# Mail-in-a-Box vs Tube Archivist

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

| | Mail-in-a-Box | Tube Archivist |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 72/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 16 in Mail Server | #7 of 118 in Media Server |
| GitHub stars | 15 446 ✓ | 8 552 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +27 | +83 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 4 | 6 ✓ |
| Latest release | v77 · 26 Sept 2026 | v0.6.0 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | CC0-1.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Python | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Mail-in-a-Box and Tube Archivist score the same (72/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.

Tube Archivist ships more often: 6 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; Tube Archivist needs more configuration.

Tube Archivist is growing faster right now (+83 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)
- [Tube Archivist](https://selfhost.directory/project/tube-archivist) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/tube-archivist.md)

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