KarakeepvsMailcow
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Karakeep | Mailcow | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 46 in Bookmarks & Link Sharing | #2 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 30 135 | 13 713 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +887 | +215 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 5 | 16 |
| Latest release | v0.34.1 · 22 Oct 2026 | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Karakeep scores 82/100 against 77/100 for Mailcow, so it is the safer default.
Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 5 for Karakeep.
If you want the quickest setup, Karakeep is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.
Karakeep is growing faster right now (+887 stars in 30 days).
Karakeep details →Mailcow details →
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