Sendmail
Sendmail is a widely used open-source mail transfer agent (MTA) for routing and delivering email on Unix and Linux systems. It handles routing emails between mail servers and delivers them to local users' mailboxes.
Sendmail: Open-Source MTA
A widely used open-source mail transfer agent for routing and delivering email on Unix and Linux systems, handling email routing between servers and local user delivery.
What is Sendmail?
Sendmail is a popular open source email server program (MTA or Mail Transfer Agent) used on Unix/Linux machines to route, deliver, and forward email messages. It is highly configurable and scales well to handle anything from small local email deliveries to enterprise-level bulk email routing.
Some key features of Sendmail include:
- Routing, delivery, and forwarding of email for users on a local system or network
- Flexible configuration using cf and cn build files to handle complex mail routing logic
- Support for SMTP, ESMTP, POP3, IMAP, LDAP, TLS/SSL for security
- Milter interface for integrating spam and virus filtering
- Aliasing, forwarding, automatic BCC, mailing lists
- Scalable design suitable for small office LANs up to huge ISP installs
Sendmail has been around since the early 1980s and established itself as a hugely popular enterprise MTA due to its flexibility and scalability. However, it is also known for being complex and challenging to configure for novices. Most Linux distributions include Sendmail or the compatible Postfix MTA by default for delivering local mail.
Sendmail Features
Features
- Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) for routing and delivering email
- Runs as a daemon on Unix/Linux systems
- Uses SMTP protocol for sending outgoing mail
- Uses a flexible configuration file to control mail routing
- Supports aliases, mailing lists, forwarding, filtering
- Integrates with LDAP directories for authentication
- Includes anti-spam and anti-virus capabilities
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Widely used and well established
Open source and free
Highly scalable and reliable
Flexible configuration options
Supports security features like TLS
Integrates with other tools via Milter interface
Cons
Complex configuration syntax
Steep learning curve
Requires expertise to properly secure
Not user friendly administrative interface
Official Links
Reviews & Ratings
Login to ReviewThe Best Sendmail Alternatives
View all Sendmail alternatives with detailed comparison →
Top Network & Admin and Email and other similar apps like Sendmail
Here are some alternatives to Sendmail:
Suggest an alternative ❐
Postfix
Postfix is a popular open source Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) that routes and delivers email. It is commonly used for sending and receiving email from servers. Postfix was developed as a fast, easy to administer, and secure alternative to the widely-used Sendmail program.Some key features and highlights of Postfix include:High...
Microsoft Exchange Server
Microsoft Exchange Server is an email, contacts, calendar, and tasks application server developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Servers line of server products and runs on Windows Server operating systems.Exchange Server provides enterprises with:Business class email with support for large mailboxes, message tracking, and legal holdsShared contacts,...
Zimbra Collaboration Suite
Zimbra Collaboration Suite is an open-source, enterprise-grade collaboration and messaging platform. It includes a full-featured email server as well as calendaring, contacts, document sharing, tasks, and more.Some of the key features of Zimbra Collaboration Suite include:Modern web-based interface for mail, calendar, contacts, documents etc.Support for mobile devices including native apps...
Zentyal
Zentyal is an open source Linux server distribution based on Ubuntu Server. It provides small and medium businesses with a variety of essential network services out of the box.Some of the key features and services offered by Zentyal include:DHCP server for dynamic IP address allocationDNS server for domain name resolutionHTTP...
Mail-in-a-box
Mail-in-a-Box is an open source email server solution that aims to make it easy for anyone to set up and manage their own email server. It brings together several common email components like Postfix, Dovecot, SpamAssassin, OpenDKIM, and more into a simple mail server package that can be installed on...
SSMTP
sSMTP is a lightweight and minimal SMTP client for use on Linux servers. It lacks many advanced features of full mail transfer agents like Postfix or Sendmail, but provides the basic ability to send email messages through an SMTP server from a Linux machine.Some key features and uses of sSMTP...
Microsoft SMTP Server
Microsoft SMTP Server is an email server software included in Windows Server that allows organizations to send and receive email. It works by handling SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) to deliver messages over the internet.Some key features of Microsoft SMTP Server include:Integrated with Active Directory for access control and securitySupports...
MailerQ
MailerQ is an innovative email messaging queue designed for high performance and scalability. It allows developers to send millions of emails per minute with minimum latency by utilizing advanced techniques like event-driven processing, persistent storage, and parallel execution across multiple CPU cores.Some key capabilities and benefits of MailerQ include:Extremely fast...
