# Mailcow vs prefect

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

| | Mailcow | prefect |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #5 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 13 713 | 24 092 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +215 ✓ | +180 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 | 17 ✓ |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 | 2.20.27 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

prefect scores 80/100 against 77/100 for Mailcow, so it is the safer default.

prefect ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 16 for Mailcow.

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

## Details

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

## Related comparisons

- [Kestra vs prefect](https://selfhost.directory/compare/kestra-vs-prefect)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mailcow-vs-prefect