# docker-mailserver vs rustmailer

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

| | docker-mailserver | rustmailer |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 44/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 16 in Mail Server | #81 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 19 700 ✓ | 514 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +827 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 9 ✓ |
| Latest release | v16.0.1 · 4 Sept 2026 | 1.7.6 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Shell | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

docker-mailserver scores 80/100 against 44/100 for rustmailer, so it is the safer default.

rustmailer ships more often: 9 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for docker-mailserver.

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

docker-mailserver is growing faster right now (+827 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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