# Arcane vs Stalwart 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.

## Details

- [Arcane](https://selfhost.directory/project/arcane) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/arcane.md)
- [Stalwart Mail Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/stalwart-mail-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/stalwart-mail-server.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/arcane-vs-stalwart-mail-server