MailHog vs Mailinator

MailHog is a free email testing tool for developers. Applications send mail to it over SMTP, after which users can inspect messages in a web interface or retrieve them through a JSON API. The interface displays plain text, HTML or source, supports encoded headers and updates in real time. The API can list, retrieve and delete messages, and download complete messages or individual MIME parts. Messages may also be released to real SMTP servers. MailHog supports ESMTP RFC5321, SMTP AUTH and PIPELINING, and includes a Chaos Monkey feature for failure testing. Storage defaults to memory, with MongoDB and Maildir also available. It can run from the command line, as a daemon, in Docker or on AWS Elastic Beanstalk. Its default SMTP and HTTP ports are 1025 and 8025. In-memory storage limits Elastic Beanstalk deployments to one instance; load-balanced deployments require MongoDB-backed storage. MailHog is released under the MIT license.

Mailinator provides temporary inboxes and tools for testing email and SMS workflows. Developers, QA teams, and businesses can use it to check delivery for OTP, MFA, onboarding, password recovery, and other email processes at scale. Paid subscriptions include private testing domains, where messages can arrive at any address without creating an inbox first. The REST API retrieves inboxes, messages, and SMS, injects messages, and connects with CI/CD pipelines. Inbound webhooks can accept HTTP POST messages from sources such as alert systems, Zapier, or Twilio, then apply configured rules. SMS can be routed to an inbox or API for automated OTP and 2FA testing. The free public inboxes are readable by anyone, and messages typically auto-delete after several hours. Mailinator is receive-only: it cannot send email or fill out forms. The Public - Free plan is free to use without sign-up. Business costs $79 a month billed yearly; a two-week Business trial is listed. Other plans include Verified Pro at free, Business Plus at $159 a month billed yearly, and Enterprise at a price agreed with the maker with custom pricing.