CitadelvsMail-in-a-Box
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Citadel | Mail-in-a-Box | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 63/100 | 72/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 30 in Calendar & Contacts | #3 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | — | 15 447 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +29 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 4 |
| Latest release | — | v77 · 26 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | CC0-1.0 |
| Main language | — | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Mail-in-a-Box scores 72/100 against 63/100 for Citadel, so it is the safer default.
Mail-in-a-Box ships more often: 4 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Citadel.
If you want the quickest setup, Mail-in-a-Box is easier to run; Citadel needs more configuration.
Mail-in-a-Box is growing faster right now (+29 stars in 30 days).
Citadel details →Mail-in-a-Box details →
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