# Mailcow vs Pi-hole

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

| | Mailcow | Pi-hole |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #1 of 41 in DNS |
| GitHub stars | 13 713 | 61 535 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +215 | +491 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 6 |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | v6.5 · 17 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | JavaScript | Shell |

## Which one should you pick?

Pi-hole scores 87/100 against 77/100 for Mailcow, so it is the safer default.

Mailcow ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Pi-hole.

If you want the quickest setup, Pi-hole is easier to run; Mailcow needs more configuration.

Pi-hole is growing faster right now (+491 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Mailcow](https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mailcow.md)
- [Pi-hole](https://selfhost.directory/project/pi-hole) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pi-hole.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mailcow-vs-pi-hole