docker-mailservervsPayload CMS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| docker-mailserver | Payload CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 16 in Mail Server | #2 of 13 in Headless CMS |
| GitHub stars | 19 705 | 45 571 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +831 | +639 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 20 |
| Latest release | v16.0.1 · 4 Sept 2026 | v3.92.1 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Shell | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Payload CMS scores 83/100 against 80/100 for docker-mailserver, so it is the safer default.
Payload CMS ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for docker-mailserver.
If you want the quickest setup, Payload CMS is easier to run; docker-mailserver needs more configuration.
docker-mailserver details →Payload CMS details →
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