# docker-mailserver vs Pi-hole

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

| | docker-mailserver | Pi-hole |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 16 in Mail Server | #1 of 41 in DNS |
| GitHub stars | 19 698 | 61 527 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +825 ✓ | +483 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 7 ✓ |
| Latest release | v16.0.1 · 4 Sept 2026 | v6.5 · 17 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Shell | Shell |

## Which one should you pick?

Pi-hole scores 87/100 against 80/100 for docker-mailserver, so it is the safer default.

Pi-hole ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for docker-mailserver.

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

## Details

- [docker-mailserver](https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-mailserver) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-mailserver.md)
- [Pi-hole](https://selfhost.directory/project/pi-hole) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pi-hole.md)

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