# Mail-in-a-Box vs Mailcow

> 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).

## Details

- [Mail-in-a-Box](https://selfhost.directory/project/mail-in-a-box) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mail-in-a-box.md)
- [Mailcow](https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mail-in-a-box-vs-mailcow