# Bichon vs Mailcow

> Two self-hosted [Email projects](https://selfhost.directory/email), 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).

## Details

- [Bichon](https://selfhost.directory/project/bichon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/bichon.md)
- [Mailcow](https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/bichon-vs-mailcow