Mail-in-a-BoxvsMailcow
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mail-in-a-Box | Mailcow | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 16 in Mail Server | #2 of 106 in Email |
| GitHub stars | 15 450 | 13 713 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +32 | +215 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 4 | 16 |
| Latest release | v77 · 26 Sept 2026 | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | CC0-1.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Python | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Mailcow scores 77/100 against 72/100 for Mail-in-a-Box, so it is the safer default.
Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 4 for Mail-in-a-Box.
If you want the quickest setup, Mail-in-a-Box is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.
Mailcow is growing faster right now (+215 stars in 30 days).
Mail-in-a-Box details →Mailcow details →
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