Is MailHog still maintained?

MailHog's last release was in 2020. Mailpit is the maintained drop-in replacement and uses the same default ports.

Can I use MailHog or Mailpit in GitHub Actions?

Yes, if you run a Mailpit service container and point the application's SMTP at it. If staging sends through a real provider such as Amazon SES or Postmark, the mail goes to a real address, which needs a public MX inbox like InboxRhino.

Does InboxRhino replace Mailpit for local development?

No. For purely local SMTP capture on a laptop, Mailpit is free and simpler. InboxRhino is for tests where real mail is delivered to a real address, in CI or on a laptop.

MailHog alternative: InboxRhino vs MailHog and Mailpit

Looking for a MailHog alternative? MailHog and Mailpit are local SMTP catchers. They are the right tool when the application can send to localhost on a developer machine. They are the wrong tool when staging sends through a real provider to a real address, or when CI has no sidecar. InboxRhino is a hosted receive-only MX inbox for that second case. Confirm current Mailpit behaviour on mailpit.axllent.org. MailHog is unmaintained; Mailpit is the maintained replacement with the same default ports.

When to choose Mailpit

Use Mailpit on a laptop when you can point the app at SMTP localhost:1025, inspect messages in the local UI, and optionally query the local REST API. You can run the same container in GitHub Actions, but then the application must still send to that container, not to Amazon SES or Postmark.

When to choose InboxRhino

Use InboxRhino when the product under test already sends real mail. Create an address, wait up to 180 seconds, read the HTML in a sandboxed viewer, then delete the inbox. That path is the same in CI as on a laptop. InboxRhino does not replace Mailpit for purely local SMTP capture, and it does not send mail.

Features compared: InboxRhino vs MailHog and Mailpit

Capability	InboxRhino	MailHog / Mailpit
Real public MX	Yes, addresses on test.inboxrhino.in	No. Local SMTP on port 1025
How mail arrives	Your real mailer (SES, Postmark, app SMTP) delivers to the test address	The app under test must send to localhost, not a public provider
GitHub Actions / CI	Same wait-for-message call as on a laptop	Works only if you run a Mailpit service container and rewrite SMTP
Wait-for-message API	Yes, up to 180s with subject/sender filters	Mailpit REST API on localhost:8025; MailHog API is unmaintained
Visual HTML inbox	Sandboxed console on the web	Local UI on port 8025
Cost	Free tier live: 11 inboxes / 33 emails	Free, self-hosted
Maintenance	Hosted by InboxRhino	MailHog last released 2020; Mailpit is the drop-in replacement
SMS / SDKs	Not in v1	Not applicable

Compared on 7 September 2026 from InboxRhino's live product, Mailpit's public docs, and MailHog's GitHub status. Local-catcher behaviour can change with your Docker setup. InboxRhino paid checkout is not live.

Frequently asked questions

Is MailHog still maintained?: MailHog's last release was in 2020. Mailpit is the maintained drop-in replacement and uses the same default ports.
Can I use MailHog or Mailpit in GitHub Actions?: Yes, if you run a Mailpit service container and point the application's SMTP at it. If staging sends through a real provider such as Amazon SES or Postmark, the mail goes to a real address, which needs a public MX inbox like InboxRhino.
Does InboxRhino replace Mailpit for local development?: No. For purely local SMTP capture on a laptop, Mailpit is free and simpler. InboxRhino is for tests where real mail is delivered to a real address, in CI or on a laptop.

See Playwright email testing, the API quickstart, InboxRhino vs Tigrmail, and Mailosaur alternative, InboxRhino vs MailSlurp, and InboxRhino vs testmail.app.