# Blackbox exporter vs Stalwart Mail Server

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

| | Blackbox exporter | Stalwart Mail Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 78/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 51 in Monitoring & observability | #2 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 5 922 | 15 451 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +16 | +667 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 30 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.29.1 · 21 Oct 2026 | v1.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0-only AND LicenseRef-SEL |
| Main language | Go | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Stalwart Mail Server scores 78/100 against 70/100 for Blackbox exporter, so it is the safer default.

Stalwart Mail Server ships more often: 30 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Blackbox exporter.

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

Stalwart Mail Server is growing faster right now (+667 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Blackbox exporter](https://selfhost.directory/project/blackbox-exporter) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/blackbox-exporter.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/blackbox-exporter-vs-stalwart-mail-server