# Inbucket vs Mailcow

> Two self-hosted [Email projects](https://selfhost.directory/email), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Inbucket | Mailcow |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 29/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #104 of 106 in Email | #2 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 2 310 | 13 713 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +215 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 16 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.2.0 · 10 Oct 2026 | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | — | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Mailcow scores 77/100 against 29/100 for Inbucket, so it is the safer default.

Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for Inbucket.

Mailcow is growing faster right now (+215 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Inbucket](https://selfhost.directory/project/inbucket) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/inbucket.md)
- [Mailcow](https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/inbucket-vs-mailcow