# docker-mailserver vs Mailu

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

| | docker-mailserver | Mailu |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 69/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 16 in Mail Server | #8 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 19 698 ✓ | 7 595 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +825 ✓ | +72 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 22 ✓ |
| Latest release | v16.0.1 · 4 Sept 2026 | 2024.06.67 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Shell | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

docker-mailserver scores 80/100 against 69/100 for Mailu, so it is the safer default.

Mailu ships more often: 22 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for docker-mailserver.

If you want the quickest setup, Mailu is easier to run; docker-mailserver needs more configuration.

docker-mailserver is growing faster right now (+825 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [docker-mailserver](https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-mailserver) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-mailserver.md)
- [Mailu](https://selfhost.directory/project/mailu) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mailu.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/docker-mailserver-vs-mailu