Side by side
Hermes Secure Email Gateway vs Rspamd
Both stand on email security gateways. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source LinuxSelf-hostedWeb
Choose Hermes if you need a self-hosted email gateway or mail server with filtering, authentication controls, encryption, and bundled collaboration. Look elsewhere if you require malware sandboxing or direct vendor support without Pro coverage or purchased incidents.
Visit Hermes Secure Email Gateway Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
Rspamd offers a self-hosted email filtering engine with multiple authentication checks, malware integrations, and custom rule options. Consider its mailbox-based pricing and release support policy when evaluating it for a mail environment.
Visit RspamdThe facts
| Hermes Secure Email Gateway | Rspamd | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted, Web | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Scale: £100 a month |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | hermesseg.io | rspamd.com |
| On email security gateways | #1 of 35 | #2 of 35 |
Hermes Secure Email Gateway: what it does well
- Supports gateway, full-server, and hybrid deployments.
- Filters inbound mail with SpamAssassin and ClamAV.
- Supports SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and ARC.
- Offers SMTP TLS, S/MIME, PGP, and encrypted PDF fallback.
- Bundles Nextcloud collaboration and Authelia single sign-on.
What to know first
- Requires a Linux host with Docker Engine 24.0 or later and Docker Compose v2.
- Malware sandboxing is not included.
- Direct vendor support requires eligible Pro coverage or purchased incidents.
- Pro is priced at $750 a year per server.
Rspamd: what it does well
- Checks SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and ARC.
- Supports custom rules through Lua, maps, and selectors.
- Can run on-premises without a required vendor cloud.
- Open-source engine is licensed under Apache 2.0.
- Works with Postfix, Exim, and Sendmail.
What to know first
- Scale starts at £100 + VAT/month.
- Pricing is based on protected mailbox count.
- Old releases are not supported.
- Previous stable branch support ends when a new major release becomes stable.
Alternatives to Hermes Secure Email Gateway Alternatives to Rspamd The whole list