# Blackbox exporter vs Postal

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Blackbox exporter | Postal |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 72/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 51 in Monitoring & observability | #3 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 5 922 | 16 898 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +16 | +74 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 3 |
| Latest release | v0.29.1 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | 3.3.7 · 3 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

Postal scores 72/100 against 70/100 for Blackbox exporter, so it is the safer default.

If you want the quickest setup, Blackbox exporter is easier to run; Postal needs more configuration.

Postal is growing faster right now (+74 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Blackbox exporter](https://selfhost.directory/project/blackbox-exporter) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/blackbox-exporter.md)
- [Postal](https://selfhost.directory/project/postal) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/postal.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/blackbox-exporter-vs-postal