MailDev vs testmail.app
MailDev
maildev.github.iotestmail.app
testmail.appSide by side
| Figure | MailDev | testmail.app |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $9/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 6 |
| Spec score · Email Testing Software | 7.7 (#18) | 8.3 (#9) |
| Purpose | MailDev is a local SMTP server and web inbox for developers to catch and inspect email sent by an app during development. | testmail.app receives, parses, spam-tests, and indexes test emails so they can be retrieved by API for automated end-to-end testing. |
| Security | MailDev accepts mail from anyone, stores it unencrypted, and has no authentication by default, so the docs warn against exposing it to the public internet or using it for production traffic. | The maker states that HTTPS/TLS is enforced, data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and logins are passwordless. |
Plans
testmail.app
- FreeFree
- Essential$9 a month
- Pro$29 a month
- Enterprise$89 a month
- Unlimited$269 a month
- CustomPriced on request
In their own words
testmail.app
testmail.app receives, parses, spam-tests, and indexes test emails for automated end-to-end testing. Messages sent to addresses such as `{namespace}.{tag}@inbox.testmail.app` are routed into mailboxes, allowing tests to create addresses and mailboxes dynamically. The service provides simple JSON and GraphQL APIs, with client examples for JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python, Go, Bash, C#, and Java. Search includes wildcard queries, live waits for new mail, sorting, pagination, attachments, and SpamAssassin reports. GraphQL adds advanced filters, field selection, and custom sorting unavailable in the simple JSON API. Documented integrations cover Cypress, Selenium, TestCafe, and email OTP testing. New accounts receive a 14-day trial without a credit card, then move to the free plan. Free includes 100 emails monthly and one-day retention. Paid plans start at $9/mo (annual). Hosting uses AWS, with encrypted data and passwordless logins.