Msmtp
msmtp is a lightweight, command line based SMTP client for Linux and UNIX operating systems. It allows you to send emails directly from the command line or from shell scripts, without needing to configure a full local MTA like Sendmail or Postfix.Some key features of msmtp include:SMTP authentication - supports...
Atmail Email Server
Atmail Email Server is an on-premises email and collaboration platform designed for businesses and organizations. It provides a full-featured mail server along with additional functionality like calendars, contacts, tasks, notes, chat, and file storage.Key features of Atmail include:Easy installation on Linux or Windows serversScalable to support large numbers of mailboxes...
Exim
Exim is a popular open source mail transfer agent (MTA) developed primarily for use on Unix systems. It was originally designed for use at the University of Cambridge to replace Sendmail, aiming to be more lightweight, secure, and easy to configure.Some key features of Exim include:Lightweight and performant compared to...
OpenSMTPD
OpenSMTPD is an open source SMTP server daemon for Linux and BSD operating systems. It was created in 2015 as a secure alternative to existing SMTP server solutions.Key features of OpenSMTPD include:Support for the SMTP, SMTP over TLS (SMTPS), and SMTP over SSL (SMTP/SSL) protocolsModular and secure codebase written in...
Dragonfly Mail Agent
Dragonfly Mail Agent is a free, open source email client and personal information manager software for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It was first released in 2008.Key features of Dragonfly Mail Agent include:Support for multiple email accounts from providers like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, iCloud, etc.Contacts management with ability to import/export...
CrossBox
CrossBox is an open-source automated web application testing tool. It allows developers and testers to run frontend tests on real browsers and devices using Selenium, without having to set up the infrastructure themselves.Some key features of CrossBox include:Test your app across browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge on various operating...
ArgoSoft Mail Server
ArgoSoft Mail Server is an on-premises email hosting platform built specifically for small and medium sized businesses. It enables companies to have full control over their email infrastructure and data instead of relying on third-party cloud providers.Some key features and benefits of ArgoSoft Mail Server include:Easy to install and manage,...
Halon MTA
Halon MTA is a commercial email server software developed by Halon Security for business use. It is designed to provide robust and secure email services for organizations with features tailored towards business needs.As an email server, Halon MTA handles sending, receiving, and routing incoming and outgoing email for a domain....
Hectane
Hectane is a feature-rich 3D modeling and simulation software tailored for engineers, designers, and analysts. It provides sophisticated physics-based simulation capabilities to test product designs, predict behavior, and optimize performance.With Hectane, users can quickly build digital prototypes of complex systems. Its flexible modeling tools allow you to combine standard CAD...
Courier-MTA
Courier-MTA is an open source mail transfer agent (MTA) designed for use in mail servers and mail relays. It handles sending, receiving, and routing email messages between mail servers. Some key features of Courier-MTA include:High performance and horizontal scalability to handle large email volumesSupport for SMTP, POP3, IMAP as well...
NikaMail
NikaMail is an open-source, privacy-focused email service launched in 2019. It allows users to send and receive encrypted emails for free without ads or user tracking. NikaMail uses end-to-end encryption based on OpenPGP standards to keep emails private so that no one, not even NikaMail employees, can access them.Some key...
EmailSuccess
EmailSuccess is a comprehensive email marketing and automation platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses maximize their email campaigns. With EmailSuccess, you can:Create beautiful, responsive email campaigns using a wide variety of customizable templatesDesign effective workflows with a visual campaign builder to segment contacts, trigger automated emails, and drive...
AtMail Open
AtMail Open is an open source email server software designed to be a fast, reliable, and secure on-premises email platform for small to medium-sized businesses. It is developed by Atmail, an Australian-based company.Some key features of AtMail Open include:High delivery performance and scalability to handle large volumes of emailOpen standards...
Haraka
Haraka is an open source SMTP server written in Node.js. It was created in 2013 by Matt Sergeant as a faster and more extensible replacement for the qmail message transfer agent (MTA). Some key features and benefits of Haraka include:Easy installation and configuration using JavaScript or JSON filesSupport for plugins...
BulkMTA
BulkMTA is an enterprise-grade bulk email delivery platform optimized for sending high volumes of email marketing campaigns, newsletters, and notifications. As an open-source alternative to proprietary email services, BulkMTA provides unmatched deliverability and inbox placement at a fraction of the cost.Key features include:Flexible API integration - Send email via REST...
