ArcanevsStalwart Mail Server
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Arcane | Stalwart Mail Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 78/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 44 in Container Management | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 8 101 | 15 462 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +532 | +678 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 31 | 30 |
| Latest release | v2.17.1 · 25 Oct 2026 | v1.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Go | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
Stalwart Mail Server scores 78/100 against 76/100 for Arcane, so it is the safer default.
Arcane ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 30 for Stalwart Mail Server.
If you want the quickest setup, Arcane is easier to run; Stalwart Mail Server needs more configuration.
Arcane details →Stalwart Mail Server details →
Swap a project
Keep Arcane, compare it with
Keep Stalwart Mail Server, compare it with