BichonvsMailcow
Two self-hosted Email projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Bichon | Mailcow | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 62/100 | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #18 of 106 in Email | #2 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 2 056 | 13 713 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +215 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 | 16 |
| Latest release | 2.2.0 · 20 Oct 2026 | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Rust | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Mailcow scores 77/100 against 62/100 for Bichon, so it is the safer default.
Bichon ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 16 for Mailcow.
If you want the quickest setup, Bichon is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.
Mailcow is growing faster right now (+215 stars in 30 days).
Bichon details →Mailcow details →All Email projects →
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