submission | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes, HMAC-signed | Yes |
| IP pools | Dedicated IPs | Multiple IP pools with routing rules |
| Inbound email | Mailboxes with threads, API, MCP, IMAP | Forward to HTTP endpoint, SMTP server or address |
| Agent inbox | Yes | No |
| Contacts, campaigns, automations | Yes | No |
| Stored templates | Yes | No |
| Open and click tracking | Yes | Yes |

## FAQ

### Are both Reloop and Postal free and open source?

Yes. Postal is MIT-licensed and Reloop is Apache 2.0. Both are free to run on your own server. Reloop also has a hosted service with a free tier of 6,000 emails a month and paid plans from $10 for 50k.

### Does Postal have a hosted version?

Postal doesn't offer an official hosted service. You run it on your own infrastructure.

### Which is lighter to run?

Postal. It's a focused mail server and its documented minimum is 2 CPU cores, 4 GB of RAM and 25 GB of disk. Reloop's minimum is similar on CPU and RAM but needs about 35 GB of disk, because it ships inboxes, campaigns, automations and the dashboard alongside the MTA.

### Can Postal store inbound mail in mailboxes?

Postal forwards inbound mail to an HTTP endpoint, an SMTP server or an email address. Storing and threading it is up to your application. Reloop stores inbound mail in threaded mailboxes you can read over the API, IMAP or MCP.

### Can I use Postal's SMTP settings with Reloop?

Yes, with new credentials. Point your SMTP client at your Reloop host (smtp.reloop.sh on hosted) and use your Reloop API key as both the username and password.

## Related

- Pricing: https://reloop.sh/pricing.md
- Compare index: https://reloop.sh/compare.md
- License (Apache 2.0): https://reloop.sh/license