HOSTED VS SELF-HOSTED

SMTPBox vs MailHog

A hosted MailHog alternative for shared email tests.

MailHog provides SMTP capture with a web interface and HTTP API. SMTPBox offers managed inboxes for teams and non-production environments.

Start testing free →See the comparison

SIDE BY SIDE

Choose the setup that fits.

Area	SMTPBox	MailHog
Deployment	Hosted	Self-hosted
SMTP capture and web UI	Included	Included
HTTP API	Included	Included
Message storage	Managed, 7 or 30 days retention	In-memory or MongoDB
Release to real SMTP server	Not supported	Supported
Maintenance	Managed by SMTPBox	Managed by your team

Reviewed 7 September 2026 against MailHog project documentation. Features and limits can change; follow the source for current terms.

CHOOSE SMTPBOX WHEN

A hosted team sandbox is the priority.

Teams that want managed shared access and automatic test-message retention.

View SMTPBox pricing →

CHOOSE MAILHOG WHEN

The alternative better matches your workflow.

MailHog may fit a local or self-hosted setup where your team operates the service.

Move a test workflow from MailHog

Change the MailHog host and SMTP port in your test environment, enable TLS and add an SMTPBox inbox credential. Replace MailHog HTTP API requests with the documented SMTPBox endpoints. Any workflow that releases captured mail to a real SMTP server must remain separate: SMTPBox never forwards captured sandbox messages.

Create the destination project and inbox in SMTPBox.
Generate an inbox SMTP credential and update non-production settings.
Use STARTTLS on 587 or 2525, or implicit TLS on 465.
Send a synthetic test email and confirm it appears in the expected inbox.
Adapt automated tests before removing the old test integration.

Use the SMTP setup guide, API reference and framework guides.

TRY SMTPBOX FREE

Catch test emails, not customers.

Start with 2,500 sandbox emails each month and no credit card.

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