head to head · open source
Supabase vs mailcatcher
Supabase has 110,451 GitHub stars, 14,493 forks, 1,128 open issues and last shipped yesterday. mailcatcher has 6,779 stars, 605 forks, 43 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Supabase leads on adoption by 1,529% (110,451 vs 6,779 stars). Supabase is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; mailcatcher is written in Ruby under MIT. Supabase has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, mailcatcher 9%. Supabase was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Supabase | mailcatcher | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 110K | ★ 6.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Ruby |
| Last push | 2026-09-21 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 605 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Supabase if
- You weight community size — 110K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick mailcatcher if
- You want the mailcatcher feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You evaluated both and mailcatcher fits your workflow better
About Supabase
Supabase is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed Postgres development platform that bundles a dedicated Postgres database with authentication, auto generated APIs, realtime subscriptions, file storage, and edge functions for developers building web, mobile, and AI applications.
read the full Supabase overview →
About mailcatcher
MailCatcher is a Ruby SMTP server that catches every message sent to it and serves those messages through a local web interface, and it is made for developers who need to inspect the email their application sends without delivering it to real recipients.
read the full mailcatcher overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Supabase or mailcatcher more popular?
Supabase has 110,451 GitHub stars and mailcatcher has 6,779. Supabase has the larger community by that measure.
Are Supabase and mailcatcher free?
Both are open source. Supabase is licensed under Apache-2.0 and mailcatcher under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Supabase and mailcatcher?
Supabase is written in TypeScript and mailcatcher in Ruby. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Supabase or mailcatcher?
Choose Supabase if you want the larger community (110,451 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose mailcatcher if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.