Mailcatcher vs. Papercut SMTP
A simple, free desktop SMTP test server — best for solo development, not built for teams or remote access.
| Feature | Mailcatcher | Papercut SMTP |
|---|---|---|
Deployment | Hosted SaaS | Self-hosted desktop app or service |
Setup | Point your SMTP settings at us | Install and run the desktop app or service |
Team accounts & permissions | Yes | No |
Shared access without exposing your network | Yes | No |
Multiple isolated projects | Unlimited | Single shared inbox |
HTML/text preview, headers & attachments Straightforward and easy to use | Yes | Yes |
Open source / full control Free to run yourself | No | Yes |
What is Papercut SMTP?
Papercut SMTP is a free, open-source dummy SMTP server with a lightweight desktop interface for catching and viewing test emails. It's best known as a simple Windows-first tool, though builds exist for other platforms too.
Where Papercut SMTP shines
It's refreshingly easy to get running: install it, point your app's SMTP settings at it, and captured emails show up in the desktop window immediately. For a single developer who wants something minimal and familiar in a Windows-centric stack, that simplicity is the whole appeal.
Where Mailcatcher differs
Papercut SMTP gives you one inbox on one machine, with no accounts, permissions, or way to share what's been captured with anyone else — someone would need access to that machine to see the emails. It also isn't built with cross-platform teams or CI environments in mind the way a hosted or Docker-based tool is.
Mailcatcher is hosted and works the same way regardless of your OS, with unlimited projects and team permissions so captured emails can be shared with whoever needs to see them, not just whoever is at that desk.
Which should you choose?
If you're a solo developer on Windows who wants a no-fuss desktop tool for local testing, Papercut SMTP does the job well. If you need to organize emails by project or share them with teammates who aren't on the same machine, Mailcatcher is built for that.