# Mail-in-a-Box vs ReadMeABook

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

| | Mail-in-a-Box | ReadMeABook |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 ✓ | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 16 in Mail Server | #3 of 15 in Audiobook Management |
| GitHub stars | 15 450 ✓ | 1 033 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +32 | +65 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 4 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | v77 · 26 Sept 2026 | v1.2.12 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | CC0-1.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Mail-in-a-Box scores 72/100 against 64/100 for ReadMeABook, so it is the safer default.

ReadMeABook ships more often: 21 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; ReadMeABook needs more configuration.

ReadMeABook is growing faster right now (+65 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)
- [ReadMeABook](https://selfhost.directory/project/readmeabook) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/readmeabook.md)

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