# Bencher vs Stalwart Mail Server

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

| | Bencher | Stalwart Mail Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 54/100 | 78/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 2 in Performance monitoring | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 923 | 15 444 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +18 | +660 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 30 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.6.14 · 26 Oct 2026 | v1.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Rust | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Stalwart Mail Server scores 78/100 against 54/100 for Bencher, so it is the safer default.

Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 30 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for Bencher.

If you want the quickest setup, Bencher is easier to run; Stalwart Mail Server needs more configuration.

Stalwart Mail Server is growing faster right now (+660 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Bencher](https://selfhost.directory/project/bencher) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/bencher.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/bencher-vs-stalwart-mail-server