# Mailcow vs ReadMeABook

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

| | Mailcow | ReadMeABook |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 106 in Email | #3 of 15 in Audiobook Management |
| GitHub stars | 13 713 ✓ | 1 033 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +215 ✓ | +65 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | 2026-10 · 21 Oct 2026 | v1.2.12 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Mailcow scores 77/100 against 64/100 for ReadMeABook, so it is the safer default.

ReadMeABook ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 16 for Mailcow.

Mailcow is growing faster right now (+215 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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